Middle East Workshops of Hope

A couple weeks ago we sent out a report about the workshops in classrooms throughout Israel, both in Hebrew-speaking and Arabic-speaking communities. Here is an update that includes the student responses about what they learned in the lectures given by members of the Association. You can see here that results are being achieved.

Students in the Arabic-speaking village of Arara Study The Way to Happiness® booklet in a school workshop.

Volunteer leads After-School Workshop in Tel Aviv

VIOLENCE 2004: BI-WEEKLY MAGAZINE OF

THE ASSOCIATION FOR PEACE AND PROSPERITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST

ISSUE 8

What did children learn from the association’s lectures?

We’ve asked Jewish and Arab kids of diverse ages, what they learned through the lectures given by members of the association, and here are some of the replies:

• I learned one should always think positive (Mor - a 17-year-old girl)

• I learned not to hit the others, to help the indigent and other kids (Lior – a 9-year-old boy)

• I learned that the way to happiness is to apply oneself to study (Mohammed – 13 years old)

• To live and let others about me live (Romina – 17 years old)

• I learned how to help people (Salman – 13 years old)

• I learned one must not behave violently (Lipaz – a 10-year-old girl)

• I learned good things I should have learned long ago ( Jihad – a 15-year-old boy)

• I understood one shouldn’t be angry with other people (Susan – 12 years old)

• I learned that every little thing I do can have a lot of  influence (Ofir – a 15-year-old boy)

• I learned that by not fulfilling one’s promises, one may have an adverse influence on other  people’s happiness (Abed – a 12-year-old boy)

• I learned that we have a responsibility greater than we think (Rotem – a 16-year-old girl)

• I learned that love and help extended to others is the most beautiful thing in life (Iman – a 15-year-old girl)

• I learned from the lesson that from now on I’ll be a good person (Mahmood – a 15-year-old boy)

• I learned to give without feeling that I’m a sucker (Kobi – a 15-year-old boy)

• I learned about happiness (Yosef – 11 years old)

• I learned from the lesson that whoever makes a promise, must make it true – Amer (a 15-year-old boy)

• I learned to do good deeds, so that other people will be well (Rajuan – a 13-year-old boy)

• To be more optimistic and have more patience (Yarden – a 17-year-old girl)

• To respect the parents and tell other children to respect them, too (Asma – 1 17-year-old girl)

• I learned that one should help one’s fellow man, as I’ll also get help when I need it (Yotam – a 17-year-old boy)

• I learned that I should be forgiving (Mahadi – a 15-year-old boy)

• That when you make someone feel good, you’ll also feel good as (Noi – a 16-year-old girl)

• I understood that there’s a good way of resolving problems – the way of peace (Haled, a 16-year-old boy)

• I learned that the way to happiness involves a lot of cooperation (Or – a 16-year-old boy)

• I learned that if someone wants to, he can succeed (Tamara – an 11-year-old girl)

• I learned that one doesn’t need to use violence – (Chen – a 13-year-old boy)

Workshops of Hope

In spring of 2003, Danny Vidislavky was struggling with a problem. Danny Vidislavsky is the Executive Director of our Tel Aviv wing, which prints and distributes The Way to Happiness booklets in the Middle East using funds donated here in the U.S. Danny wanted to make sure that the booklets were not only distributed but also read and applied.

His first idea was to ask readers to answer a quiz about the booklet and submit their completed quizzes as entries in a sweepstakes. This sweepstakes was a great success --- over 500 entries were submitted and virtually all of them included wonderful success stories on the booklet. The happy winner received a donated prize -- a trip for two to Canada. This contest was followed with several more.  

But Danny wasn’t satisfied. With the help of another volunteer, Shuki Misrachi, the Tel Aviv group started an even more ambitious project – workshops in which hope for happiness would be revitalized and The Way to Happiness precepts introduced. Shuki launched the workshops in classrooms throughout Israel, both in Hebrew-speaking and Arabic-speaking communities. By the end of 2003, eight volunteers had delivered over 240 workshops to over 15,000 participants, mostly children in classrooms and summer camps. At one point

over 40 summer camps were on a waiting list for workshops.

Participants in the workshop each receive their own copy of The Way to Happiness booklet; each classroom receives a copy of an illustrated poster of all the precepts; and each teacher receives copies of a guide so that he/she can continue weekly lessons on the booklet.

The program continues to grow by leaps and bounds. In

the first four months of 2004, more workshops have been delivered than during the entirety of last year – approximately 300. Most of these have been for  school children and teachers but in addition, workshops have been held for women’s clubs, city employees, youth clubs, groups of unemployed people and others. The volunteer corps has grown to ten fully-trained workshop leaders, with more in training.

Since start-up, the major problem of the program has been insufficient volunteers and materials to meet the demand.

There is frequently a waiting list of organizations wanting workshops --- so Danny must slow promotion to make sure that he can deliver as promised. And so far, he has not had the resources to respond to requests from schools which want larger, longer-term programs.

Danny’s plans include expanding the program in Palestinian communities, that is, Arabic-speaking communities adjoining Israeli areas. Currently, about half the participating schools have been Arabic-speaking, but few have been in these adjoining, Palestinian, areas.

While this is a challenging program --- workshop leaders drive the length and breadth of Israel entirely on a volunteer basis --- the rewards are phenomenal. One volunteer wrote in an article for the leading Hi-Tech newspaper in Israel, the MailyDaily, about his experience leading a workshop for teachers, “One of them approached me, hugged me and told me, ‘You know, Uzi, you remind me of the reason why I decided to be a teacher in the first place… and that what I dream of is still possible.’ "