27th February - 8th March, 2013
Seem more photos of their program
Sixteen students and two teachers from the Rønningen Folkhighschool arrived for their visit on the 27th of February, until the 8th of March 2013. This visit was part of the school's program for Global studies students, in which the students learn how it is to live in the occupied Palestinian territories. They received information about the situation from different perspectives. The tight schedule included a lot of different things like olive planting, lecture about refugees and their right of return, watch the Bethlehem checkpoint early in the morning and visit some historical sites. The students had the chance to visit cities like Jerusalem, Ramallah, Hebron and Jericho, where they also met with the local YMCA-YWCA branches to learn more about their work.
During some of the program parts the Norwegian students were accompanied by Palestinian students and an exciting exchange arose. The Norwegian got the chance to stay with a Palestinian student’s family for one night.
The day after arriving, the group was introduced to the YMCA-YWCA and especially the JAI work, campaigns, and programs. After a briefing about the geopolitical background in Bethlehem and the West Bank they visited the Church of Nativity, the Bethlehem old city and the wall. Before dinner they met and had icebreaking activities with the Palestinian students for the first time.
Friday was the first planting day and the group, together with the Palestinian students, planted olive trees on a field near Israeli settlement block Gush Ezion. After a lunch at the field, and a quick shower at the hotel, the group heard a lecture on the ongoing displacement of Palestinians at the Badil Center.
The following morning the group had a presentation, guided tour in the school and joint indoor and outdoor sport activities with the Palestinian students. In the afternoon they planted trees in Al-Khader village.
On Sunday, the group planed to visit the Al-Aqsa mosque, but the Israeli security service closed the entrance while the group was waiting. They told them it is because of security reason. After that they met with a Jewish woman from the Council of Religious Institutions. Back to Beit Sahour the students had some sport activities and a football match with the Palestinian students, Palestine vs. Norway.
The next day, the group went to Ramallah and heard about the BDS Campaign and met local students at the Birzeit University. After lunch they visited Bil'in, a small village near Ramallah where Israel confiscated most of the agricultural land. The Popular Resistance Committee and the inhabitants from Bil’in demonstrate every Friday against the wall - since more than eight years. Lastly the group also visited Arafat’ tomb before going back to Beit Sahour.
On Tuesday the group went to Hebron, where they got a geopolitical briefing at the TIPH about the background, then had guided tour in the divided old city and inside the Ibrahimi mosque.
Wednesday was the day of the visit in Jericho, where the group visit the YMCA Vocational Training Centre, the YWCA Kindergarten and the YWCA Food Production Centre. After that was sightseeing in Tal-Al-Sultan and the old city of Jericho, and a hike up Mount of Temptation, with a visit to the monastery.
Early in the morning on Thursday the group witnessed the busy Checkpoint in Bethlehem. After breakfast it was time for the last planting day in Beit Ommar village near Hebron. In the afternoon the group visited the Aida refugee camp and met some student’s refugees through Lajee center. For the evening the group joined together with the Palestinian students and the group from the YMCA-YWCA Norway a delicious meal and a great Dabka show by the students.
All in all, the group got experiences and tools that will help them in their work against the apartheid once they are back in Norway.