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Friendship Village
International Center for Education for Peace and Human Rights in a Multi-Cultural Society
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Young People Against Racism
Young People Against Racism is a project dedicated to training a core of young Israeli teachers and students to act as advocates for human rights and democracy from within Israel’s educational systems. With the cooperation of several academic institutions, the project focuses on coping with the growing racism, xenophobia, anti-democratic attitudes and violence pervading Israeli society.
Regional Background
1) The current political conflict between the state of Israel and the surrounding Arab nations is part of a deeper conflict that extends back for a hundred years. Despite their proximity to one another, the Jewish and Arab people are totally divided and culturally alienated from one another. Many Israeli Jews view all Arab people - whom they believe are inferior - with contempt. The majority of Arab people - regardless of their nationality - view Jews (particularly Western Jews) as strangers and intruders who they hope will eventually disappear from the Middle East. The outcome of this situation is that Israeli Jews live in a constant state of fear, while many Arabs feel that the very existence of a Jewish state is a national humiliation.
The two sides in conflict hold views so deeply internalized that the idea of peace seems increasingly remote; alienation, suspicion, fear and hatred on both sides towards the other define insurmountable borders. The majority of the population on both sides is prone to stereotyping and prejudice fueled by ignorance and estrangement. Even among devoted supporters of the peace process there is only a small minority that can claim any real connection with the other side (those that do have contact often belong to the elite of their society).
2) One of the many unfortunate outcomes of this condition is that there is great resistance to grappling with issues of democracy and human rights in this broader context. Although Israel is regarded as the only real democratic country in the Middle East, it is a claim that can only be validated in a limited political sense. According to most surveys and studies published in Israel over the last decade, a large segment of the Jewish population, and a growing segment of the Arab population (particularly the youth), has not internalized democratic values or a belief in the importance of democracy, human rights or equality. In the religious sectors, this problem is more profound; racism and xenophobia are important factors in their group identity.
Inter-ethnic and cross-cultural tensions are rising in Israel, where intolerance and racism are increasingly widespread.
To cope with the problem:
One of the most efficient ways to encourage a change in the tendency towards alienation and fear is to prepare young people working in areas where dialogue can make a difference; focusing primarily on young people who work (or will work) as teachers, students of education and social activists.
Thanks to the openness of several academic institutions, the "Young People against Racism" project conducts on-going workshops, with the participating partners’ lecturers with ongoing discussions and elaboration on themes through joint efforts and partnership.
Goals:
a)To lead a group of Israeli university students (Jewish and Arab) through an educational process that focuses on the roots of racism, anti-Semitism and intolerance and explores the hidden anti-democratic elements in Israeli society. The process includes cognitive and emotion-focused lectures and discussions comprising the "dynamic workshops. "
To lead a group of Israeli university students (Jewish and Arab) through an educational process that focuses on the roots of racism, anti-Semitism and intolerance and explores the hidden anti-democratic elements in Israeli society. The process includes cognitive and emotion-focused lectures and discussions comprising the "dynamic workshops. "b)To prepare a core of young Israelis to be able to disseminate democratic values and to combat racism, xenophobia and intolerance. This enriched group of education workers would help to teach the value of living all Israeli citizens to live in cooperation, based on equality, tolerance and mutual respect.
To prepare a core of young Israelis to be able to disseminate democratic values and to combat racism, xenophobia and intolerance. This enriched group of education workers would help to teach the value of living all Israeli citizens to live in cooperation, based on equality, tolerance and mutual respect. c)To enable project graduates to use the learned methods from "Young People against Racism" within their communities in order to spread the idea of democracy, tolerance and respect for human rights within them.
To enable project graduates to use the learned methods from "Young People against Racism" within their communities in order to spread the idea of democracy, tolerance and respect for human rights within them.Content:
1 – Identity (personal, communal, national, gender, etc.).
2 – Power and Culture: stereotypes, minority-majority relations, and cultural hegemony.
3 – Ethnocentrism, ethnic exclusion, and violence.
4 – The "Other" as a mirror image–exclusion, ignorance and conflict.
5 – Racism - a widespread phenomenon of the modern world.
6 – Composition and structure of Israeli society.
7 – Minority-majority relationships, cultural dominance and racism in Israeli society.
Framework:
The course will include fourteen successive weekly sessions that are four academic hours each. Every session will include a two-hour lecture, followed by a dynamic workshop of two hours in which issues raised in the lecture will be addressed on the emotional level. The college staff will conduct lectures; the Friendship Village team will facilitate the workshops,
Participants: Twenty students in each course: Total = 120 students in six courses.
Partners:*
In cooperation with the Emeq Yizre'el Academic College for Education, the Oranim Academic College for Education and with the Department of Sociology, University of Haifa, Friendship Village will conduct six courses in the next academic year.
Outcome:
Six groups of 15-20 university students in the field of education will be prepared to transmit humanistic values, and teach tolerance and democratic rights to their future pupils. The success of the project will influence other colleges to adopt the program and will thereby effect a greater part of Israel’s education system and it’s students.
Evaluation Plan:
1.Every activity will be followed by a consultation between college coordinators and Friendship Village
Every activity will be followed by a consultation between college coordinators and Friendship Village facilitators. Their conclusions will be applied to subsequent activities.
2.During the activity, feedback papers will be submitted. The coordinators will elaborate on these
During the activity, feedback papers will be submitted. The coordinators will elaborate on these papers after the project is completed.
3.Upon completion of the project’s cycle, a feedback session and questionnaire will offer a proper
Upon completion of the project’s cycle, a feedback session and questionnaire will offer a proper picture of its success to help deepen its message for the young educators.
4.In cooperation with the Haifa University, a one yearlong follow-up program will evaluate and study the
In cooperation with the Haifa University, a one yearlong follow-up program will evaluate and study the efficacy of the project on its graduates and their impact on the pupils.
5. The project coordinators will complete the evaluation.
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