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| Coexistence Programs Youth Coexistence Programs MVP - Moderate Voices for Progress Preschool Youth Coexistence Programs Youth Coexistence Programming YMVP - Young Moderate Voices for Progress Other Coexistence Programs and Projects  Youth Coexistence ProgrammingThe Jerusalem International YMCA is known in the city of Jerusalem as a safe meeting place for Arabs and Jews to interact through sports and cultural events. The expansion of the teenage social and sports clubs into youth coexistence and leadership programs with skilled and experienced staff has grown out of a need to provide a response to the current situation in the city which makes it almost impossible for Jewish and Arab teenagers to mingle. The diverse programs aim to bring together youth from the Israeli and Palestinian communities in Jerusalem in an attempt at creating open spaces of interaction, communication and bonding among the participants.  The youth coexistence programs have been divided into a number areas: • Verbal dialogue groups, for girls, mixed adolescents and mothers • Coexistence programs using varied tools: a singing troupe and creative art classes Objectives  Both the Dialogue programs and the Coexistence programs bring together Arab and Jewish teenagers for the purposes of:• Getting to know firsthand the “other” in Israeli society, reducing prejudice and stereotyping, and learning to live together. Specific additional objectives of the Verbal-Dialogue program:  • Enhance knowledge about the other (culture, traditions, gender role, religion, historical narrative, personal stories)• Reduce fears and tension (improving a quality personal exchange, communication skills and listening skills, enhancing personal intercultural relationships)  • Increase personal belief in the ability to bring about change (increasing ability to listen, analyze, increasing leadership skills and team-building)• Develop self identity (increasing ability to question identity, for self understanding, to articulate parameters of identity) Back to the top  YMVP – Young Moderate Voices for ProgressGirls Dialogue Group A group of Israeli and Palestinian girls from 9th and 10th grade are selected each year to participate in a two year program which includes: • Year I: 17 weekly meetings, two overnight trips • Summer experience abroad • Year II: 10 follow-up meetings and end of program project Dialogue Group A group of Israeli and Palestinian, boys and girls from the 10th grade are selected to participate in a similar two year program.  Mothers GroupA group of Israeli and Palestinian mothers (mothers of teenagers in the youth program and their friends), includes 15 weekly encounters and one intensive overnight in the Galilee. Summer Delegations The dialogue groups are given the unique opportunity of traveling abroad as delegations in order to have meaningful coexistence experiences together. These delegations usually last 10-14 days, and take place far from home and far from the conflict. These experiences help the group members see what they have in common while encountering their host communities. All summer delegations are subsidized by the host communities and the parents are asked to participate in cost of air travel. During the summer of 2007 delegations were funded and hosted by:  • “Coexistences”, a non-profit organization in Lausanne, Switzerland(to see a film select "presse" and "video") www.coexistences.ch • YMCA’s of Metropolitan Detroit and Ann Arbor, Michigan • YMCA World Camp, run by YMCA of Honolulu, Hawaii • Teens for World Understanding, run by YMCA of Greater Hartford, Connecticut During the summer of 2008, delegations will be be hosted and funded by : • “Coexistences”, a non-profit organization in Lausanne, Switzerland • Coexistences:Paris » a non-profit organization in Paris, France New! – YMVP Graduates Club During the fall of 2007 the « Y CAFE » was opened. Since december 2007, monthly meetings are being held for those who have participated in our dialogue programs and delegations since 2003. Those meetings take place the first saturday of every month, at 18:00. Contact ymvp@ymca.org for more information. Back to the top Other Coexistence Programs and Projects In addition to verbal dialogue groups, the Youth Coexistence Programming Department offers the following innovative programs:  Singing Troupes In cooperation with the Jerusalem Municipal Music Center, children of all religions and nationalities, boys and girls, learn to sing together, with simple choreography. The repertoire is an international one. Two groups are offered – ages 5-12, ages 13-17.  Art Classes for ChildrenWhen people create together, there are no more borders. During the spring of 2007, there were two art classes, meeting once a week, for ages 5-7 and ages 8-10. This program will be expanded during the coming year, to include modeling with clay, painting and learning about the use of color, creating mobiles, and collages. Classes will be offered to children aged 5 -14. Back to the top MVP - Moderate Voices for Progress  MVP is a people-to-people effort to bridge the divide between Jews and Arabs in the region. The MVP Program is an opportunity for young adults -- Jews and Arabs – from Israel and Palestine to engage in open dialogue, working together to advance partnership.The program creates a cadre of young adults (ages 22-35) involved in civic engagement grounded in democratic principles. Different from other dialogue groups, the MVP program offers a long-term, intensive dialogue process, grappling head-on with difficult and sensitive issues. Recently, the MVP groups have been organized by profession, so that participants can form in-depth relationships with others from their field. For example, groups of filmmakers, social workers, and school teachers will be recruited to meet and work together for common goals.  The goals of the program:• To help participants understand the complex reality of relations between Arabs and Jews, Israelis and Palestinians. • To increase understanding on both sides concerning the effects of the conflict on the everyday lives of members of the other side, to cope with cultural and emotional differences that exist, and to build strong relationships through facilitated dialogue. • To develop and practice conflict resolution skills. • To strengthen and sharpen individual and collective identity issues of participants. • To learn and understand the religious, cultural and social background of participants. • To awaken a sense of responsibility and motivation -- both individual and collective -- to take an active role in improving relations between people of diverse opinions and backgrounds. • To learn how Americans address the challenges of inter-group relations. • To strengthen Americans’ commitment to address the needs of Israelis and Palestinians by humanizing and personalizing the conflict. The MVP program is made up of three major components:  • Dialogue seminars – weekly meetings in a carefully facilitated encounter group. The dialogue process begins a few months prior to the visit to the United States and continues upon return.• A three-week visit to a YMCA community in the United States -- The program includes a one-week conflict resolution seminar and a community component of home hospitality in the hosting community. (All travel and living expenses provided.). Since the program began in 2003, seven groups have been sent to the United States to the following communities -- Hartford, Connecticut / Charlotte, North Carolina / New Haven, Connecticut / Nashville, Tennessee. Additional communities are being added in 2008, including Springfield, Massachusetts / Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania / Detroit, Michigan. • Active engagement -- The participants plan a community or group project together. The professional groups implement projects in their field. Candidate Profile: • Interested in becoming community leaders and to work towards dialogue and understanding. • Open to sharing one’s own culture and beliefs. • Willingness to participate in a process of group dynamics • Commitment to a long-term dialogue process . Requirements: • Age range 22-35 years. • Function comfortably in English • Available to travel for three weeks to the USA. • Hold valid passport (assistance will be provided in obtaining a visa). Dates of Travel to the United States for Upcoming Groups: • Filmmakers Group to Hartford, Connecticut – October 22 – November 12, 2007 • Pittsburgh Group – October 12 – Nov. 3, 2008 Comments from MVP Graduates: • I widened my personal connections with people. I am still in contact with more than half of our group. • I joined MVP because I was troubled about the conflict and I wanted to get to know people from the other side and I had no other way to do it. It also gave me knowledge that I couldn’t “buy.” • After our journey to the U.S., our dialog was more intense and deeper. When we came back, it led us to more confrontation. • When I heard about MVP, my father, an imam, encouraged me. He said, ‘Go for it. When I was young I didn’t have such an experience. It’s important to know Jews.’ • At first, my family found it difficult to welcome Jews as friends into our home. • My whole life I grew up just with Jews. I wanted to meet people, to make decisions based on my relations with people, not just on cultural and language things that I had learned before. • Things are so complex. There are religious and identity issues that are still unclear for me. • I visited him at home and discovered that his mother is just like my mother! • My image of Americans had been from the War in Iraq and from the Hollywood screen. But my home hospitality family broke those stereotypes for me. They have values similar to our own. For more information, application forms and setting a date for a personal interview please contact: MVP amy@ymca.org.il Jerusalem International YMCA 26 King David Street POB 294 Jerusalem 91002 02-5692-692 ext. 515 Back to the top
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