Annual Report 1999 - 2000

Education & Training

Anti-Incitement project

People to People Workshop

Conflict Resolution Training Seminars

Capacity Building in Institutional Development Seminars

Conflict Resolution Training Seminars (Hebron)

Wi'am has taken part in local and international conferences and workshops, including:

• Norway - International Peace Summer School. Five volunteers from the West Bank and Gaza Strip joined this project.
• Peace in the City - Hanover, Germany. George Akroush, the Administrative Officer attended this conference, sponsored by the World Council of Churches.
• Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) Summer Peace Building Institute. Lucy Thalgieh, Women's Coordinator, and Zoughbi both participated.
• Speaking tour of Canada by Zoughbi, including: churches, government organizations, and NGOs, hosted by Mennonite Central Committee.
• Zoughbi gave the address at the celebration at Notre Dame University honoring Father Hesburg on receiving the Congressional Gold Medal.
• Egypt - Catholic Relief Services regional conference
• Northern Ireland - researching violent societies (invited by the British Council)
• Anti-Incitement program - Interfaith project coordinated through Wi'am, Catholic Relief Services and Harry S. Truman Institute for Peace.
• Coordinated the International Conference "Children's Rights and Religions at a Crossroads"
• People to People Workshop: The Final Status Issues - How Shall We Proceed

Anti-Incitement project
Although Wi'am mainly focuses on Palestinians in the Bethlehem area, we have also participated and partnered with Israeli groups who try to promote peace and understanding through dialogue and interaction. Our newest project is an Interfaith project called "Track II & III Anti-Incitement through violence prevention by Emerging Leadership". For this project, we have partnered with the Catholic Relief Services and the Harry S. Truman Institute for Peace (Hebrew University).

Reflection written by Lucy Thaleigh, Women's Coordinator, about her experience at EMU.

I became more aware and familiar with the basic literature available in the field of conflict resolution, understanding conflict, definitions, and dynamics of communication and the negotiation process. The course I took are used to promote accurate international awareness regarding the identity, presence and witness, while encouraging groups from around the world to work for justice, comprehensive, and enduring peace, informed by truth and empowered by prayer and action.

People to People Workshop
During the ongoing dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians, it has been decided to hold joint workshops. In general, these workshops are designated for Israelis who place themselves in the center of the political spectrum, especially new immigrants, moderate religious groups, and residents of development towns and neighborhoods with certain 


leadership abilities or potential. The Palestinians are from different domains (students and working youngsters), so as to discuss the Israeli - Palestinian conflict and dialogue on one hand, and on the other, to promote maximum interchange, interaction, peace values and mutual understanding between the participants. Concentration is placed on final status issues: Jerusalem, refugees, and settlements.

Wi'am has trained over 100 volunteers in conflict mediation - use of Sulha, various other mediation methods, and the application of these techniques. Wi'am is instrumental in sponsoring educational and awareness workshops. Last year we conducted workshops for:

Teachers

Student violence and Delinquency
Peer Mediation
Democracy and Conflict Resolution
Human Rights within their organization

Women's Issues

Gender and Development
Compassionate Listening
Battered Women
Sexual Abuse and violence 
Women and constitutions

University Students

Adolescence conflict and their resolution
Discipline and creativity
Democracy education

Authority Personnel

Democracy and Conflict Resolution
Psychology of accepts instead of fear
Relation building between security and citizens

Human Rights Groups

Democracy and Conflict Resolution
Human Rights
Use of Media

Wi'am has also conducted in-service training for those interested in Sulha. In-service training is provided so individuals can have a hands-on, practical learning experience without feeling as though they have been thrown into the lion's den all alone. Individuals are asked to be a part of Sulha by observing what is said and done. After the Sulha meeting concludes, Wi'am staff sits down with the trainees to evaluate the Sulha process. 


Conflict Resolution Training Seminars

Goals:

• Encouraging police members to take their role in building a democratic and civic community seriously, based on respecting the human beings as well as enhancing the rule of law.
• Providing police members with conflict resolution skills, in order to let them think more objectively with potential conflicts and how to solve them professionally.
• Raising their awareness by educating them to be the voice of justice by addressing the injustice within the community.
• Providing the police members with a safe environment to share their experience and approaches in dealing with the masses.
• Building up Palestinian civil society and to move on with the social transformation.

Capacity Building in Institutional Development Seminars

Goals:

• Equipping the Palestinians with skills and techniques to cope with challenges in cross-cultural activities.
• Providing the NGOs with knowledge how to trigger their building up capacities in different fields.
• Helping individuals to be aware of sorting out conflicts emerging in the intra-society and inter-society especially in this season of conflict.
• Realizing the effectiveness and enhancing the efficiency of our work in carrying out various activities in crystallizing the social transformation.

Conflict Resolution Training Seminars (Hebron)

Goals:

• Encouraging the Governmental Organization and NGO employees to take their role in building a democratic and civic community seriously, based on respecting human beings as well as enhancing the rule of law.
• Providing police members with conflict resolution skills, in order to let them think more objectively with potential conflicts and how to solve them professionally.
• Raising their awareness by educating them to be the voice of justice by addressing the injustice within the community.
• Providing the police members with a safe environment to share their experience and approaches in dealing with the masses.
• Building up Palestinian civil society and to move on with the social transformation.

Our training workshops elevate the idea that our "choice is no longer between violence and non-violence. It is between non-violence and non-existence (Martin Luther King)".