See more photos and watch a short clip of the program
From the 19th of March to the 26th of March 2015 the Global Teenagers class of Nørre Nissum Efterskole, Denmark, visited its partner JAI in Palestine. The program was established five years ago and numerous Danish students have already come to Palestine through this program. This year the biggest group so far travelled to Palestine: 56 students and 6 teachers and board members came to witness the everyday life of their Palestinian hosts. The Global Teenagers class was divided into two groups with different programs.
On the first day the Danish students were greeted by Palestinian students from Beit Sahour who were as old as the Danish students. The Danish students also visited two of their schools, the Latin Patriarchate School and the Shepherd’s Field Orthodox School in Beit Sahour, where they were shown around, gave presentations about their schools in Denmark and Palestine respectively and experienced classes. The Palestinian students also served as hosts for the Danish teenagers on two different days and invited them to their homes for overnight stays. The reactions of both the Palestinian and the Danish students were very positive. Many friendships were formed and the students to maintain mutual contacts.
Half a day was spent planting olive trees on a field that was threatened by Israeli confiscation, close to Gush Etzion Israeli settlements' (colonies) block. Palestinian and Danish students worked hand in hand to support the farmer and to show that they stand united against illegal Israeli settlements' expansions. One of the Danish teenagers, Kamila, reflected on the day: "It is a nice way to do something for Palestine. We collected money at home for the trees so it is a great feeling to plant them with our own hands. And it feels like we can help a little bit in this difficult situation."
The young people also got a political tour of the Bethlehem area, where they saw settlements, bypass roads for Israelis only, which cut Palestinian land in half and the separation apartheid wall, dividing Bethlehem from Jerusalem. Everyone was very moved by the sight of the huge concrete wall.
Also on the program was a trip to Hebron. One group went with the Israeli organisation "Breaking the Silence", where former Israeli soldiers speak about the Israeli occupation of Palestine. The group was able to go inside the "Kiryat Arba" settlement. They also walked the whole closed Shuhada Street to the end. Everyone was shocked at the sight of the old city of Hebron, which was described as a "ghost town" by one of the students. The second group visited the "Temporary International Presence in Hebron" (TIPH) and listened to a briefing about the situation in the city. Afterwards they went on a tour with the "Hebron Rehabilitation Committee", an organization, which has dedicated itself to restoring old places and houses to bring life back to the old city of Hebron. The students were also able to walk part of the closed Shuhada street and to visit the divided Ibrahimi mosque. Later they were served lunch at a Palestinian family's house whose shop was the target of Israeli attacks just a few weeks ago. One of the students, Luise, said: "Hebron is a very divided city. It was crazy because one part of the city was completely empty, no people at all. And then the other part of the city was a market full of people with many people walking around." And Johanna added: "It is crazy that one city can be so energetic and so dead at the same time."
The group also went to Jerusalem. Besides visiting the holy places in the old city they also met with two Palestinian guides who told them about life in Jerusalem. The situation is very difficult for Palestinians as they only have a residency permit for East Jerusalem and not the Israeli citizenship. They constantly have to prove that Jerusalem is the centre of their life. They are also not allowed to be outside Jerusalem for more than three years otherwise their right to live in Jerusalem. With these measures Israel systematically tries to push the Palestinians out of Jerusalem, making life hard and stressful for the Palestinian population in Jerusalem.
The whole group also went to Tel Aviv. Half of the students spent the day with an Israeli family, while the other half of the group met with different organizations and journalists. The purpose of this visit was to understand the Israeli society and why it is not doing anything against the ongoing occupation. One of the images that the Danish students got was that they knew more about the occupation and the situation in Palestine than many or even most Israelis.
Part of the group also went to Jericho and visited the YMCA vocation training school as well the YWCA food procession centre. They also climbed up the Mount of Temptation and enjoyed the view over the city of Jericho. The other part of the group went to a village close to Beit Jala. This trip was organised by the Israeli-Palestinian organization Grassroots. Here students met with inhabitants and talked about life in "Area C" which is under the full Israeli control. The village will be completely surrounded by the wall if the Israelis carry out their plans.
Before going back home to Denmark after an intense week full of memorable experiences, everyone, JAI staff, Palestinian youth and Danish students and teachers enjoyed seeing a traditional Dabka performance went to dinner together. Goodbyes were said until next year when the next group from Nørre Nissum Efterskole will come to Palestine.