Project Hope:
As I was researching for a resource to post on the blog regarding peace education, I came across an organization called Project Hope. Project Hope is a non-profit organization and was started by an international volunteer during the time of invasions and refugee camps in Palestine. During this time, the internationals believed they could commit and engage with women and children.
Project Hope helps to establish safe areas for children to be able to learn, grow, and thrive. One of the most important values this particular organization conveys is Children Rights. Children have the utmost right to education, health and security. Through the programs that are established from Project Hope, children will be able to work together in a safe environment.
One of the values from the organization that I mostly admired was gender equality.
“We strive to ensure that girls and young women have equal access to the activities we provide. The majority of our students are female, participating in a wide range of activities, from English and computer classes to gymnastics and photography. And with women leading our English and French Departments, female members of staff have a prominent voice in the needs assessment, design, and implementation of our programs as well.”
Men have the upper hand in various countries within the Middle East. Children may be prone to assumption that women are unable to work outside of home and establish their career lives. Thus, having the opportunity for girls and boys learning and working together is development toward a better future. Also, having primary female staff members as teachers and instructors is another way of conveying the message of EQUALITY.
The education setting for this particular non-profit organization is youth-community based civilians within the country of Palestine. The organization predominantly works with children between the ages 5-17, enhancing their knowledge of technology, learning the English language, sports, graphic design, film + group-based activities. The organization is also extremely passionate about their international staff members. Working with people from different backgrounds can give an open mind to the Palestinian children. Also, the international staff members that are derived from various parts of the globe can learn from the children and their way of life.
Ways to use this resource:
– Way to strengthen this NGO is to not only work on children in Palestine, but also branch out to neighboring countries and/or countries in the Middle East. An educator might want to incorporate this organization, globally. This way, the organization will be more popular and well-known.
-Another way to enhance or strengthen this particular resource is to establish a camp that brings kids from various countries within the middle east to work and learn together. Project Hope should maintain the same concept for the kids to enhance their education by various subjects and engagement, but also to have children come together to unite from different countries, cultures, and origins. Discrimination is a main issue: denominations from Islam & Christianity, culture and etc. Kids should be able to look beyond the conflict that was brought up generations before, but promote peace!
Children will be able to engage with others with a better knowledge and an open mind. It is important for people to understand each other. While this is focusing on literal education, the organization also incorporates peace and equality.
The audience that I would be focusing on would be the educational systems in Palestine and the various countries that are linked together and the staff members of Project Hope. I’d like to reach out to the educational system in Palestine to allow students to engage in activities with children from different ethnic backgrounds. I want to make it apparent that the purpose for this organization is peace. This may take some time to proceed because several school systems in the Middle East refuse and restrict the idea of students being informed about different countries and their customs/cultures. I would also like to reach out to the staff members of this NGO because I’d want this organization to be globally inclined with other countries, not only Palestine. This will benefit the organization as a whole by giving aid to even more people around the world and making a proper name out of this organization.
Peace Learner 