Learning to Lead: Grounding peace work in action and change

Learning to Lead

Grounding peace work in action and change

Strategic Plan 2014-2019

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Table of Contents

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What do youth experience in the Peace it Together program?

22

What will we be focusing on in the next few years?

What’s inside

An Exciting Evolution

Our Strategic Planning Process

Who We Are and What We Do

History

Theory of Change

Strategic Priorities

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10

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3Message from Executive Director Reena Lazar.

Learn more about the people behind this plan, and the

extensive negotiations and consultations that informed it.

Our mission and vision, and an overview of our program

and its impacts to date. Here you will also find our revised

values and our new guiding principles.

How Peace it Together’s work and approach to peace

building has evolved over the past 10 years.

How will we achieve our vision? In this section we explain

our approach to social change.

What we have identified as our top priorities for the next

three years.

Future Directions27Ideas we will be exploring for Peace it Together’s future.

What do youth experience in the Peace it Together program?

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An exciting evolution

t is with great pleasure that I share this exciting new Strategic Plan for Peace it Together with our stakeholders and the

communities we serve. I am proud to say that this document is a thoughtful, refined and comprehensive reflection of the multitude of diverse voices involved in creating it. I thank everyone who participated in developing this Plan for their time, energy and insights.

Peace it Together emerged approximately a decade after the signing of the Oslo peace accords, when programs that brought together Palestinians and Israelis were burgeoning. These programs were created with the belief that if Israelis and Palestinians could find humanity in each other and build relationships across the divide, they would condemn violence and support peaceful solutions to ending the violence and transforming the conflict. People-to-people peace building programs have proven effective in humanizing the other, reducing stereotypes, and cultivating some understanding of the other’s history and perspectives.

Over the past decade however, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has become even more intractable,

and the Middle East remains in turmoil. Palestinians still live under occupation. There is now a physical barrier separating the two sides, which has resulted in the loss of land and livelihood for many Palestinian families. Israelis still experience the threat of being a minority group in the larger region. Violence has increased, and a sense of insecurity persists on both sides.

During this period people have raised questions about the efficacy and appropriateness of dialogue programs. Groups on both sides of

the conflict began to insist on pre-conditions for dialogue, including the demand for mutual recognition of each other’s right to exist or each other’s historical claim to the land, among other conditions. Others expressed that joint programs do not fully address vast inequalities and power imbalances between the two sides of this conflict. An ‘anti-normalization’ movement emerged asserting, among other concerns, that joint programs normalize these power imbalances and preserve the status quo, or even make things worse.

“I am proud to say that this document is a thoughtful, refined and comprehensive reflection of the multitude of diverse voices involved in creating it. I thank everyone who participated in developing this Plan for their time, energy and insights.”

I

Message from the Executive Director Reena Lazar

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Message from the Executive Director

Peace it Together has taken these concerns seriously, and has long been committed to tackling difficult subjects in our programs. Key issues related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – issues like the occupation, settlements, violence against civilians, security, and freedom – have been addressed publicly by Peace it Together staff, discussed during dialogue programs and explored in some youth-made films.

As a result of this approach we have witnessed how our program has been a transformative experience for many participants. Youth have been able to speak their truths in powerful and meaningful ways to the other side, and the process of co-creating films about these truths has always been a powerful negotiation experience. What’s more, we have made great strides by expanding our program to include a new community engagement component, whereby youth use their films to facilitate dialogue in their own communities. This has given our participants exciting new opportunities to develop as change agents. And yet, we recognize there are still additional concerns.

The organization has recognized it often attracted a stronger interest and support for its work from Jewish and Israeli audiences than Palestinian audiences. Additionally, we heard concerns that Peace it Together was not addressing both sides’ interests and needs equitably. We are confident this Strategic Plan better equips us to empower Palestinian youth and sustain relationships with them. As we have done throughout this equity-focused process, we will continue to engage more deeply with members of the Palestinian diaspora in Vancouver. We promise to keep listening, learning and responding.

Over the years we have improved the ways we measure and illustrate the impacts of our programming, and every program provided the organization with opportunities to improve and adapt our approach. Insights from the 2011 program and from the 2011 youth in particular, combined with lessons learned from a decade of developments in the field of peace-building, has ultimately led Peace it Together to this place: A moment when we are committed to engaging more critically and publicly than ever before with issues related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the peace building sector generally.

New in this Strategic Plan is a list of Guiding Principles that describe our approach to peace building, and form a set of ideals upon which we build the foundation for our work. Advisory Committee members were deeply invested in the development of these Principles, and spent an incredible amount of time in thoughtful negotiation to come to an agreement about them. It was a challenging process. While some of these principles may make readers uncomfortable, we believe that a degree of discomfort is unavoidable and even healthy. I encourage us all to remember they make those on “the other side” uncomfortable too, providing us all with valuable opportunities to engage more deeply with these issues and with each other.

In many ways, this process has allowed Peace it Together to participate in the very journey we endeavour to give our youth: the experience of learning to lead. It has been a humbling and exciting process. One that is far from over.

In 2014, after a decade of adaptation, evaluation and improvement, Peace it Together finds itself well positioned to offer its most innovative, comprehensive and responsive programming yet, programming that we believe will inspire and equip a new generation of young people to work together in equitable ways to build peace in Israel and Palestine.

In peace, Salam, Shalom,

Reena Lazar

Executive Director

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It is no secret that the dialogue and peace-building sector has arrived at a crossroads. After years of failed negotiations and peace processes, dialogue has become a dirty word, and peace can seem like a concept that is empty and hollow. Peace-building programs are being called to evaluate their impacts and consider how best to do this work in ways that are ethical and worthwhile.

From spring 2012 to spring 2013 Peace it Together underwent an extraordinary process of organizational self-examination, community consultation and stake-holder engagement. During this time the organization committed to exploring how it might more clearly articulate its vision, values and principles, in order to strengthen programming for participants, increase impacts on the ground and more deeply engage with the communities we serve.

This process culminated in an ambitious public symposium entitled Struggling with Peace: Grounding peace work in action and change, held February 27-28, 2013. The symposium was the initiative of the Canadian delegation from the 2011 program, and featured four prominent peace builders from Israel and Palestine. Throughout this three-day event, these experts addressed the criticisms of joint-programs between Israelis and Palestinians, and shared how they have adapted their work to reflect the needs of those groups.

Breathing life into a

living document

7 ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS

including 3 Palestinians, 2 Israelis and a

youth Board member and former participant

46 ADDITIONAL ADVISORS

including Jewish Canadians, Jewish and Arab Israelis

and Palestinians in the West Bank and the diaspora

A 10-MONTH PROCESS

of professionally-facilitated meetings, reviews over the

phone and email and one-on-one feedback sessions

How we forefronted the visions of our stakeholders to create a relevant, actionable Strategic Plan

These experts also participated in a community meeting with Peace it Together staff and stakeholders, offering their unique insights to a series of exercises evaluating the symposium and the organization as a whole. This produced a set of recommendations for the organization going forward. The most urgent and significant recommendation was that Peace it Together complete the prpcess of redefining its organizational identity, and create a formal strategy for its future.

A special Advisory Committee was immediately assembled to work with staff to develop a new Strategic Plan. This Committee consisted of three Palestinians and two Israelis living in Vancouver, as well as two Board members, one of whom is a former program participant.


Peace it Together’s Strategic Planning process

Multiple drafts of this Strategic Plan were written by staff, then further developed and revised by staff and Committee. Discussion and development of drafts took place in facilitated meetings from April to July 2013, and through other forms of engagement between meetings (by phone and email).

In June 2013 staff also consulted with a secondary group of 15 stakeholders: Jewish Canadians, Jewish and Arab Israelis, and Palestinians from the West Bank and the diaspora. This group included some past participants of Peace it Together. Staff gathered their input and communicated it to the Committee, for their consideration. A near-final draft was created and endorsed by this group, and three of the four Committee members not already on the Board, joined as Directors, an incredible addition to Peace it Together’s leadership.

Professional facilitators led the Advisory Committee in several exercises, including

an activity where they were encouraged to debate and argue, or “throw all their arrows”

and open up to new insights

In months that followed, the Executive Director conducted consultations with an additional 29 people. She then recommended revisions to some parts of the Plan, which were accepted and adopted by the Board. The Plan was ultimately finalized and officially adopted on December 10, 2013.

The adoption of this Strategic Plan and the process that created it, illustrate Peace it Together’s commitment to embodying our values: integrity and accountability, critical awareness, creativity, openness and courage.

This Plan situates the organization to be a leader in our sector, and represents a significant maturation of our vision that will guide us to offer our most comprehensive and impactful programming yet.

While the Advisory Committee considered almost every section of the Strategic Plan in great detail, discussion of Peace it Together’s

new Guiding Principles comprised the majority of the time the Committee spent together


“ I keep sharing our films, which continue to tell our stories. As I look back and remember all the memories we had, I am amazed at how much we believed

in each other, despite all of our challenges.

All the support we’ve received after coming back is helping our vision of peace to unfold. The summer camp was just the

beginning. We are all in this together.

- Palestinian youth participant2011 cohort

Being a Palestinian participant in Peace it Together helped me to define my role.

”


Dima Mohamad Sami Adel Ibrahim Alansari is a filmmaker, theatre artist, community activist and yoga instructor, currently living and working in Vancouver, Canada. Dima’s mother is Lebanese and her father is Kuwaiti; she is originally Palestinian from Al Quds (Jerusalem). Dima is deeply connected to this work because of her need to tell the stories of her people, her desire to hold those with power accountable and her ability to see both sides of the story - despite the challenges that come with it. Following the Strategic Planning process, Dima joined Peace it Together’s Board of Directors.

At the tableMembers of the Strategic Plan Advisory Committee

Dima Alansari

“The collective process of creating the Strategic Plan with my fellow colleagues was both a challenging and an educational experience. It was never easy, at times outright uncomfortable and there were deal breaker moments, however, what takes precedent is our common commitment to helping our youth in Canada, Palestine and Israel, as well as all over the world, to develop a better sense of what the occupation of Palestine and the present situation in the region really entails.

In the words of Jane Goodall, British primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist, and UN Messenger of Peace: ‘Change happens by listening and then starting a dialogue with the people who are doing something you don’t believe is right.’ “

- Dima Alansari

Victor was born in Germany and moved to the United States in 2005, before attending the United World College of Costa Rica from 2008 to 2010. Here he was exposed to Peace and Conflict studies, theories of non-violent communication and conflict transformation, and the practices of mediation and facilitation. Because of his commitment to continued exploration of peace building and facilitation, Victor joined the 2011 Canadian cohort in the Peace it Together program. Following the summer intensive, Victor remained a highly engaged member of the Canadian youth team, facilitating several community screening workshops and helping to coordinate the Struggling with Peace symposium. Victor joined the Board of Directors as a youth representative in 2012. Victor is in his final year of a degree in Film Studies at SFU.

Victor Heeckt

Shevy Levy emigrated from Israel to Canada in 1993 where she completed her Master’s degree in Mathematics. She is the founder and CEO Lambda Solutions, a provider of eLearning services in the Education and Healthcare sectors. Shevy has an entrepreneurial passion for building companies, ranging from tech-oriented organizations to the popular Vancouver-based cafe chain, Trees Organic Coffee.

Shevy Levy“Peace it Together’s new Strategic Plan is a solid framework to help its members execute their goals and vision.”

- Shevy Levy

Bassim Nahhas was born in Kuwait in1964 to Palestinian parents. Bassim travelled to Canada at the age of 12 to pursue his education. Many years later, while studying at the Universities of Victoria and Georgetown, he was involved in many Middle Eastern groups on campus to promote awareness of the Middle East. During this time Bassim also took an interest in film, taking film studies courses. Though he would eventually go on to build a career in the financial services industry, Bassim is passionate about film, and believes it is an important way to develop new narratives, and deepen dialogue. He believes Canada is a great place to make that happen. Following the Strategic Planning process, Bassim joined Peace it Together’s Board of Directors.

Bassim Nahhas

“It was a long, sincere, authentic approach, but the Plan is fantastic. I’ll stand behind it. It’s very democratic, very open, and integrated many different perspectives. I am proud of it.”

- Bassim Nahhas


Strategic Plan written, developed, authored and edited by Peace it Together staff: Metha Brown, Natalie Hill, Reena Lazar and Ramiya Pushparajah. Advisory Committee meetings facilitated by Catherine Bargen and Aftab Erfan.

Nawal is a PhD Candidate and Sessional Instructor in the School of Communication at Simon Fraser University (SFU). Her research focuses on the divide that exists between Palestinians and Israelis due to conflicting memories of the Holocaust and Palestinian Nakba. She is currently developing a digital photograph-based storytelling methodology which uses family photographs related to the Holocaust and/or Nakba to facilitate politico-ethical engagement and witnessing between Palestinians and Israelis currently living in Canada. Nawal holds a Masters degree in Modern Middle Eastern History. She was born in Canada after her parents moved here from the West Bank following the 1967 War. Both of Nawal’s parents and their extended families are from Beit Sahour (east of Bethlehem). Nawal joined the Board of Directors in 2012, prior to the start of the Strategic Planning process.

Audrey Plé has been on the Peace it Together Board of Directors since August 2012. She has a strategic marketing background and extensive international experience in the areas of branding, marketing communications and business development for a diverse group of organizations. Audrey had the opportunity to work with NICE Systems and visit its headquarters in Israel multiple times in the late 1990s, which fuelled her desire to join and support Peace it Together. She founded Magenta Marketing is 2001 and has worked with a variety of brands, including YVR (International Airport), TransLink, Commissionaires, Taymor, Exchange-A-Blade, Lexxon Training and Kinetic Security. When Audrey is not working, she’s probably out walking her three highly energetic big dogs in the Pacific Spirit Park!

Audrey Plé

Nawal Musleh-Mutot

“This was an important step for Peace it Together. I was very impressed with both the process of the Plan, and the end result. In particular, I’m optimistic about how these decisions will help Peace it Together more deeply engage with the Palestinian community.”

- Nawal Musleh-Mutot

Ran Vered was born and raised in Tel Aviv. His father was born in Israel and his mother in Egypt. He married a Canadian and emigrated to Canada in 1990. Ran is self-employed and lives in Vancouver with his wife and children while the rest of his family still reside in Israel. While not directly affected by the Holocaust, Ran feels that growing up in Israel with the “us” against the rest of the world narrative impeded his development in clearly judging the Israel-Palestine conflict. He feels that he “lives and breathes the conflict on a regular basis and fears for the people involved on both sides.” Ran has a strong conviction that unless an understanding is reached to build trust and cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians, both people and cultures are destined for disaster. Following the Strategic Planning process, Ran joined Peace it Together’s Board of Directors.

Ran Vered

“I think the Strategic Plan is essential to Peace it Together. I felt engaged and I think that the end result represents the spirit of an organization I want to be part of.”

- Ran Veredit

Members of the Strategic Plan Advisory Committee

Photos by Rasha Amer, Victor Heeckt and Reena Lazar, for Peace it Together.


Empowering youth to build peace through dialogue, f ilmmaking and community engagement.

Mission


Vision

We envision a world where

Palestinians, Israelis and Canadians

take action in equitable partnerships to create systemic change and foster

This will enable

Israelis and Palestinians to build a

just, secure and sustainable peace. In this new reality they will live

free from occupation, violence, oppression and the threat of annihilation

cultures of peace.

and with freedom, security and dignity.


lights, camera...

action!

Peace it Together empowers youth to work in equitable partnerships as media makers and cultural, social and political change agents. In our program youth have frank and informed discussions of the realities of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, and co-create provocative and shareable short films that explore the complexities of the conflict and the pursuit of peace. Youth use their films to host courageous conversations about the conflict in their own communities, inspiring others to take action and build peace.

Throughout this process, youth deepen their critical awareness about the systems that perpetuate the conflict. We support youth to take action and change these systems over the long term, and inspire others to do the same. Peace it Together helps equip the next generation of young peace builders in their pursuit of a just, secure, and sustainable peace.

What We Do

“ that have the critical awareness to make conscious change in their

communities and around the world. It empowers, it provides tools and

support and it gives a framework and goals to work towards as a team.

This is how movements are created, this is how people are inspired,.This is action. This is change.

- Canadian youth participant

2011 cohort

“Peace it Together gives youth the opportunity to grow into true leaders

”


action!Youth then practice working in equitable partnerships as they:

• negotiate the filmmaking process in small groups (each group containing Israeli, Palestinian and Canadian youth)

• develop, shoot and edit short films that explore unsettling questions about the charged and complex realities of conflict and peace building.

The films offer nuanced portrayals of the conflict, contrasting the stereotypical and inflammatory narratives dominating the mainstream.

Led by professional facilitators, participants:

• have open, frank, and informed discussions of the realities of the conflict

• explore key concepts like narrative, cultural identity, history and human rights

• watch, analyze and discuss films about the conflict.

Throughout the program youth deepen their understanding of the institutions and systems that perpetuate the conflict, while also developing their leadership skills and knowledge of peace building theories, social, political, and cultural change.

Our Program

With each program 10 Israeli, 10 Palestinian, and 10 Canadian youth leaders develop the capacity to become innovative and in-trepid peace builders. The 12-18 month program program begins when youth in the three respective regions meet and begin the process of exploring their own experiences, views of the conflict, and intentions for the program. All three delegations then gather for a four-week summer intensive on Canada’s West Coast. During this intensive youth form authentic connections and learn how to work in fair and inclusive ways together, developing a deeper understanding of each other and their needs.

A progressive approach to peace building

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Throughout this process, youth leaders:

• learn how to become resilient peace builders; inevitably they do this work in the midst of violent outbreaks and breakdowns in diplomatic relations.

• continue to work to strengthen relationships with their peers in other delegations in order to hone their strategies for inspiring others to take action.

• explore their own interests, passions and initiatives to transform the conflict in other ways, helping solidify their commitment to peace building over the long term.

When they return home, youth design and facilitate creative workshops for wider audiences in their communities throughout Israel, Palestine and Canada.

In these workshops youth:

• use discussions about their films as an accessible way to facilitate deeper discussions about challenging and often uncomfortable topics about the conflict

• encourage workshop participants to examine their own assumptions and consider what actions they might take to transform the conflict and build peace.


>100

Youth from the 2011 cohort screened their films in over 100 workshops with thousands of people in Israel, Palestine and Canada.

Almost 75% of Canadian audience members surveyed said screening workshops with Peace it Together youth helped them better understand aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

9/10 Canadian viewers surveyed said they would recommend the films to their friends.

Over 60% of Palestinian and Israeli audience members surveyed said they want to learn more about ‘the other side’ as a result of watching Peace it Together films.

Peace it Together’s films have been viewed over 32,000 times online, and been accepted to multiple international film festivals, winning several awards.

75%*

>60%

9/10

“[The Peace it Together workshop] opened my mind to the possibility of interpreting conflict through art and film and showed how films can have an effect.”

- screening workshop participant in Canada

“[The film screening] really made me want to participate in more peaceful activities.”

- screening workshop participant in Israel-Palestine

All figures and quotes related to screening workshops were compiled from feedback forms collected at a sample of such workshops in both Canada and Israel-Palestine, between fall 2011 and spring 2013.

IMPACTBY THE NUMBERS


“Since then, I’ve gotten more and more involved in activities

that are related to the conflict.

With hindsight, choosing to participate in Peace it Together was a decision of great importance. Peace it Together was my first step,

and a step of great significance.

- Israeli youth participant2011 cohort

Peace it Together was the starting point for me as an activist.

”


- Integrity and Accountability -

- Critical Awareness -

Critical awareness enables individuals and organizations to look clearly at themselves and the world around them. Situated critical awareness enables people to locate themselves in relation to others and the systems that govern those relationships, with special attention to notions of fairness, equality and empowerment. Engaging in honest reflection is crucial to improving our work and our relationships with others.

We continuously educate ourselves about the conflict we address in our work, and our work itself. We engage in critical reflection, as individuals and as an organization, and use this consciousness to guide our actions. We empower our participants and other audiences to do the same. A sense of critical awareness is reflected in all aspects of our work.

Who we are

Values

Values describe the ideals we (the staff, Board of Directors and volunteers) strive to embody in everything that we do. Together our values create a model by which we can celebrate our successes, as well as a standard by which we hold ourselves accountable for our decisions and behavior.

Values provide stakeholders (including potential participants, supporters as well as members of the communities we serve generally) with a clear understanding of our character as an organization. Not everyone who engages in our programming and supports our work must embody these values all of the time, but we invite them to consider how these values may be applicable or useful in their own lives, and how they see Peace it Together’s work as a reflection of these values.

Acting with integrity and accountability - or consistently acting in accordance with our beliefs and doing what we say we will do - is essential to earning and keeping the trust of our stakeholders. We are accountable for the impacts our programs have on all our participants, in all the communities in which they work, and to all stakeholders involved in our work.

We communicate our goals, practices and impacts honestly, while honouring confidentiality when required. We hold ourselves and each other accountable, and welcome our stakeholders and others to do the same.


- Creativity- - Openness -

Creativity involves disrupting pre-existing patterns or identifying new connections amongst them, in order to generate something new in a purposeful way. Creative processes (such as film production and facilitated artistic exercises) allow us to understand and explore paradox, a common element of conflict. There is value in both the process of creating and creative products themselves.

We take creative approaches in everything we do, and offer spaces in which our participants and other audiences can explore their own creativity and creative approaches to conflict transformation.

The ability to be curious, suspend judgment and embrace discomfort when engaging with difference allows people to take valuable risks, creating spaces where they can share, hear and consider valuable new perspectives, and truly understand and relate to one another.

We speak truthfully from our own specific experiences, informed by our unique cultural, social, political and religious identities.

We listen actively and compassionately so that we might understand others’ experiences and perspectives. We facilitate spaces where others are empowered and encouraged to do the same.

- Courage -

Conflict transformation requires brave determination and often demands sacrifice so that individuals and groups can create new realities together. It also involves acknowledging, being accountable for, and learning from mistakes. Engaging in and staying committed to such processes can be difficult when the outcome is unknown, and/or in the face of disapproval or disparagement from others.

We take responsible risks, pushing each other and ourselves beyond our comfort zones. While we welcome the opportunity to integrate constructive criticism into our work, we are not discouraged by uncritical reproach or denunciation, and remain steadfast in the pursuit of our goals.

Values


We believe both Israelis and Palestinians have the right to live and develop the land for the prosperity and health of both peoples. It is up to them to decide how to divide and/or share the land, and govern it in a fair and equitable manner, toward mutual acceptance of each others’ rights and self-determination.

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What we believe

Peace requires both justice and security for Palestinians and Israelis. Specifically we believe the following:

• To lay the groundwork for a just and secure peace, parties must reconcile injustices, understand one another, and move towards healing. It requires strength to move toward reconciliation and away from violence and domination.

• The occupation (continued Israeli control over West Bank and Gaza) must end, and the status of Palestinian refugees and their rights to return should be acknowledged and addressed in ways that both sides deem fair and acceptable. We also acknowledge international law that stipulates, among other provisions, that building settlements or destroying property on occupied territories is illegal.

• For Israelis to feel secure in the Middle East, it is fundamental for them to be and feel free of violence, and threats of violence of all kinds.

• Violence against civilians is unacceptable in any circumstance. It fuels a cycle that stimulates more violence and pain, and is a major factor in perpetuating the conflict.

• All civilians should have the right to freedom of movement, the right to adequate standards of living, and the right to live free from violence and discrimination.

• The full realization of human rights for all peoples is essential to establishing and sustaining peace. Human rights—particularly the right to life, security, dignity, and liberty—ought to be afforded to and enjoyed by all people, without discrimination on any grounds.

We believe that dialogue is an essential foundation for peace-building work. Dialogue allows adversaries to develop authentic connections with each other, a deeper understanding about each other and their needs, and a lasting respect for human rights. At the same time, dialogue must be leveraged into other forms of action that challenge inequalities, human-rights violations, and prejudice, in order for conflict to betransformed.

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Guiding Principles

Guiding Principles explain what we (the staff, Board of Directors and volunteers) believe in, and provide a basis of unity, or a set of ideals upon which we build the foundation for our work. They are intended to provide stakeholders (including potential participants, supporters as well as members of the communities we serve generally) with a clear picture of how Peace it Together approaches peace and conflict transformation.

Guiding Principles guide our work over the long term, but they are not a fixed doctrine. For example, a change to our Guiding Principles could happen if the way we approach peace building shifts. Not everyone who participates in our programming or supports our work must agree with these principles, however they should be willing to engage with them. Our programs thrive when there is a diversity of opinion and participants speak frankly about their differing views of the conflict. This canbe an uncomfortable and challenging process, but one that is essential to create change.

Rights to the land

Peace, justice and security

Dialogue and action

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1

that challenge inequalities, human-rights violations

and prejudice, in order for conflict to be transformed.

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We believe dialogue and peace-building programs are most effective when:

• participants in these programs, and the people who lead them, form equitable partnerships with one another that contend with personal and systemic power imbalances, and focus on long-term cultural, social, and political change.

• participants engage in open, frank, and informed discussions of the realities of the conflict, and conflict-related issues, and critical analysis of systems that perpetuate the conflict.

• participants are curious and courageous and look at not only the other side and global actors, but their own side’s actions and responsibilities as well.

Framework for effective dialogue

As outlined in Convention IV relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in the Time of War. Geneva, 12 August 1949. Available online at: http://www.icrc.org/ihl/385ec082b509e76c41256739003e636d/6756482d86146898c125641e004aa3c5

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Guiding Principles

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We believe when inequalities persist or worsen, so too does the conflict that surrounds it. Transforming inequalities is crucial for the transformation of conflict. We must therefore recognize and work to change inequalities, as they exist on both:

• interpersonal levels (the imbalances in our relationships with others, as individuals); and

• structural levels (how societies and their institutions, within and between communities, affect individuals’ lives in unfair ways).

Inequalities and power imbalances

We believe the priorities, needs and perspectives of the communities in conflict must be at the forefront when peace-building and dialogue organizations design, carry out, and evaluate their work. These groups and their perspectives should be meaningfully integrated into every level of leadership of such organizations.

Communities we serve

We believe our role is to support Israeli and Palestinian communities to think critically about history, politics, and current affairs, and become civically engaged (socially, culturally and politically). We support these groups to advocate for the specific solutions and/or peace accord they deem ideal for themselves and their communities.

Supporting Israelis and Palestinians

8 Similarly, We believe our role in Canada is to support individuals and communities who influence conflict – directly and indirectly – to think critically about history, politics and current affairs, and become civically engaged (socially, culturally and politically). We support these citizens to advocate for the action they want to see, with the priorities, needs and perspectives of Palestinian and Israeli communities impacted by conflict inmind. We do not promote or condemn forms of foreign political intervention by third parties.

Our role in Canada

Working in partnerships means committing to taking real steps towards change not just by ourselves, but also with others. Doing this equitably means working in ways that are inclu-sive and fair to everyone. This involves recognizing the power imbalances that can play out between people, and taking steps to correct them. It also involves removing or lessening particular barriers that prevent one party from participating fully, or being heard.

We believe dialogue must be leveraged into other forms of action


Our History

Since its founding ten years ago, Peace it Together’s programming and approach to peace building has continually evolved so as to best serve youth and ad-vance peace in Israel and Palestine, through dialogue and filmmaking. Over the years, the films created by Peace it Together youth were accepted by multiple international film festivals, and won several awards, and Peace it Together has been recognized for its contributions to the field of peace building.

summer 2004

summer 2006

summer 2008

Known in 2004 as the Creative Peace Network, Peace it Together’s inaugural program was a summer camp for 12 Palestinian, Israeli and Canadian teenagers, utilizing team-building, dialogue, outdoor adventures, art activities and other forms of creative exploration to help participants transform stereotypes, learn skills and develop compassion for their “enemy.” One of the recommendations from an extensive evaluation process identified the need for, and benefits of, centering the program on a creative activity through which youth could co-create something tangible together. The program was featured in several local newspapers.

In the summer of 2006 Peace it Together worked with the Gulf Islands Film and Television School (GIFTS) to create a new core framework, incorporating an intensive filmmaking component to the program. Twenty-nine youth (ten Palestinian, ten Israeli, and nine Canadian) engaged in intensive dialogue sessions led by trained facilitators. With guidance from film professionals and mentors, tri-national groups (containing a Palestinian, an Israeli, and a Canadian in each) then created short films together about the conflict. The filmmaking process provided participants with a hands-on experience in co-creation and negotiation, while deepening dialogue about the conflict. The films were well received by people in the region and around the world. After the summer program, volunteer coordinators helped reunite the Palestinian and Israeli delegations, and some of the youth shared the films with their communities and/or at international conferences. The Canadian youth, with limited support from the Peace it Together staff, screened their films in a variety of local settings, including a number of high schools. Peace it Together and Redstorm Production produced and distributed an educational DVD, Peacing it Together, featuring the youth-made films, a 30-minute behind-the-scenes film, interviews with youth and footage from some workshops.

looking

In 2008 Peace it Together replicated the dialogue and filmmaking intensive with a new cohort of 30 youth at a different venue on Canada’s West Coast. The level of dialogue in the program was deepened and the technical quality of the films improved as Peace it Together and its skilled staff further refined our approach. Post-summer activities continued as they did after the 2006 summer intensive. Peace it Together continued to receive coverage and recognition for its programming.

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In 2011 Peace it Together offered its program to an older demographic for the first time – university students in their 20s. A new cohort of 30 youth participated in the summer intensive, with dialogue taking place in Pemberton BC,

and filmmaking at the University of British Columbia. The more diverse lived experiences and insights of this slightly older group enriched the dialogue and filmmaking

processes, deepening the impact of the summer intensive. A professional film team produced seven

compelling behind-the-scenes films capturing the youth’s experiences. For this program Peace

it Together partnered with the Peace Research Institute in the Middle East (or PRIME) to forge

relationships in Israel-Palestine, select and prepare Middle East youth for the program, and help

implement the new community-engagement component of the program, in which youth

screened their films in creative workshops in their home communities. This dramatic expansion of

Peace it Together’s work was made possible by two grants from the Department of Foreign Affairs and

International Trade (DFAIT, at the time), and Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC).

For the first time each delegation was supported by a regional staff member for the 11-18 months following the summer intensive. Youth were empowered and trained to use their films to lead workshops, and to facilitate dialogue about the conflict. Regional Coordinators supported the youth to build on their facilitation, conflict transformation and public speaking skills, and helped them effectively host challenging and in-depth dialogues with others. Together the Israeli, Palestinian and Canadian youth screened their films and led dialogue with almost 3,000 people in their own communities. The new community-engagement component provided the organization with the opportunity to engage with youth in critical conversations about their experience in the program. It also helped Peace it Together better understand youth’s individual perspectives of the conflict and the issues connected to it, and what they needed from the organization in order to feel empowered as peace builders, able to take action and foster cultures of peace.

Peace it Together organized and hosted Struggling with Peace:, a special two-day public symposium

featuring expert peace builders from Israel and Palestine. The symposium focused on critiques

of joint peace-building programs, how peace builders respond, and the ways practitioners

have adapted their programs to create a meaningful impact and address valid concerns.

By organizing this symposium Peace it Together joined an important ongoing conversation on the international level about people-to-people peace

building, its shortcomings and best practices, gain invaluable insights about how to improve our own

programming in the process.

the Cultural Harmony Award from the City of Vancouver

the Renate Shearer Memorial Award from the Human Rights Coalition and the United Nations Association of Vancouver

summer 2011

fal l 2011 to spr ing

2013

winter 2013

• The New York Times • Reader’s Digest • CBC’s The Sunday Report• The Globe and Mail• The Vancouver Sun• The Province• Global National

Press CoverageAwards• Canadian Immigrant magazine• The Tyee• North Shore News• Pique News Magazine• CBC News• The Jewish Indepedent


Theory of Change

young people from opposing sides of conflict critically explore systems that perpetuate the conflict, work in equitable partnerships to create media that explore these issues, and become equipped and motivated to use this media to engage wider communities,

families and communities of participants become engaged (or re-engaged) in peace- building efforts

youth shift stereotypes of “the other” and better understand each other’s needs

youth gained skills in: conflict resolution, civic and political engagement, leadership and filmmaking

If

then they will become empowered to take action and change these systems over the long term, and inspire others to do the same

...but only if we successfully tackle the many

How will we achieve our vision?

barriers to peace

inequality apathy

fearlack of skills

human rights violations

insufficient peace networks

alienationoccupation

civic and political disengagement lack of critical awareness

us/them mentality separation wall

disinvestment in peace process

inequitable relationships between Palestinians and Israelis

racism

media systems

xenophobia

permits

media content

shaming

Islamaphobia and anti-Semitism

lack of trustcynicism

our approach:

violence

activities

outputs

youth have deepened critical awareness and knowledge about human rights and systems that perpetuate the conflict

equitable partnerships between youth

youth become committed to long-term change and peace-building initiatives

outcomes

youth step into leadership roles on campuses and in their communities

dialogue filmmaking

powerful, provocative and shareable films


human rights violationsseparation wall

media content

youth-led community engagement

outputs

activitiesfilm distribution

screening-workshop guides created exploring core issues of the conflict, addressing power asymmetries and inspiring action

youth gained skills in: facilitation, leadership, networking and action- planning, and deepen knowledge of systemic change

strengthened equitable partnerships between individual youth and between delegations

outputs

youth leaders seek out other civic or political initiatives and connect others to peace-building networks

people seek out media with accurate and nuanced stories, analysis and coverage, and opportunities to take action

outcomes

large numbers of diverse Palestinian, Israeli and Canadian audiences reached and engaged

audiences increase awareness of barriers to a just, secure peace; reconsider negative stereotypes and increase willingness to engage with the “other”

youth, their networks and audiences increase commitment to civic and political actions

youth lead effective civic and political campaigns and create peace and justice-oriented media that mobilize peace networks and mainstream actors

a larger more resilient movement of peace builders work in equitable partnerships, leveraging creative media and civic action

We envision a world where Palestinians, Israelis and Canadians take action our vision:

in equitable partnerships to create systemic change and foster cultures of peace. This will enable Israelis and Palestinians to build a just, secure and sustainable peace. In this new reality they will live free from occupation, violence, oppression and the threat of annihilation, and live with freedom, security and dignity.

media present more nuanced narratives, challenge messaging justifying human rights violations and power imbalances and highlight grassroots peace projects

teams of equitable partnerships between Palestinians and Israelis become more resilient, reflexive and reproducible

a more engaged citizenry condemns violence, human rights violations and oppression, builds peaceful solutions and calls on leaders to do the same

more equitable institutions replace systems that created and perpetuated power asymmetries, helping create more just societies


Palestinians and Israelis’ day-to-day experiences of the realities of the conflict give them an intimate knowledge of its complexities. Israelis and Palestinians living outside the region also possess unique and valuable knowledge of the conflict and barriers to peace. As experts, these groups must be equitably represented and active in decision-making, at all levels in Israeli-Palestinian peace-building organizations, in order for programming to reflect their unique needs and priorities.

Pursue equitable representation of the communities we serve at all levels of the organization1.

In focusStrategic Priorities describe our short-term focus over the next three years. These Strategic Priorities do not represent everything the organization will do, but rather, forefront the actions we have heard are important to our stakeholders,

and prioritize changes we believe will best enrich and improve our work. For each priority you see here, we have developed a comprehensive list of specific actions we will take, which will help us to achieve these objectives.



To strengthen the impact of their work, dialogue and people-to-people organizations must strive to be both leaders and learners in the larger field of peace building. They must adapt to changing political climates in the regions they work and embody the most up-to-date applications of best practices in the field. Peace-building organizations must also communicate clearly and transparently with their stakeholders about how they understand the conflict they aim to transform, helping to educate audiences when necessary.

While peace building programs have shifted some of the barriers to peace in Israel and Palestine, the sector is at a significant crossroads: How do programs ensure they do not entrench the status quo, perpetuating inequality and oppression? These critiques offer opportunities for practitioners to improve the foundations of their work (their approach or teaching/facilitation philosophy), thereby strengthening their program curricula, and improving impacts overall. In the summer of 2014, Peace it Together will pilot a new set of activities focused on understanding systemic change and building the skills to work in more equitable cross-border partnerships.

2. Critically engage with issues related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, both internally (as members of the organization) and externally (publicly, with our stakeholders)

3. Revise and strengthen program curricula and develop a rigorous teaching/facilitation philosophy (pedagogy)

4. Strengthen the use of art, film and media as tools for deepening our engagement with wider audiences and each other

Art, film and other media forms provide people with the opportunity to reflect critically, explore difficult questions, challenge assumptions, take risks, and re-imagine new realities, all essential processes for conflict transformation. Arts-based approaches to challenging work also allow staff to build a creative, cooperative, critically engaged work culture capable of producing innovative operational, programming, fundraising, and communications strategies.



Peace-building organizations outside Israel-Palestine face the unique challenge of engaging with the communities in the region in meaningful ways, from afar. Cultivating relationships with the individuals and organizations in Israel-Palestine is essential for the success of ongoing programming and the long-term support of program alumni. It is essential that North American peace organizations earn the trust of the those living the conflict they aim to transform.

5.

6.

Strengthen Peace it Together’s presence in Israel and Palestine

Strengthen the resiliency of the organization

A variety of diverse and reliable sources of income are required for nonprofit organiza-tions’ work to be sustainable, and to improve upon and/or expand their programming over the long term. In addition, by working in the context of active and ongoing con-flict, organizations must have strategies in place to support participants in the face of crisis, and also have strategies to support staff over the long-term, so they can remain committed and empowered to do their work.



Future Directions

Expanding and strengthening the

Palestine/Israel/Canada program model

1. Offer summer intensive + community engagement program to a new cohort of participants every year, beginning in 2016.

2. Offer summer intensive + community engagement program to multiple cohorts of participants, every year, beginning in 2018.

3. Partner with scholars to incorporate a research component into the program evaluation.

4. Design pilot programs with regionally-specific Israeli and Palestinian delegations.

5. Explore inter-generational components to the program.

6. Develop teaching guides for secondary schools to use Peace it Together content in their classrooms.

7. Design and implement a pilot filmmaking intensive program in Israel-Palestine for the summer of 2016.

8. Explore the feasibility of a long-term youth engagement program, including track into employment at Peace it Together, as well as a mentoring program.

9. Conduct a needs assessment and create an operational requirements plan to establish regional office(s) in Israel/Palestine.

10. Create a fieldwork program for Vancouver staff in Israel/Palestine.

Strengthening Peace it Together’s

presence in the region

Strengthening Peace it Together’s

Fundraising and Communications capacities

11. Expand the Communications department as Peace it Together programming expands and becomes more frequent.

12. Expand the Fundraising department as Peace it Together programming expands and becomes more frequent.

Looking aheadHere we describe the initiatives Peace it Together would like to explore over the course of the next five years. These possible future directions may shift or be revised to reflect any changes to our work, the conflict, or the peace-building sector as they unfold between now and 2019.

@peacefilms

/PeaceitTogether

www.peaceittogether.com

Suite #550 - 425 Carrall StreetVancouver BC V6B 6E3T: 604 568 1413

http://www.twitter.com/peacefilms

http://www.facebook.com/PeaceitTogether

http://www.peaceittogether.com

Documents

Learning to Lead: Grounding peace work in action and change