Teaching Israeli Jewish and Arab Youth to
live in partnership
Peace Child Israel was co-founded in 1988 by David Gordon and Yael Drouyannoff to teach coexistence using
theater and the arts. We educate for democratic values, tolerance and mutual respect. Arab and Jewish teens work
with counterparts from around the country to create original dramas about coexistence. The plays, in Arabic and Hebrew,
are performed for family, friends and the public at-large. Mission
Our Goals
Our goals: education for
democracy, pluralism and tolerance in Israel
Through the medium of theatre and the
arts, we teach compassionate listening, critical thinking and non-violent communication. Workshop participants get
experience in dialogue and conflict resolution. They address issues of identity, stereotypes, mutual respect, equality
in a democratic society, as well as cultural similarities and differences. Role playing, reverse role-playing,
collage, movement and improvisation are among the numerous tools used to facilitate learning by doing.
Long Term Evaluation
A professional evaluation of Peace Child Israel's
program concludes: Overall, the findings indicate positive legacies of the Peace
Child program on its Jewish and Arab alumni. The program provided an opportunity
for Jewish and Arab youth for a genuine and direct personal encounter which led
to the following positive outcomes in both groups...
The First Year Program - Play and
Performance
Facilitator Staff Training - An intensive
training program is conducted each year in August. Staff learn to deal with the regional conflict, enhance
facilitation skills and learn drama methodology and experiential techniques in a retreat-environment seminar.
During the year, three additional weekends for staff training are provided for field-work support and standards maintenance.
Arab-Jewish Coexistence training in action
The Workshops - Peace Child Israel works nationwide. Each workshop includes 20-309th and 10th grade students from neighboring Arab and Jewish schools, Each group is co-facilitated by an Arab and a Jewish professional, one with a background in theatre and the other in
group-facilitation and social work. Preparation for the multi-cultural encounter
is facilitated by unilateral meetings with each partnering group of teenagers. A three day team-building seminar takes place after the first meeting. Arab-Jewish meetings taking place in both
schools continue weekly until the playwriting and
rehearsal begins.
The Performance -
Each workshop develops an original bi-lingual play based on the teens’ experiences
during the 8 months of meetings. It is performed first at a noon-time
dress-rehearsal for students from the two participating schools and then at an evening “gala” performance for family, friends and the community at-large, usually addressed by members of the pairing municipalities
and regional councils and school principals. An after-show celebration, to which
families bring authentic foods, salutes the teenagers in their efforts.
The Second Year Program
In the
second year, first-year workshops form "Leadership Troupes."
They continue their activity
by performing their plays for student audiences once a month, reaching thousands of junior high school students around the country. Productions at
schools include a post-performancediscussion with the audiencedesigned by the actors themselves Their group process also continues with a Second Year Curriculum.
Parents and Professors
To broaden our scope and achieve
optimum outreach, Peace Child Israel has invited parents into the “circle” with three meetings per year
since 2001. A 60-hour curriculum for teachers from partnering schools is being developed for piloting in September
2007.
Artistic Advisory Board
In 2008, Peace Child Israel
created an Honorary Artistic Advisory board, incluing prominent Israeli entertainers and artists. Click for details of
Artistic Advisory Board.
The PEACE CHILD SONG
The song "We Brought Peace Upon Us", which once "belonged" to Peace
Child Israel exclusively, as its anthem, was given a new arrangement, at the initiative of its composer, Shlomo Gronich
and presented at as a gift to a country in severe pain in the autumn of 2000.
In 2005, we are celebrating the Fifth
anniversary of the song and the
Based on Arabic and Hebrew texts written by the teenagers from the Peace Child Israel millennium year workshops, the song
"We have brought peace upon ourselves" was composed in February 2000 by Shlomo Gronich, in consultation with
Mikhail Marun, oud. Israel Prize winner Ehud Manor and Mr. Magid Abu Rokun transformed the text into
lyrics for the anthem which was first performed with all the "graduating" teenagers of the 1999-2000 workshops on July
2, 2000.
With the opening of its 20th year of activity, Peace Child Israel
is pleased to announce its management team and structure:
Public Relations & Director: Melisse Lewine-Boskovich
Operations Manager: Gali Baram
Pedagogical Director:
Khawla Dibse
Delegations
Peace Child Israel was invited to Germany. Unique relationships developed between the German and Israeli
youths.
More. Other delegations went to Philadelphia, Washington Township and San Francisco.
More.
Arab-Jewish Coexistence training in action - Our 2007 facilitator
training sessions have started. Jewish and Arab candidates learn to work together and teach coexistence to young people. More
