Bring 24 young ambassadors together for peace

Towards the end of last year Lucy Frankenburg and Sahdia Khan from Encompass boarded a plane bound for Israel. Their mission was to connect face to face with our then Israeli co-ordinator Amit Lavi and our Palestinian co-ordinator Karen AbuZant, meeting many of the Israeli and Palestinian alumni, getting feedback on the Encompass programme and seeing first-hand the impact of it on their lives.

Given that the summer of 2014 had been fraught with tension and violence in the Middle East, Lucy and Sahdia were expecting their visit to be at the very least difficult, if not incredibly challenging. It turned out to be extremely encouraging as well as moving and thought-provoking.

Encompass alumni making a difference

Lucy and Sahdia had some very useful meetings with Israeli and Palestinian alumni, both at reunions and on an individual level.  Many of them commented on how (even several months and years later), the programme had a profound impact on their perspectives, and changed them as people for the better. Specifically it was the first time many of them had had the opportunity to engage with each other and this had opened their eyes.

One of the great joys of the trip was seeing some of the amazing work that the alumni are doing. For example, the Palestinian Steering Group is going strong. Lucy and Sahdia heard first-hand from them about how valuable an experience their summer camp was, and how they grew a lot in their skills and confidence. They now have plans for a project to do with Palestinian co-ordinator Karen’s Peaceful Education Centre, which is where they run most of their activities and workshops.

Lucy and Sahdia caught up with Dima (February 2014 Encompass programme) who now works for a Palestinian human rights organisation and Rawan (March 2013 Encompass programme) who works for Seeds of Peace.

Ben, Israeli alumnus (November 2013 Encompass programme) set up a community choir for young people from one of the rougher parts of Tel Aviv, and Lucy and Sahdia had the privilege of attending one of their concerts. It was evident that being part of this choir was having such a positive impact on the young performer’s lives and self-esteem.

Yair, Israeli alumnus (November 2013 Encompass programme) has become involved with a group called ‘Simply Sing’, which bring together Jews and Arabs in Jerusalem to learn and then perform songs. Some of their performances have been huge – bringing in audiences of thousands, but so far the interaction between Jewish and Arab Israelis has been limited to singing. Lucy and Sahdia facilitated their first ‘getting to know each other on a deeper level’ workshop. The two hour event was very successful. Many if the participants said afterwards that they found it very meaningful and thought-provoking.

Reut, Israeli alumnus (February 2012 Encompass programme) has been working on a project which helps the most vulnerable people in Israeli society.

Lucy reflects on the trip, “One of the most valuable things about our trip to the Middle East was the opportunity to meet so many different people and hear so many different perspectives on the situation.”