Dates of Interest
Information on school visits
Published date: 5th April 2011
About OneVoice:
OneVoice Europe (OVE) was formally registered in the UK in May 2006 as part of a wider group of pre existing OneVoice (OV) movements located in Israel, Palestine and the USA. OV has around 40 members of staff in total, three of which are based in the UK.
OV is a non-profit, international, mainstream grassroots movement with over 650,000 signatories both in Israel, Palestine and internationally as well having 2,000 trained youth leaders. Together it aims to amplify the voice of moderates, regionally and internationally, as well as within the UK to empower them to seize back the agenda for conflict resolution. Using the platform that OneVoice provides, the civil society demands that leaders work to achieve a viable two-state solution with the aim of guaranteeing the establishment of a sustainable, independent Palestinian state alongside a secure state of Israel.
Outside the region itself, in places like the UK, the objective is to promote attitudes of tolerance and mutual understanding within communities across the globe. This is to help tackle the polarisation, radicalisation and friction that can result from issues surrounding the conflict in areas outside the Middle East.
Introduction to the Project:
OneVoice Europe has a Director of Outreach and Education, Sharon Alsoodani, who is available throughout the school year to conduct sessions for groups of up to 60 students on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Sharon has lived in the Arab World for 6 years and has an MA from Cambridge University in Theology and Religious Studies, specialising in the three, monotheistic faiths. She has the PTLLS teaching qualification and over 11 years of experience teaching in various fields.
The session includes activities on general conflict understanding and conflict resolution, and the application of these principles to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is designed to encourage exploration of a variety of possible solutions, as well as giving some background from both sides’ points of view as to the issues at the heart of the conflict. It also features real-life experiences and aspirations of people who are living through the conflict. These stories are either shown on video, or told in person by our visiting Israeli and Palestinian Youth Leaders from the region. Time is given for an open question and answer session where students have the opportunity to learn from people who are living in the region and/or are involved in working for conflict resolution in Israel/Palestine. OneVoice is uniquely able to bring Palestinian and Israeli young people from the region to participate with British students and community members in this programme.
Objectives:
The aims of the session are as follows:
- To highlight the human element of conflict, especially important when working with the grassroots in any global conflict
- To encourage students to put their own experiences of conflict into a more international context
- To give some basic historical background to the conflict in our working example (Israeli-Palestinian conflict)
- To learn about the components of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that need to be taken into account when working towards conflict resolution (borders, refugees, Jerusalem, settlements etc)
- Practice applying the understanding of components to the working example using maps and other practical and interactive resources.
- Introduce the students to OV’s approach to conflict resolution, emphasising that it is one approach among others
The session is approximately one hour long, although certain sections may be extended if a longer session is required.
At certain points in the year, OneVoice’s Youth Leaders from Israel and Palestine (young people in their 20s and 30s) will be available to participate in the session, providing personal testimony as ordinary people living through the conflict and answering students’ questions. It is recommended to allow a longer session for a visit that includes the Youth Leaders.
For further information, please contact:
Sharon Alsoodani
Director of Outreach and Education, OneVoice Europe
PO Box 817, Richmond, TW9 3WA, UK
Tel. +44 (0)208 948 5222; Fax.+44 (0)208 332 6423; Mobile: +44(0)7835 141 010
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
