Life Behind the Separation Wall

The Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI)

"brings internationals to the West Bank to experience life under occupation. Ecumenical Accompaniers provide protective presence to vulnerable communities, monitor and report human rights abuses and support Palestinians and Israelis working together for peace. When they return home, EAs campaign for a just and peaceful resolution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict through an end to the occupation, respect for international law and implementation of UN resolutions."

Children's Art from Gaza

'Loss of Innocence', an exhibition of children's art from Gaza created in the wake of the 2008-9 bombardment and invasion by Israel, has been on display Wrexham since the beginning of May, firstly at St Mary's Cathedral, then in the busy learning resource centre (library) of Yale F.E. College and since early June in St. Christopher's school where it will remain until it moves on to Oswestry mid-July and from there to Birmingham and Cardiff. If you're situated between Birmingham and Cardiff and can offer a venue to display the work during August, then let us know.

Yesterday, a group of Year 10 pupils came to see the 'Loss of Innocence' exhibition at St. Christopher's and to learn from Rod Cox of Chester and Palestine Exchanges something about the lives and traumas of their counterparts in Palestine who had created the artwork. Many of the Palestinian children had lost members of their families, in some cases their whole families in the attacks. After the talk and slide show, the pupils spent time viewing the exhibition and created artwork of their own.

More Peace Education?

Wrexham Peace Day Group would be interested to hear from anyone else around the country working on peace issues in schools. Is the Peace Education Network still active, for instance?

Also, if you've got a talk, activity or workshop you can offer and would be willing to travel to Wrexham (north-east Wales) to do it, please get in touch. We're still looking for a few more volunteers to offer sessions on our 20 September schools Peace Day and can organise visits to schools throughout the year. The range of offers to date has been very wide, from groups such as Veterans for Peace; Forces Watch; Alternatives to Violence Project; Movement for the Abolition of War; CAFOD; The Absurd; Give and Take; Rainbow Therapies, as well as from a number of individuals not working under any particular banner. Topics covered have included life in the military; the militarisation of childhood; street children in Iraq; a variety of approaches to conflict resolution; Sikh seva; singing including signed singing; poetry; craft; holistic therapies; gift economy; veganism.