Peace it Together is a year-long curriculum for Palestinian, Israeli, and Canadian youth that begins with an intensive residential program on Canada's West Coast. In and around Vancouver, Canada we teach creative and practical conflict resolution skills to youth as they work in teams to create short films related to the conflict.
We then work with the youth over the course of the year to become leaders in their communities, and use the films they created as educational tools in the conflict region and around the world.
Our Goals:
- Empower youth to discover their personal strengths and ability to make a difference in their communities.
- Shift the negative attitude toward the other and promote the concept of dialogue and tolerance.
- Create innovative tools for teachers and youth to educate in classroom setting and beyond.
Israeli and Palestinian youth are growing up in an environment of pervasive cultural alienation, anger, and fear. This discourages them from working toward peace while encouraging them to maintain the cycle of violence. Any solution to this conflict will undoubtedly involve painful compromise between the two nations that have legitimate claims to the same land. To negotiate and get support for that compromise, citizens and leaders must:
- surmount the hurdles of alienation,
- legitimize the other side's point of view,
- acknowledge the contribution of one's own side to the conflict,
- have empathy for the other side's suffering.
Peace it Together 2006