Jewish-Arab Center for Peace
المركز اليهودي العربي للسلام

The “Connection for a Change” program is a two-day seminar (including an overnight stay at Givat Haviva) that brings together students from Jewish and Arab society.

During times of tension and division, hope grows through dialogue and true familiarity between people. In this spirit, “Connection for a Change” invites Jewish and Arab youth on a shared journey of understanding, tolerance, and hope, and offers a safe space for dialogue at eye level – a seminar in a spirit of leadership.

Program Goals:

• Promotion of constructive and tolerant dialogue among youth.
• Development of complex critical thinking skills.
• Providing tools for dealing with cultural and social issues.
• Mutual respect and represention of both languages ​​and cultures.

The encounter provides ways to deal with Israel’s complex realities, while:

• Emphasizing the importance of familiarity with the other.
• Cultivating a sense of personal responsibility for building shared society.
• Experiencing matter-of-fact and tolerant discussion of disagreements.

The meetings are facilitated by the experienced dialogue facilitators at the Jewish-Arab Center for Peace at Givat Haviva, the national leader in the field of education for shared living.

The Children Teaching Children (CTC) program has been running in Israeli schools for 34 years, during which groups of Jewish and Arab students meet at the Givat Haviva campus and in the schools , along with uni-national meetings for each group to support the process.

During the meetings, the students will look at the conflict from both side, will experience authentic dialogue between Jews and Arabs in Israel, and will acquire tools to construct their unique national identity, alongside a shared civil identity. The program was built on many years’ experience, along with ongoing reading of needs in the field and responding to the changing reality.

To create change and to influence the field of education.

The program prepares teachers for a multicultural meeting, during which a uni-national training will give them tools to develop the unity, empathy, and tolerance that will help them confront the day-by-day challenges presented by a society embroiled in ongoing conflict .

The training gives teachers knowledge and practices for developing the skills of dialogue. They will be exposed to models and theories to clarify and strengthen personal and professional identity and to expand into different perspectives on society.

During the training, participants will gain practical experience in simulations and classroom assignments, and acquire practical tools for dealing with racism and violence in the classroom. They will wrestle with concepts of racism, discrimination, power relations, and narrative and its significance in building the national identity of the different sides.

The program offers intercultural, interpersonal, and professional acquaintance between Jewish and Arab educators, connecting teaching staff in schools from Jewish and Arab society. The meeting contributes to understanding the various positions and needs, and enriches all sides.

Many years of experience have demonstrated that teachers who have undergone specialized training in the field of education for shared living have gone on to lead significant social processes and changes both inside and outside the classroom. Hence, the program sees educators as the most significant agents of change, who can lead a transformation in the field of promoting education for shared living.

We believe that teachers have the ability to bring about a change in their students’ relationship with the “other”, with an emphasis on dealing with racism and prejudice.

The program combines knowledge and practice, dealing with concepts such as racism, discrimination, power relations, and narrative and its significance in building the national identity of the various parties. Participants also receive practical experience in the form of simulations, practical classroom assignments, and the provision of practical tools for dealing with racism and violence in the classroom.

The Hebrew Language Introduction Program offers spoken Hebrew instruction to students in grades 4-6 in Arab schools by encouraging conversation in Hebrew in an experiential manner. The program consists of weekly meetings that take place once a week throughout the school year.

The “Yihye B’seder – Shared Language” Program is intended for teachers in Arab schools whose native language is Arabic.

“Yihye B’seder – Shared Language” is a program to enrich and encourage Hebrew conversational skills among students in Arab schools. The program emphasizes spoken Hebrew and focuses on social, occupational, and academic integration.

The program includes a weekly meeting throughout the school year with a teacher whose native language is Hebrew.

Jewish and Arab youth change the picture.
In the program “Dialogue Through the Lens,” Arab and Jewish youth meet around the world of photography, which serves as a vehicle enabling direct communication across languages ​​and cultures, and processing and internalization of content in a visual way.
The program includes a series of meetings that take place on the Givat Haviva campus, led by experienced facilitators. In a group process, the youth experience in-depth dialogue and connect around shared creation.
During the program, emphasis will be placed on developing photography and other skills such as interpersonal communication, the ability to express oneself and convey messages through art, developing critical thinking, teamwork around a personal and group issue, establishing a sense of competence and self-confidence.
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