In the frame of the “Conflict Prevention and Peace Building” project in North of Lebanon, joint activities for Lebanese and Palestinian youth were planned to be implemented inside the UNRWA and Lebanese Public Schools and outside schools.
From these joint activities, Summer Camps were planned for Lebanese and Palestinian Youth aged between 17 and 21 years old coming from different local NGOs, scouts, clubs , Northern areas and districts and from Nahr El-Bared and Beddawi Camps.
Objectives of the Summer Camps:
- To increase the knowledge for both Lebanese and Palestinian Participants about Human Rights, Communication skills, Conflict Prevention, Conflict Resolution and Peace Building.
- To give them a space for self-expression through recreational and interesting activities.
- To let them meet together in a relaxing atmosphere and let them understand each other’s circumstances and share their experiences and visions for the future, in order to let them avoid prejudgment.
Procedure and Preparation for the Summer Camps:
A list of Lebanese and Palestinian NGOs, clubs, scouts and municipalities (Annex nb-1) were contacted 1 month before the implementation of the Summer Camps: An introduction about the project was mentioned with the objectives of the joint activities and especially Summer Camps, and printed publication papers (Annex nb-2) were distributed with Questionnaires (Annex nb-3) to know all the necessary information about the participants and to get the essential information and to see if they meet with the required specifications (age, nationality, social status…) and for a better planning for each day’s activities.
Implementation of the Summer Camps:
3 Summer Camps were implemented 3 weeks in a row starting 18 July 2010 and ending in 6 August 2010.
The 1st Summer Camp was from 18 to 23 July 2010; the 2nd Summer Camp from 26 to 30 July 2010 and the 3rd one from 2 to 6 August 2010.
Number of Participants in Each Camp:
- Camp 1dated from 18 to 23 July 2010 à
Nb of Boys: 85 (66%) Nb of Girls: 45 (34%) Total: 130 (Lebanese: 60% - Palestinian: 40%)
- Camp 2dated from 26 to 30 July 2010 à
Nb of Boys: 87 (67%) Nb of Girls: 43 (33%) Total: 130 (Lebanese: 60% - Palestinian: 40%)
- Camp 3dated from 2 to 6 August 2010 à
Nb of Boys: 53 (62%) Nb of Girls: 32 (38%) Total: 85 (Lebanese: 60% - Palestinian: 40%)