Teachers' meeting in Palestine

On Saturday, the teachers participating in the Teachers in Action project met in Abu Dis. That meant people travelling from all over the West Bank - and remember that in the current situation in Palestine, travel is not easy and checkpoints in particular can be dangerous.So it was great that people got there from  Bil'in and Hebron and other parts of the West Bank, though teachers from Jenin couldn't manage it unfortunately and their colleagues will be in touch with them.

As well as practical issues about travel etc, the teachers discussed the programme and what they are bringing with them to show the teachers from the UK - pictures, presentations about their experience as teachers and their schools and students. The teachers discussed the Palestinian day at the residential, what they want to get from school visits and public events and what they want to bring to them.

Meanwhile in the UK, teachers are on holiday for Christmas and the New Year (and hope they have a good holiday after a long, hard term) - and then, soon, the visit...

See you soon at the residential.

Hi everyone who is coming, from the UK and from Palestine.

On Friday 8th Jan after school (for the UK teachers) and after a long flight from Amman, the UK and Palestinian teachers will make their way to our opening residential in the Shropshire countryside, in the middle of England.... This is a purpose-built residential and conference centre that looks very empty in these pictures but will fill up with people and talking and activities as soon as you are all there.

These pictures show the conference hall, which we will be using, and the dining room, where we will eat  (they will cook halal food or vegetarian food or other - whatever you have said that you want.), an indoor sports hall which will be good if the weather is bad, and one of the bedrooms (three people will share).

In the dining room, they have a lot of flags but not a Palestinian one - I wonder if someone has one they can bring?

The residential has a lot of rules, SEE HERE  Palestinians, please discuss at your next meeting the things that work differently in the UK. (*Palestinian smokers will need to remember that they cannot smoke indoors! There is a special place for smokers.*) 

We expect this to be a very interesting weekend!  We will start with information on the project and a 'British day' (with information from the UK teachers) and a 'Palestinian day' (with information from the Palestinians).  Then Monday will be the first day for the Palestinians to see UK schools! And on Tuesday and Wednesday, they will go to their partner schools. Thursday is a community day - Friday a workshop day - Saturday the conference on School Twinning with Palestine - and on Sunday we will have an evaluation meeting as well as a special lunch together. There will be lots of time to get to know each other, to see different places in Britain, to take part in evening activities... It should be good, we are looking forward.

You should all have a programme for the exchange, and we will give you a handbook with more information when you arrive.

For the UK teachers specially - HAPPY CHRISTMAS
and for everyone HAPPY NEW YEAR! We look forward to seeing you early in 2016!

Press release for the Teachers in Action project, 17/12/15

At this dangerous time in the world, it ­­is more than ever important that young ­p­eople learn to respect people unlike t­he­mselves and build bridges of communic­ati­on that will encourage them to learn­ abo­ut each other's lives, oppose discr­imina­tion and work creatively to defend­ human­ rights. Promoting such links is ­a centr­al project for the human rights ­charity ­CADFA which has been organising­ creative­ projects shared by young peop­le, women ­and men in Britain and Palest­ine for the­ past eleven years.

One of Cadfa's most exciting projects to­­ date, building on school and youth lin­k­s created since 2006, TEACHERS IN ACTI­O­N 2016 (a project funded by the Europe­an­ Union via Erasmus+ youth funding and­ su­pported by the NUT) will support lin­ks b­etween schools in Britain and Pales­tine ­through two teachers' training eve­nts ne­xt January and October. The first­ stage ­will bring fourteen teachers fro­m Palest­ine to the UK where they will s­hare a se­ries of training workshops wit­h UK teach­ers, visit their linked schoo­ls in Engla­nd and Wales and finally on ­16th January­ have a conference on schoo­l twinning wi­th Palestine at the NUT wh­ich will invol­ve many other teachers.

By the end of ten days, the teachers wil­­l have planned joint projects to do wit­h­ their linked schools for the next few­ m­onths. One model being explored is tw­inn­ing clubs like those being run alrea­dy i­n some Camden and Abu Dis schools. ­Here ­school students learn about the yo­ung pe­ople in the other country and are­ encour­aged to communicate with each ot­her thro­ugh shared school blogs.

Then in October 2016, the teachers from ­­the UK will have the opportunity to vis­i­t their linked school in Palestine so ­th­ey can review progress together as we­ll ­as learning about the other country ­and ­preparing more new work together.

As more and more teachers report that th­­eir senior staff worry about dealing wi­t­h controversial issues in the Middle E­as­t, pushed by the government's 'Preven­t" agenda and worries about radicalisati­on,­ Cadfa's work offers teachers and yo­ung­ people the opportunity to explore d­iffi­cult issues in a safe and inclusive­ way.­ It offers young people positive s­teps ­to take in a campaign for human ri­ghts a­nd builds personal links across t­he worl­d that we have seen can last for­ many ye­ars. Friendship focused on huma­n rights ­brings a breath of hope to peo­ple in bot­h countries that is both a co­ntrast and ­a challenge to the current c­ontext of fe­ar, misunderstanding and ra­cism.

The Teachers in Action project blog is a­­t teachersinaction2016.blogspot.co.uk. ­M­ore information on the project and pub­li­c events in Chester, Liverpool, Pendl­e, ­Knighton, Llanidloes, Northampton, C­amd­en, Hackney and Tower Hamlets from c­ont­act@cadfa.org.
--

Visas have all come and the air tickets have come!

Slowly bit by bit we're getting there!

Bilin Girls' School

Here in Liverpool we are looking forward to welcoming two teachers from our twin town of Bilin .This is their school, which I visited earlier this year. The pupils and teachers had just moved back in after moving to the Boys School while theirs was refurbished - this is the new playground

Elspeth, Liverpool

Pictures from Assawiya School

Public events during the teachers' visit

Please tell everyone you know about the public events during the Palestinian teachers' visit that are taking place near you!     Some dates for your diary... see below and ask for details...
(events being timetabled also in Liverpool, Tower Hamlets, Llanidloes, Pendle)

SUNDAY EVENING 10th January
Chester - Knighton - Worcester (being confirmed)

TUESDAY EVENING 12th January
Camden NUT

WEDNESDAY EVENING 13th January
Northampton - see HERE

THURSDAY EVENING 14th January

FRIDAY EVENING 15th January
Hackney - see HERE

SATURDAY DAYTIME 16th January
Conference on School Twinning with Palestine - see poster

SUNDAY LUNCHTIME 17th January
Sunday Lunch with CADFA (London, see HERE)

23 linked schools!

Palestinian school

UK school

Thirteen pairs of schools (23 schools) will be involved in this project - And that is not all! At least another eight schools will host the Palestinian teachers and we hope lots of teachers from different schools will meet them at other events and specially the Conference on School Twinning with Palestine. (Picture, Abu Dis boys on Skype with young people in Camden).

Abu Dis girls	Abu Dis	Camden School for Girls	Camden
Abu Dis girls	Abu Dis	LSU	Camden
Abu Dis Primary School	Abu Dis	Gospel Oak	Camden
Arab Institute	Abu Dis	William Elliis	Camden
Arab Institute	Abu Dis	Haverstock	Camden
Abu Dis Nehru School	Abu Dis	Hampstead	Camden
Abu Dis UNRWA	Abu Dis	Regent High	Camden
Abu Dis UNRWA	Abu Dis	Maria Fidelis	Camden
Bil'in girls	Bil’in	Holly Lodge	Liverpool
Assawiya, Qabalan	Assawiya	Llanidloes High School	Llanidloes
Al Bireh primary	Al Bireh	Simon de Senlis Primary	Northampton
Beit Leed boys	Beit Leed	Marsden Heights	Pendle
Jenin Camp UNRWA	Jenin	Bonner Primary	Tower Hamlets

Some links to school and college blogs...

Some of the blog posts written in Camden in relation to school twinning links. Unfortunately, some of the blog history disappeared about a year ago - including lots of interesting posts between the UNRWA School Abu Dis and its partners.

http://www.cadfa.org/blog/cadfa-blogs/school-college-blogs/

Our of the school clubs has come a youth group and here is their overall blog

youthcadfa.blogspot.co.uk

We'll talk about this all during the project!

Energetic English

Nice to see this clip from Al Bireh Primary, which is twinned with a school in Northampton. We will have teachers from both schools with us as part of the visit. 

https://www.facebook.com/teacherinaction2016/?fref=tshttps://www.facebook.com/teacherinaction2016/?fr

ef=ts

Leaflet for the School Twinning with Palestine conference - please distribute

Good news about visas...

We're hearing from the teachers one by one that they are getting their visas back, well on time, hurray. We haven't heard from them all yet but we have no worries.

Merhaba | hello!

Greetings to the teachers from Palestine... 
We look forward to meeting you in the UK in the new year.

Teachers in Action Update 25th November

Dear everyone involved in this exciting project, some notes on where we’ve got to…

(1)    PARTNER SCHOOLS - We have a list of partner schools which will be in the middle of the project (see below).

(2)    PALESTINIAN TEACHERS - Palestinian teachers have given in their visa applications and have had one meeting.  

(3)    Some of the teachers have sent photographs and one has sent something for the blog – we welcome this from all of you.

(4)    RESIDENTIAL ARRANGEMENTS - We have many applications from UK teachers and are hoping to confirm all places by Friday. We’re giving a little more time hoping to have someone on the residential from each link school and we need to know the group before we can firm up arrangements for travel and also answer those of you who don’t have partner schools but want to join us!

(5)    PREPARATION FOR THE RESIDENTIAL - Details to UK teachers will follow agreeing places (later this week). Palestinian teachers please let us know  your own role.

(6)    PLACES INVOLVED - The programme is getting firmer each day and we hope you will help us to publicise it. We think there will be teachers in (and meetings in) all of the places below – so tell friends and specially teachers who are nearby. We hope to have publicity for these events very soon and will put things on Dropbox/ on the project blog.

·         Chester

·         Knighton

·         Worcester TBC

·         Hackney

·         Camden**

·         Liverpool**

·         Pendle**

·         Northampton**

·         Tower Hamlets**

·         Hammersmith TBC

·         Lewisham TBC

** Main partners with linked schools

(7)    SCHOOL TWINNING WITH PALESTINE CONFERENCE - Please do your best to advertise the conference on Saturday 16^th January especially to teachers or people interested in twinning with Palestine.

(8)    PRESS AND PUBLICITY - We would appreciate help with publicity for the project as a whole – it’s ambitious and probably a first – and special anyway. Do you know people who would write/ broadcast about it in your area or nationally?

Problems at Abu Dis Boys' School

     Although Abu Dis Secondary Boys' School is new (this is the Nehru School),  the Israeli occupation wants to spoil every opportunity for good education for the students of the town.  
     In this last period, the Israeli occupation has arrested six students under the age of 15 years: some of them are still in prison and the others were released after paying large fines.  

     Collective punishment is still implemented by the occupation.  Early on Sunday, 22^nd November, the Israeli occupation army attacked  the town and shut everything down. Sunday is a school day in Palestine (the weekend is Friday and Saturday) but we couldn't  reach school until 10 am.

     Another crime of the Israeli occupation: one of the students in the 12^th grade (this is the final year of school) was shot and seriously wounded. We don’t know if he will manage to finish his school this year or not.

Moein Abu Hilal, History teacher.

بالرغم  من كون مدرسة ذكور أبوديس الثانوية جديدة (مدرسة للانهرو) إلا أن  الاحتلال يريد إفساد كل فرصة لطلاب البلدة لتعليم الجيد  فقد تم اعتقال العديد من الطلاب الذين تقل اعمارهم عن 15 سنة  مازال بعضهم الى يومنا هذا  في السجون في حين تم اطلق  سراح بعضهم بعد دفع  غرامات كبيرة  كما واستمرت انتهاكات الجنود الاسرائيليون ضد مدرستنا وبلدتنا حيث تم اقتحام البلدة يوم الأحد 22-11-2015 منذ ساعات الصباح الاولى مما ادى الى تعطيل الدراسه في املداس ولم نتمكن نحن من الوصول الى المدرسة قبل الساعة العاشرة.

جريمة اخرى ارتكبت ضد طالب من طلاب التوجيهي في المدرسة عندما اطلق الجنود الاسرائيليون النارعليه مما أدى الى اصابته بجروح خطيرة هو الان موجود في المستشفى يعاني من الاصابة ولا نعرف اذا كان سيتمكن من 
اكمال عامه الدراسي ام لا.

Conference on school twinning with Palestine

Really looking forward to meeting you....

Yesterday, the Palestinian teachers went to Ramallah to do their finger prints - another stage in the long process of getting UK visas. Now they have to wait a few weeks and we hope all is well. They met, too, to discuss the visit - and we hope they took some pictures so we can share them with you.

Today in Camden, a small group of teachers met (it seems that we made a silly mistake about the date and put '20th' - we hope to meet some others tomorrow. But it was a good meeting and all agreed that they are looking forward very much to meeting the Palestinian teachers very soon!

Pictures from Abu Dis Boys' School

Above - picture of Abu Dis Boys School yard from the first floor balcony

Below - picture of the head teacher's office  (with Abed and Hazem from Dar Assadaqa). 

We look forward to having more pictures from the UK and Palestinian schools, very soon.

Are you a UK teacher interested in the Teachers in Action project?

If you are in London and want to know more about the Teachers in Action project, please come on Thursday 20th November to the CADFA office* at 5pm and we'll tell you more! There are many different ways to be involved in the project, as a formal participant on the project with a partner school in Palestine, as a helper organising an evening event or weekend outing, or by joining one of the activities, workshop or conference.  If you're a teacher or you're from a Britain-Palestine twinning group, we think you'll find it interesting and hope you will join in!

(Picture from our youth visit from Palestine last June)

* 293-299 Kentish Town Road London NW5 2TJ

نبذة عن مشروع معلمين بمهمة Project summary in Arabic

معلمين بمهمة

نبذة عن المشروع

تسعى جمعية صداقة كامدن ابوديس من أجل إتاحة فرص للقاء بين الشباب من بريطانيا وفلسطين من أجل أن يعملوا معاً لنصرة حقوق الإنسان. خلال السنوات الماضية عملت الجمعية بالتعاون مع دار الصداقة في أبوديس لمساعدة بناء صلات بين المدارس في بريطانيا وفلسطين وتقوية هذه الروابط والصلات في المدارس. خلال الفترة الماضية أثبتت الجمعية مدى ثمرة هذا العمل في سبيل نصرة حقوق الإنسان ومحاربة التفرقة والعنصرية وإعطاء الفرص للشباب من خلفيات وقوميات مختلفة ليكون لهم دور في هذه الروابط والصلات. مشروعنا الحالي ( معلمين في مهمة2016) يهدف الى خلق فرصة للمعلمين من البلدين للقاء والعمل معاً لتمكين وتقوية هذه المبادرة.

يتضمن المشروع ث

لاث مراحل زيارة ل14 معلم من فلسطين الى بريطانيا في شهر كانون ثاني 2016، حيث سيلتقون ويعملون مع عشرين معلم من مدراس بريطانيا. سيتعلمون عن البلد الآخر حياتهم وعمل المدارس والطلاب فيها. كما وسيزورون المدارس في بريطانيا والمؤسسات والأندية الشبابية والطرق التي ستساعد الطلاب للتواصل بين البلدين والتعلم أكثر عن حياة الآخر وكيف يحاربون التمييز والاضطهاد معاً. اعتماد على ما تقدم سيعمل المعلمون على إنتاج مواد واستحداث روابط تواصل من خلال مشاريع صغيرة لتقوية وتمكين العلاقات بين المدارس في البلدين.

المرحلة الثانية من المشرع ستكون في الفترة ما بين التبادلين حيث يتوجب على المعلمين من البلدين العمل على خطة للتواصل خلال الفصل الثاني وصولاً الى موعد رحلة المعلمين من بريطانيا الى فلسطين، تتضمن تواصل عبر السكايب الإيمال ووسائل التواصل الاجتماعي الأخرى.

المرحلة الثالثة للمشروع ستكون بزيارة 14 معلم ومعلمة من بريطانيا الى فلسطين في تشرين أول 2016 والتي ستمكن المجموعات من تقييم وترويج المشروع، حيث سيشاركهم العمل 20 معلم ومعلمة من مدارس فلسطين بما فيهم معلمين ممن زاروا بريطانيا في كانون ثاني وسيكون هناك فرص لمعلمين جدد من مدارس فلسطين للمشاركة من أجل خلق فرص توعية أكبر عن عملنا والتوأمة.

في هذه المرحلة سيكون هناك تفاعل اجتماعي وتعلم أكبر ونقاشات حول توأمة المدارس والمؤسسات الشبابية والتي بدأت في المرحلة الأولى، المعلمين الذين بدءوا مشاريع توأمة وتواصل بين المدارس في العام الماضي وفي الصيف سيعرضون ما أنتجوا على المجموعة كاملة. سيعمل المشاركون خلال هذه المرحلة على إنتاج خطط لعمل المستقبلي في مدارسهم تغطي العام الدراسي القادم. في النهاية سيعمل الجميع على الترويج للمشروع للوصول لمعلمين آخرين. سيجهزون جميعا لمؤتمر تنظمه كادفا للمعلمين عن توأمة المدارس سيدعى إليه معلمين وعاملين في المجال الشبابي.

مشروع معلمين بمهمة سيوفر فرص للتعلم ومخرجات مباشرة وبعيدة المدى للمشاركين أنفسهم ولمدارسهم وطلابهم، زملائهم من معلمين ومن عاملين بمجال المؤسسات الشبابية. سيعمل المشروع على تقوية التوأمة بين كامدن وأبوديس وتوائم أخرى في بريطاينا وفلسطين، وسيكون هناك فرص للتعرف على ثقافات ومحاربة التمييز العنصري والدفاع عن حقوق الإنسان.

(** ملاحظة: لقد قمنا بتقديم المشروع تحت اسم –خارج المدرسة- لكن الاسم الحالي للمشروع – معلمين بمهمة-)

أهداف المشروع

·         تقوية علاقات التواصل بين المدارس والمؤسسات الشبابية في البلدين.

·         من أجل خلق فرصة للمعلمين من البلدين للقاء والتعلم عن حياة الآخر في بلده.

·         من أجل رفع درجة وعيهم حول واقع حقوق الإنسان ولمحاربه التمييز العنصري.

·         من أجل المساعدة في تطوير علاقات التواصل والتوأمة بين المدارس والمؤسسات الشبابية وإيجاد خطط عمل ومشاريع مشتركة لتقوية هذا العمل.

* Draft* poster for the conference on School Twinning with Palestine

The final version will include the NUT logo, as sponsor of the project, and possibly logos for our partners. But for the meantime please note the date!

Teachers from Palestine

The group of teachers from Palestine has been chosen now. We are very pleased to have what seems like a very good group and in the UK we are looking forward to meeting you. In Palestine, people are in the middle of visa applications now - what a long process that is!

First Palestinian teachers' meeting for #TeachersinAction project

Very excited to have had the first Palestinian teachers’ meeting for the Teachers in Action project today – it was in Abu Dis but with input on Skype from teachers in other places in the West Bank and from London. There was much interest in the project, its aims, what people will do and what they need to prepare – it feels as if the #teachersinaction project is starting off properly now

!

The Teachers in Action project is getting going!

This project is organised by CADFA, who will be working with a number of partners - see below. It is funded by Erasmus + as a 'mobility and networking' activity - part of their Youth Funding - and supported too by the NUT as well as by the fundraising efforts of CADFA and its partner groups. We are very grateful to everyone who is taking part and supporting this exciting project!

Partners are
Liverpool-Bil'in
Pendle - Beit Leed
Northampton - Al Bireh
Llanidloes - As Sawiya
Tower Hamlets -Jenin
(all of these are supporting schools in building partnerships)

Haringey - Aizariyeh
Hackney - Beit Sourik
(the London part of the project)

and we are hoping to work with other groups as well as local NUT branches across the country,