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A trip in Palestine with JAI for 49 students and teachers from 2 partner Danish schools

Category: Students Exchange Programs Created: 08 March 2018

DE MSE2018 1tSee more photos of the trip

A trip in Palestine from the 1st to the 8th of March 2018 was organized and hosted by the JAI for 41 students of the Global Citizenship class, plus 8 teachers and board members, at two partner Danish schools, namely Dronninglund Efterskole (DE) and Midtsjællands Efterskole (MSE), through the DanChurch Aid.

Their week program included interaction with the JAI-trained Palestinian students, activities and sessions with them, where they planted sponsored olive trees together at a Palestinian threatened field, the Danish students visited the Palestinian students' families for some whole afternoon and evening, as well as the Lutheran School in Beit Sahour and Shoruq Center in Dhaisha camp, where many of the Palestinian students are from.
DE MSE2018 2tAt Shoruq Center, they were briefed about the camp, had guided tours inside the camp with Palestinian students in sub-groups, asked questions to the Palestinian students from the camp, who at the end performed a girls' rap and a Dabka Show to the Danish students. At the Lutheran School in Beit Sahour, they were briefed about the school, the Danish students presented about Denmark and their school to the whole 11th grade students, played basket ball and soccer together, and toured inside the school various premises with the Palestinian students in sub-groups.

DE MSE2018 3tGuided tours and visits were also organized and made by the JAI for the Danish students to witness the wall-settlements-bypass road in Bethlehem, with a visit to one of the Olive Tree Campaign farmers in Walaja village whose and land are highly threatened with confiscation and subjected to various harassment. Other tours were also made inside the old city of Hebron to witness closures, settlements, into the Ibrahimi Mosque (Tombs of the Patriarchs), and Shuhada street (closed for Palestinians to walk through), after a geopolitical presentation on Hebron made at the Temporarily International Presence in Hebron (TIPH) center. In Jerusalem, the Danish students had a bicycling activity with PalVision, and toured inside the old city.

The trip comes as part of an ongoing Exchange Program and partnership between the Danish schools, the JAI, and DanChurch Aid, following also the Palestinian students and staff visits to the school in November 2017.