Projects
Menders

The Menders are a rapidly growing group of young Palestinians
from all over the West Bank and Jerusalem who work with a
variety of creative approaches to promote nonviolence,
especially among their peers, both in Palestine and abroad.

They grew out of a nonviolence summer camp (“Youth Living
with Conflict”) held in Jerusalem in the summer of 2001 with
children from South Africa, the North of Ireland and Kenya, in
which the children designed a plea for an end to conflict
which they sent to the United Nations.

There have been a number of projects which have helped the
Menders to grow, starting with support from the Japanese
Volunteer Movement for the production of a newsletter
about the summer camp and about the need for alternatives
to violence. This was followed by support from the National
Endowment for Democracy, who not only gave continuing
support for a regular newsletter, but also covered trainings in
art, drama and radio work, and with time allowed us to
expand to a group in Ramallah as well as in Jerusalem. They
have written and produced their own plays and produced
their own radio discussion shows on topics of their choice.

For nearly two years, the Ford Foundation have supported the
expansion of the Menders groups to each of Mend’s active
nonviolence centres (?q.v.?) in the West Bank. This project
includes sixty hours of training for each group in nonviolence,
communications and human rights, and also another sixty
hours of training in participatory video (q.v.) along with the
production of a film by this methodology. At present, the
Menders in Tul Karem, Hebron and Ramallah have all
completed their training and their films, and groups in Qalqilya
and Jerusalem are currently being trained. The films are
awaiting editing (by Al Quds Educational Television) and will
then be copied and distributed for the viewing and discussion
by all the different groups.

As a continuation of the development of the Menders, and as
the final stage in consolidating them as a national group,
Save the Children have granted funds to Mend for a summer
camp for this summer (2006) where they will meet and
exchange experiences, both concerning their daily lives and
issues with the occupation, and concerning their work as
Menders. Those most interested in filming will make a film of
the camp, and others will organize a play and yet others an art
exhibition, all for a culminating open day. They will continue to
meet and to work as volunteers for promoting nonviolence
within their schools and communities and will organize two
major nonviolence events and produce a film on nonviolence.