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Summer School in
Bethlehem: Art of Creativity
Bethlehem,
June - July, 2010
Arab Educational Institute (AEI-Open
Windows),
Bethlehem
A call for international volunteers
“Itsy Bitsy Spider
Climbing up the Wall”
is an English children’s song that
inspires creativity.
Here in Bethlehem we
sometimes ask ourselves whether the
Wall disables creativity and arts -
whether imprisonment closes up mind
and soul. But even if this may be
true for some, we will never resign
to such spiritual defeat, certainly
not in educating our children and
youth. AEI’s summer school is
intended to show that the human soul
cannot be suppressed by Walls and
checkpoints.
To help us in this
effort, we would like to ask
internationals to volunteer at the
summer school as a trainer for
workshops. The summer school,
called this next year “Art of
Creativity,” will take place in
Bethlehem in June and July 2010. The
kids program (6-12 years) will run
from 14 to 30 June, the teenager
youth and women’s program from 5 to
14 July. The school will end with a
two-day Sumud Festival at the Wall
around Rachel’s Tomb in northern
Bethlehem. During that festival, on
July 15 and 16, workshops will use
the Wall as stage, screen,
background and surface for creative
Arts. By doing so we wish to show
life as opposed to the message of
death and division emitted by the
Wall. Note that sumud is
Arabic for steadfastness,
persistence.
The school will be
like a summer camp emphasizing
skills and interests that are not
usually covered during the
Palestinian school year. Among the
workshops we expect to have are:
games and plays, music, drawing,
handicrafts, graffiti-making, and
dance. All will take place in a
relaxed after-school atmosphere. We
hope to host some 10 international
volunteers. Each workshop will have
a local facilitator-translator
(English-Arabic).
Preparation
If you are interested,
please give subject titles
and write a few sentences
about your proposed course of not
more than 10 hours. You may provide
different courses or do the same
workshop twice or more (perhaps for
slightly different age levels, such
as in the case of the kids group).
Please give your wishes regarding
the materials and equipment
you need for the workshops.
Outreach
We partner with other
summer camps that take place in Abu
Dis, east of Jerusalem, and in
villages to the west of Bethlehem.
These camps or workshops may broaden
your exposure to Palestinian
society. Dependent upon the final
number of volunteers, we will make
arrangements for volunteers to also
have workshop sessions in such
places outside Bethlehem.
Transportation will be arranged.
Relaxation
Volunteers will be
invited to daily join a light warm
lunch at the Youth House near the
Church of Nativity in Bethlehem. Due
to the heat, which may be over 30
degrees in the afternoon, we prefer
not to have sessions in the early
afternoon. During weekdays we might
organize some hours in the afternoon
for strolling in Bethlehem,
depending upon the weather. You are
also welcome to join a fieldtrip or
visit other workshops that are part
of the school.
Accommodation
International
volunteers can have their
accommodation arranged in advance,
at inexpensive hotels or monasteries
or with hosting families.
For
more information:
Arab
Educational Institute
aei@p-ol.com
www.aeicenter.org
02-2744030 / 02-2777876
Bethlehem
25
October 2009 |
