sguardosulmedioriente.it

L’EVENTO

Tutte le attività, incluse quelle ampliate, saranno in grado di stabilire una comunicazione live con le attività e le persone che si trovano in altri luoghi del WEF attraverso un sistema Interlink di comunicazione virtuale dal vivo (live streaming, chat, video-conferenze). Ci si sforzerà anche di rendere le attività WEF più accessibili a tutti tramite streaming live sul sito web WEF.

Situandosi all’interno della visione del World Social Forum che riguarda la costruzione di un “movimento dei movimenti”, il World Education Forum in Palestina cerca di contribuire attivamente alla costruzione di un giusto ordine globale che può contrastare problemi come la povertà, l’ineguaglianza, la globalizzazione dei mercati, il colonialismo, le crisi ecologiche e il dominio dei popoli e della natura.

APPEAL TO PARTICIPATE IN AND SUPPORT

THE WORLD EDUCATION FORUM IN PALESTINE

The World Education Forum (WEF) will be held October 28 – 31 in Palestine, as part of the World Social Forum program. The venues of the forum will be polycentric, with activities organized in Haifa, Ramallah, Jerusalem, Gaza, and in Lebanon. The International Council of the World Social Forum expressed its full support to the proposition to hold this Forum, as a gesture of solidarity following the Israeli attack on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip during December 2008 into January 2009. 

The World Education Forum will shed light on pressing social and educational issues, as well as on struggles for peace and social justice around the world and more specifically in Palestine. The Forum will provide a platform for cross-border dialogue, practical experience exchange, theoretical discussions, debating of ideas around the role of education, conditions of its realization and economic, social, political and environmental impact of education at the local, regional and international level.  The aim is to work together to ‘make a new world possible’ by challenging the dominant way of teaching, as well as the educational institutions and systems, informed as they are by neo-liberal economics, competition, marketplace globalization, consumerism and domination of peoples and nature.

Furthermore the forum will assist against the Israeli occupational practices towards Palestinians in general and their education in specific. The forum will not only serve as a gesture of solidarity with Palestine but also celebrates the power of education in bridging cultures and practices and as an agency able to free people from oppression and their relative isolation.

The 2010 WEF will gather local, regional and international educators, practitioners, teachers, students, academics, decision makers, journalists, teacher unions, parents of students, educational and social activists and others to come together for mutual enrichment and learning. 5000 Palestinians and 500 international participants are expected to attend the WEF.

This Forum intends to involve as many Palestinians as possible in cities, villages and refugee camps. Cultural and artistic activities will celebrate and help protect the Palestinian cultural heritage.

We call on all organizations, associations, networks, social movements, schools, universities and individuals worldwide, who are active in education and the defense of the Palestinian rights and liberation, to join this appeal, by participating in the Forum, organizing activities, mobilizing participation and support and raising funds for the World Education Forum in Palestine.

How to get involved in the WEF?

Please contact the WEF organizers by email: Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. È necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo..

So far the Palestinian National Committee consists of NGOs, networks, coalitions and teacher unions  including  PNGO (Palestinian Non-governmental Organization Network, including 132 member organizations working in different developmental fields), Ittijah (Platform of Palestinian Non-governmental Organizations inside Israel, including 64 members), General Union of Palestinian Teachers (school and educational institutions committees) and the Coalition for Safe School Environments (including 20 member organizations of diverse expertise) and Alternatives International (Alternative Information

WEF website: www.wef-palestine.org

WEF support group on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=306199442968&ref=nf

----------------------------------

WORLD EDUCATION FORUM

IN PALESTINE

OCTOBER 2010

Introduction

The World Education Forum (WEF) to be held October 28 – 31 in Palestine, as part of the World Social Forum program, will shed light on pressing social and educational issues and challenges of people struggling for peace and social justice around the world and more specifically in Palestine. The Forum will provide a platform for cross-border dialogue, practical experience exchange, theoretical discussions, debating of ideas around the role of education and its economic, social, political and environmental impact at the local, regional and international level.  The aim is to help ‘make a new world possible’ by challenging the dominant educational mindset and its institutions and systems, informed as they are by neo-liberal economics, competition, marketplace globalization, consumerism and domination of peoples and nature. Furthermore the forum will assist against the Israeli occupational practices towards Palestinians in general and their education in specific.

The 2010 WEF will gather local, regional and international educators, practitioners, teachers, students, academics, decision makers, journalists, teacher unions, educational and social activists and others to come together for mutual enrichment and learning. 5000 Palestinians and 300 international participants are expected to attend the WEF. The venues of the forum will be polycentric, with activities organized in Haifa, Ramallah/Jerusalem, Gaza, as well as in Lebanon.

Palestine as the venue

The decision of holding a WEF in Palestine emanated from the need to impart the Palestinian educational experience to the world and visa versa. The forum will not only serve as a gesture of solidarity with Palestine but also celebrates the power of education in bridging cultures and practices and as an agency able to free people from oppression and their relative isolation. It is hoped that this forum will put the rights of Palestinians to a free and democratic environment for quality education at the forefront of the international educational debate. The Forum intends to integrate all Palestinian refugees who are interested to be a part of the WEF though unable to be present due to travel restrictions. All activities in Gaza, the West Bank, Jerusalem, inside the Green Line, Arab countries and the rest of the world will run in parallel and will be linked to one another through video conferences.

Objectives of the WEF

1.      To provide a meeting space marked by the diversity of its representatives and themes, as well as by the convergence of hopes and the fight for a society and a world where there is more justice, more democracy, and more solidarity.

2.      To generate new and expanded high quality educational knowledge and tools in promoting greater social justice and equity between nations.

3.      To explore how individuals and organizations involved in the WEF can become experienced change agents and change advocates to the extent that they can help effect qualitative improvements in teaching, educational policies, school and community dynamics.

4.      To build new and strong alliances for mobilization and effective action between national, regional and international social movements and educational organizations.

5.      To launch world wide campaigns such as, campaigns against: commercialisation and privatisation of education; poverty; aids; political use of education; as well as campaigns for national Palestinian rights; women’s rights; new media campaigns which portray non-violent alternatives; human rights in education.

6.      To promote international solidarity with the Palestinians in their legitimate struggle to freedom, self determination and an independent state.

Activities

The events will be spread over 4 days between October 28 - 31. The first day there will be an opening ceremony with speeches by well-known personalities in education from Palestine and abroad, followed by a cultural show. The following days the participants can participate in the following activities:

SEMINARS on international experiences and practices in areas related to formal, informal education, higher education and societal linkages of education, guided by the thematic axes (see below). These seminars will be centrally organized. 

SELF-ORGANIZED ACTIVITIES demonstrating real experiences and success stories of practices and methodologies applied. These activities are run by Palestinian and international organizations.

EXPANDED ACTIVITIES organized by people all over the world with an interest in education. These “expanded activities” will be interlinked with activities of the WEF in Palestine through videoconference.

CAMPAIGNS launched within the context of the educational forum, including campaign against: commercialisation and privatisation of education; poverty; aids; political use of education; as well as campaigns for national Palestinian rights; women’s rights; new media campaigns which portray non-violent alternatives; human rights in education.

CULTURAL ACTIVITIES organized every day of the Forum, including musical concerts, photo galleries, film exhibitions, movies, documentaries, dance shows, theatre performances, cultural heritage (debka, clothes, food), etc. There will be creative workshops for children and youth.

SOLIDARITY MARCH (at the beginning or end of the Forum)

Thematic axes

1.             Education, arts, culture and identity

2.             Education, power and mind decolonisation

3.             Education for liberation, emancipation and social change

4.             Education and Neo-liberalism

5.             Education, religion and secularism

6.             Popular and conventional education

7.             Environment, ecology and nature

8.             Peace with justice and equality

Cross-cutting themes: gender, educational institutions (formal and non-formal education), teaching and learning methods, age, diverse views and opinions.

WEF organizers

The organization of the World Education Forum in Palestine is supported by the Palestinian Organizing Committee and the International Advisory Committee.

So far the Palestinian Organizing Committee consists of NGOs, networks, coalitions and teacher unions  including  PNGO (Palestinian Non-governmental Organization Network, including 132 member organizations working in different developmental fields), Ittijah (Platform of Palestinian Non-governmental Organizations in Israel, including 64 members), General Union of Palestinian Teachers (school and educational institutions committees), the Coalition for Safe School Environments (including 20 member organizations of diverse expertise) and Alternatives International (Alternative Information Center and Teacher Creativity Center).

Until now the International Advisory Committee consists of Alternatives International, a network of international organizations including Alternatives (Canada), IPAM (France), BGVS (India), Alternative Citizens’ Space (Niger), FMAS (Morocco), Terrazul (Brazil); the International Council of the WSF including Frantz Fanon Foundation (France), Paulo Freire Institute (Brazil), Oxfam International, International Council for Adult Education (Uruguay), IDEA (Brazil) and other international organizations such as Hao Ran Foundation (Taiwan), FNEEQ (Canada), Coalition for justice and peace in Palestine (Canada), Confédération des syndicats nationaux (Canada),  Ligue des droits et libertés (Canada), UNESCO, Rosa Luxembourg Foundation (Germany), Oxfam Novib (the Netherlands), Sustainability Frontiers, DVV International (Germany), Centre for Education Rights and Transformation (South Africa), Action for Peace (Italy), Un Ponte Per…(Italy), Associazione di promozione sociale (Italy), Ciranda International Shared Network Communication, May First/People Link (US).

How to get involved in the WEF?

We invite all organizations and individuals, who adhere to the charter of the WSF, concerned with educational issues or in support of the Palestinian people to:

-         mobilize participation and support of international organizations and individuals in relevant conferences, newsletters, magazines, journals, the media, on websites.

-         participate in the WEF as an activity organizer or delegate.

-         write texts about the WEF for the website, write articles on themes of the WEF.

-         raise funds for the WEF.

-         join the volunteer team or send volunteers.

Please contact the WEF organizers if your organization wants to join the International Advisory Committee.

For all questions and requests:

Email: Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. È necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo.

WEF website: www.wef-palestine.org

WEF support group on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=306199442968&ref=nf