In Our Place

In Our Place project blog

Organised by Camden Abu Dis Friendship Association

Funded by Youth in Action

CADFA's seventh Palestinan children's visit to London will take place between 6th and 16th July, involving twinning groups in Camden (CADFA), Hackney and Tower Hamlets. Many thanks to Youth in Action, the Welfare Association and the Qattan Foundation - as well as to many individuals - for making this possible. More information here soon.

Project summary:

This youth exchange brought 14 young people from Palestine together with 14 young people from London for 12 days in July 2012 to learn about each other's very different lives. Their project was to understand each other's lives, put themselves in the others' places, to consider the rights all of them have as young people and to express their hopes for the future through a variety of means including drama. Each national group contained people who have very different experience from each other: the Palestinian young people came from a village, from a refugee camp and from the Jerusalem suburbs. The British group included young people from inner and outer London, from different social and cultural backgrounds.

The first part of the project was a camp in the British countryside, a new place for all of them; this was a time of exploration, practical tasks and discussion. The young people performed sketches for each other about their places of orign. The second part of the project was in London, where the British young people introduced the Palestinians to their city - tourist sites and local areas - and to their schools. Each day they took part in a drama workshop where they worked in small groups to prepare sketches about their lives and the ways they imagine the lives of others. They made short animated films on the subject of 'in our place.' They joined in discussions with young people in local schools and gave talks about their lives. On the final weekend, they performed their drama publicly in a local community festival. On the final day the participants had day out in Brighton to celebrate their achievement.

Following the project, photographs were put together into a calendar and films and animations were collected together to make a DVD.

Dar Assadaqa celebrates Human Rights Day doc

In Our Place Press Release doc

What's life like as a child living in the Occupied Palestine Territories? [Hackney Citizen]

With thanks to your support for this project to: Welfare Association, Qattan Association, Interpal, P21 Gallery, South Camden City Learning Centre.