Up & Coming Politicians Working on Joint Projects
The 2nd cohort of our Up & Coming Politicians program in a weekend workshop in Beit Jala. Under the guidance of Shahira Shalabi, the group has been developing projects and writing up their work plans.
It’s not easy to create initiatives and projects when you’re operating in such a frustrating reality. During the dialogue before the workshop, the participants talked about their frustration from the deteriorating situation. They talked about the Palestinian homes in the Jerusalem neighbourhood Silwan which received demolition orders, about the confiscation of the spring and pool in Walajeh village near Jerusalem (see article written by participant in this program, Laura Wharton), and the attempts at demolishing the historic Lifta in favour of luxury apartments.
Despite these and more, the participants remain hopeful and are not giving in to this reality. The projects they are working on are diverse and deal with a wide range of issues: from societal stereotypes to environmental issues affecting both peoples. The SFP staff will be guiding the participants and helping them carry out their projects.
The Up & Coming Politicians program is based on a unique dialogue method and a change agents models developed by the School for Peace. The aim of this program is to provide the next generation of Palestinian and Israeli politicians the tools and will to promote a sustainable peace between Israel and Palestine, and to improve and direct their skills towards making a positive, wide, long-term change in their society.
It’s not easy to create initiatives and projects when you’re operating in such a frustrating reality. During the dialogue before the workshop, the participants talked about their frustration from the deteriorating situation. They talked about the Palestinian homes in the Jerusalem neighbourhood Silwan which received demolition orders, about the confiscation of the spring and pool in Walajeh village near Jerusalem (see article written by participant in this program, Laura Wharton), and the attempts at demolishing the historic Lifta in favour of luxury apartments.
Despite these and more, the participants remain hopeful and are not giving in to this reality. The projects they are working on are diverse and deal with a wide range of issues: from societal stereotypes to environmental issues affecting both peoples. The SFP staff will be guiding the participants and helping them carry out their projects.
The Up & Coming Politicians program is based on a unique dialogue method and a change agents models developed by the School for Peace. The aim of this program is to provide the next generation of Palestinian and Israeli politicians the tools and will to promote a sustainable peace between Israel and Palestine, and to improve and direct their skills towards making a positive, wide, long-term change in their society.
By analyzing the current leadership in the government, in political parties, and civil society organizations, the School for Peace identified the people who will move in to key roles in politics and in the next decade. From these groups of student unions, periphery movements, media, nonprofits, unions, and local authorities, the School for Peace and Inmaa Center chose 120 participants to take part in this special program. For implementing this unique project, the School for Peace was awarded a grant by the EU Peacebuilding Initiative, and for supporting the projects which the participants will create. This program which began in 2016, is set to end by the end of the year 2018.
This project is funded by the European Union.
