Solutions Not Sides
UK educational programme about Israel - Palestine with live speakers from Palestine and Israel
Solutions not Sides (SNS) has worked with over 75,000 British students and their teachers over twelve years and is run by three leaders who have over twenty five years combined of experience working in conflict resolution, Palestine, and Israel. SNS primarily engages students at the opinion-forming stage (14-18 years of age), ensuring that the students engage with the subject of conflict within the safe space of a structured educational environment with live Palestinian & Israeli speakers, who are peacebuilders, in the classroom/on Zoom.
This is carried out through an innovative programme of training and workshops with young people in secondary schools that are led by our experienced and highly trained facilitators, which include:
- Classroom-based educational workshops for Year 9 to Year 13, split up into 2 interactive sessions including live Palestinian & Israeli speakers and SNS-made films.
- The Olive Branch Award - our three year award scheme that supports and recognises the achievements of schools across 4 key skill areas: active listening, empathy, critical thinking, and social and emotional learning.
- Two Annual Student Leadership Programmes - Model United Nations and Bridge Builders - for young people enrolled in studies between Year 13 and their second year of university, or on a gap year.
- CPD training sessions for their teachers, council staff and other community leaders
The educational workshops for Year 9 to Year 13 are the central activity of the programme and include activities on general conflict under-standing, critical-thinking skills and conflict resolution with the application of these principles to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Students learn the difference between positions and interests and how they can apply this understanding to explore meaningful solutions. The session also gives some background from both sides' points of view as to the issues at the heart of the conflict, both past and present, and features real-life experiences and aspirations of people who are living through it, told in person by Israeli and Palestinian speakers from the region. Time is given for Q&A so that students have the unique opportunity to learn more from these people who are living in the region and are involved in working for conflict resolution. The skills and experiences gained through participation in the sessions are transferable to other conflict situations, both in personal and political contexts.
The school workshops are:
- Two hours long
- For classrooms or larger groups
Please get in touch if you have any questions
Things I Can Talk About:
- Israel - Palestine conflict
- Social and Emotional Learning
- CPD Training
- Student enrichment opportunities