An International Education Center for Multi-Culturalism and Peace

The Friendship Village will serve as a center for multicultural youth organizations in Israel and from abroad. The use of small business initiatives will make the farm partially self-sustaining.

The more intensive the peace and coexistence activities in Israel, the greater the need for a center that can be used as a base for these activities. In response to this need, long felt by the leadership of Re'ut Sadaka, was born the idea of establishing such a center: The Friendship Village. No such institutions exist within the Israeli non-formal education system. The Re'ut-Sadaka (Friendship) project will be comprised of an educational center which will spread the message of coexistence and cooperation among all cultural, ethnic and religious groups, and more specifically, among Arabs and Jews.

The proposed educational center will be a vehicle for increasing the understanding between all cultural, religious and ethnic groups in Israel and in the whole Middle East. The center will also be an important base for education against racism, discrimination and anti-Semitism. Israeli youth, Arabs and Jews, will be educated using eclectic educational methods that foster coexistence and cooperation for the good of the entire Israeli society. The center will prepare a young leadership, which will pass on the teachings to thousands of youth who live in Israel. Educational programs will also be created and tailored to groups of youth from other countries where ethnic and religious tension and conflict exist. The Re'ut-Sadaka Village will be built by those who support the idea of coexistence and will operate through the support of sponsors and institutional funding as well as the profitable use of the facilities located at the center site (lodge, classrooms, printing). The facilities will be operated by those living in the village and will support the staff.

Goals

1. The Friendship Village is intended to be an International Education Center for Multi-Culturalism and Peace.

2. To educate Jewish and Arab youth in Israel as well as other youth living in areas of social and ethnic conflict, toward a life of coexistence built on mutual respect and cooperation, and based on true equality.

3. To educate for a pluralistic, democratic and tolerant society, in which every component of the society will be able to keep its national and cultural identity.

4. To educate against violence, racism and aggression.

In addition to these overall educational goals, the activities of the center will teach participants:

1. To cope with the three circles of the Middle-Eastern conflict: a) The conflict between the Jewish majority and the Arab-Palestinian minority inside Israel. b) The Israeli-Palestinian political conflict. c) The Jewish-Arab cultural conflict.

2. To recognize and understand national, ethnic and racial conflicts within different societies abroad.

Objectives

1. To offer seminars, workshops, and courses that encourage intercultural acquaintance, include a trust-building process, teach peaceful conflict-resolution methods, and introduce ways of living together and cooperating beyond cultural, ethnic, and racial barriers.

2. To advance the idea of a multicultural society and prepare a cadre of leaders who carry this idea, through long term seminars and courses for young leadership.

3. To prepare educational programs and develop curriculum on this subject which fit with the cultural needs of the Israeli and Palestinian societies.

4. To develop educational curriculum for multicultural groups from other countries experiencing conflict, according to and in cooperation with interested organizations.

The Proposed Structure of the Re'ut-Sadaka Village

The Friendship Village will serve as an educational center for seminars and courses for youth from Israel and other countries. It will include sleeping quarters for youth, facilitators and chaperons, rooms for discussion, a big hall for general assembly and a dining room for the whole village. Basic services such as laundry and first aid will also be included. The center will include a general library, which will be available to the whole village. An in-house print shop will prepare materials for the village and will contract other jobs for profit. We envision the following layout of buildings:

1. Seminar Center

A Hostel for 120 youth and for 20 facilitators

Classrooms, study hall, dining room and other services

2. School for Coexistence

3. Study Center

Library, Classrooms and Print shop

4. Living Quarters

Accommodations for 20-25 adults (3-5 families, 5-7 singles and 6-8 volunteers).

5. School for Coexistence

The school will be a center and hostel for a small group of students who are staying at the school long-term. It will include two classrooms and a workroom.

6. Facilitator Center

This will serve as a study center for the whole village, for seminar and course preparation, and for the development of educational programs associated with coexistence.

Financial Arrangements

The permanent residents will get salaries through the following sources: maintenance, facilitating, writing, printing, etc.

The initial financial investment required for the establishment of "The Friendship Farm" will be raised from foundations, international governmental sources, and from private donors. About 1.5 hectors of land have been donated for the establishment of "The Friendship Farm" by the Town Council of Shefa-Amer: a small Arab town located half way between Haifa and Nazareth. The project will require approximately $1,500,00 from external investments over a period of six years. The project can be started with an initial investment of about $750,000, to be used over a two-year period.

Running Costs

Our goal is to maintain "The Friendship Farm" as a self supporting, economically independent project within five years of its establishment. This goal will be achieved through:

Income from activities: When the Village is not occupied by Re'ut-Sadaka activities, the services of the center will be offered to other organizations who are closely related to the education for peace and democracy. The seminar center will support itself by collecting payment for services rendered.

Productions and services: As soon as the Village is establishment, various enterprises will be initiated in order to raise money locally. Profits from these enterprises will support the Village activities. Proposed profit-making initiatives include: agricultural hot-houses, political tourism, eco-tourism, a print shop, educational toys, etc.

Our Board Members