ZIVIK project 2009 – 2014

 

 

Workshops & summer camps:

PPM holds workshops for teachers and students about memory and reconciliation; conflict prevention and peace building with specialized trainers. 

In the summer camps, PPM brings together students from private and public schools, both Lebanese and Palestinian, from different regions, political, religious and social backgrounds. The summer camps are an intensive learning experience for the students and include similar topics as the ones PPM tackles in the workshops, but with much more depth.During the summer camps, students form ties beyond confessions or political convictions.  (see pictures)

 

Peace Units:

Throughout the first years of the project, peace units in high schools all over the country were created: The peace units carry on with activities and events on their own; they are self-administered, independent entities. 

 

Regular events:

13th April:

In the heart of this project lay the big, regular events. Every year, for 13th April Commemoration Day of the Lebanese civil war, PPM plans different events with the students: rallies; gatherings at places with significance to the war; theater plays and other kind of shows; and a bike-a-thon or nation-wide sit-ins at Lebanon's TV major stations . Every year, several hundred students participate in this important event. see pictures of this year 13th of April Event (see pictures) 

 

International Day of Peace (21 September):

On this day, the students celebrate peace by taking to the podium and presentingthrilling shows of theater, film, dance and music – all revolving around the subject of peace.  The students prepare for this months before the show. And by doing so, the students create close ties among each other, crossing religious, political and social boundaries. And they become role models in their schools and universities for putting up quiteprofessional shows! (2011) (2012) (2013) (2014)

 

Beirut Marathon:

Up to 650 students participate in the Beirut Marathon every year. It’s a fun activity where the youth rallies for peace in public. (see pictures2011(2012) (2013) (2014)

 

Exhibitions:

Last, but not least, two exhibitions have been implemented in several villages in Lebanon. Together with students, PPM has been collecting pre-war photographs from Lebanese citizens, and exhibited them in public as a contribution to the unofficial history of Lebanon. (picture)

 

Production of media:

Documentaries

PPM has engaged in an on-going production of a documentary film series: Four documentary films about the civil war were done by high school students; and three documentary films about former combatants were done by a film maker.  The production of a student film and the production of a professional documentary are planned for 2013 as well. (see pictures)

The idea of the film series is to contribute to the collective history of Lebanon. Therefore, the focus of these films lie on witness accounts of personal experiences and certain events of the civil war. The films have been widely used in numerous workshops and conferences by PPM and many other NGOs and international organizations such as the UN and the Red Cross; they’ve been screened on national TV stations, film festivals and other public events. (see pictures)

 

Lesson plans on Memory and Peace

In order to introduce and actually teach peace education in Lebanese high schools, PPM has engaged educational specialists to write a series of lesson plans on memory and peace. To connect memory and peace into one curriculum is a new approach that suits the Lebanese context perfectly. High school teachers for social sciences such as history, philosophy, geography and political sciences are encouraged to use selected modules or the entire set and integrate them into their normal curriculum. The modules have been tested in a Lebanese high school in 2014.

 

Other media include:

- a book written by ex-fighters (work in progress)

- a collection of training materials for peace builders (training book and power-point presentation).