Annual Report 1999 - 2000

Director's Reflections

Nelson Mandela once said about change: "Belief in the possibility of change and renewal is perhaps one of the defining characteristics of politics and religions." Yes, we do believe in change, not only in the possibility of change. This principle has been the backbone of Wi'am's work since its foundation. Our effort sprung from the consideration that change will not be brought about except through perseverance, hard work, and commitment.

This is our sixth year in our daily struggle for social transformation. The more we think we are creating change on the ground in this transitional period, the more we should multiply our efforts and our resources to create more impact on the ground. We are working against the violent current. Where are we heading: Community building or chaos?

A question that persists nowadays! We are working toward Community building. We are walking the talk. The various activities that we carry on are the pillars of social change.

We try to implement change by reaching out to people on different levels. Last year Wi'am Center conducted activities in many different social areas, aiming to strengthen the network among institutions in the Bethlehem area. Our work focused on youth and young adult education, leadership development, community building, better integration of women in decision making and society planning, cooperation with Authority personnel, as well as strengthening cross-cultural connections.

As Paul McAllister said in the Reweaving the Web of Life, "the fabric of the new society will be made of nothing more or less than the threads woven in today's interactions." Wi'am believes that caring for and educating today's youth is the basis for tomorrow's society.

We are called to channel down the anger and frustration of the community we are serving. To be efficient, the Center aims to be more intentional about taking care of its own personnel. We should allow for more relaxation and 'down' time to preserve our sanity and avoid burning out.

The approach of the Millennium challenges Wi'am's efforts to be welcoming to people belonging to different faith traditions. In a time of upheaval of religious and political feelings we are trying to promote religious pluralism and fight against the incitement of different faith traditions against each other.

Over the next couple of years we hope to be more active in writing and publishing notes about our experiences and our reflections about the many lectures we have conducted. This past year we have been pleased to be part of a publication on the history of Bethlehem and a manual about Sulha in Arabic. 


The way we act in different situations depends from what perspective we look at the problem. Emerson said that "this time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it." Wi'am tries to embrace this idea, and be more proactive in its approach to conflict mediation. We believe that aiming to change people's perspective on even a bad situation can yield new energies to continue on working for justice. In this age of anger it is good to share Nelson Mandela's wisdom: "It is not easy to remain bitter if one is busy with constructive things."

As a church related organization, we appreciate the prophetic voice and action of the Church. Although we are very ambitious, we are grateful to more transformation. As Mande Royeden, the English religious writer, social reformer, and preacher puts it, "The Church should go forward along the path of progress and be no longer satisfied only to represent the conservatives at prayer.