[Palestineinschools] today!

[Ora Wise]

Hey y'all,
So I don't know if anyone is going to get this in time. We seem to be having
some troubles with the list.  But if you get this- please look over this and
send comments or suggestions to nour today! (earthnour at yahoo.com). I think
that this is a last minute effort to put a flyer together aimed at solid
Palestine solidarity activists and not actually a mission statement. I think
that we have to continue to shape something like that.
Peace,
ora

The Palestine/Israel Education Project (PEP)

The Palestine/Israel Education Project (PEP) is a collective initiative of
activist educators based in New York City and Philadelphia. It is the
primary aim of those involved to create a long-term, sustainable project
that will help to challenge and refigure the prevailing notions about, and
media misrepresentations of, the cultural and political history of
Israel/Palestine.  PEP participants are preparing to go into classrooms and
facilitate interactive lessons and activities about the history of
Israel/Palestine and the Palestinian struggle for self-determination. PEP
also aims to provide important resources-including lesson plans, workshops,
activities, and background sources-for teachers throughout the country who
wish to address issues related to Israel/Palestine in their classrooms.
This work will eventually culminate in an on-line resource library and a
published curriculum.

The vision for this project has grown out of the grassroots educational work
that a number of Palestinian solidarity activists have already been doing.
We have had some very positive experiences going into elementary, middle,
and high schools across the country where students have, amongst other
things, read letters from young Palestinians and Israeli high school
refusers, watched a Palestinian hip hop video, and brainstormed alternative
uses for the U.S. money that goes to Israel.

Expanding and sustaining this work is part of a broader project that needs
more energy put into it: growing the movement, rather than simply organizing
the organized.

HOW PEP WORKS:

PEP is a collective project-NOT an organization. The difference is that PEP
won't need to have weekly meetings or long debates about which event to
endorse. Ideally, PEP will be a way for people to come together to do real
focused work without feeling drained. Rotating committees, peer reviews, and
giving everyone the opportunity to be a presenter will not only keep
responsibility and participation equally distributed; it will also
facilitate each participant's growth in the different areas of work.

Join us in this sustainable, collective project. Please contact
Palestine_in_school at yahoo.com for more information, and watch for our
website at www.palestineinschools.org [?]


Why PEP?
- We are being proactive- not just responding to each new crisis
- Activists too often take for granted that there are certain spaces
unavailable to us- we're entering non-activist spaces and reaching out
- The education system in this country is designed to extract compliance
from kids and train obedient citizens- we're encouraging critical thinking
and participatory educational programs

What is PEP doing?
- assembling a resource library for activists and educators that will be
housed in NYC and on-line
- developing an interactive website
- developing a progressive curriculum about Palestine/Israel for publishing
- developing participatory lesson plans and activities to bring into schools
- giving trainings on democratic education techniques for those who wish to
go into schools
-