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M E
N D: Middle East Non Violence and Democracy |
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Contact
Information
Telephone:
(972) 2/ 656 7310
Fax:
(972) 2/ 656 7311
E-mail:
info@mend-pal.org
Website:
www.mend-pal.org
P.O. Box:
P.O.Box
6658, Beit Hanina, East Jerusalem |
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Brief
History of Organization |
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MEND is a dynamic Palestinian institution addressing issues related to
nonviolence and democracy through a variety of projects focused
primarily on training and utilizing innovative media techniques.
MEND's priority is to work to create a more democratic and
nonviolent climate for all Palestinians and to contribute to
work for peace in the whole area. One of our projects revolves
around a group of young Palestinian youth trained and active as
advocates for non-violence and children's rights and articulate
leaders within their organizations, schools and communities. |
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Mission |
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Promoting
the principles and practice of nonviolence through training and
awareness building. |
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Vision |
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Promoting the
principles and practice of democracy within Palestinian society
by working to empower underprivileged groups and to increase
their civic participation. |
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Programs |
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Non Violence |
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MEND has
based the program for strengthening nonviolence on the premise
that violence is primarily caused by a combination of
frustration and low self-esteem, which in the Palestinian case
are all too prevalent as a result of the prolonged occupation.
In this context, MEND actively believes that it is possible to
reduce the problems in a variety of ways, including by
developing creativity and analytical faculties, by empowerment,
by self-awareness and by giving tools for coping with difficult
situations. |
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Status:
In progress |
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Democracy |
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MEND wants
democracy to be understood at a practical level, and to become
more than just a slogan that is banded around. Therefore MEND is
working to increase the civic participation of two marginalized
groups of Palestinian society: women and youth. |
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Status:
In progress |
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Gender Equality |
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Recognizing that empowerment of women and gender equality is
indispensable to a viable democracy as well as a prerequisite
for a non-violent society, MEND has set the full integration of
gender into all of its activities as a primary objective. |
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Status:
In progress |
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Schools/community
education |
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MEND has
worked for the past five years on a major program of Nonviolence
Education with schools in the greater Jerusalem area, Ramallah
and Bethlehem, which includes using psychodrama to help
students, teachers and families cope with problems of violence
and improve their communications.
MEND has expanded this project to include the training of
counselors in nonviolence and conflict resolution. It has also
expanded to include the establishment of nine
libraries/community centres in the southern and central West
Bank where children can go after school and during the summer,
and where adults and children can be trained in Nonviolence,
Gender, Computer, etc.. |
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Status:
In progress |
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Active Nonviolence
Training |
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MEND is
working especially hard in the current climate with training in
Active Nonviolence, and with promoting Nonviolence as the only
way to break the horrific cycle of violence. MEND has already
given a month-long intensive training to a group of mid-level
activists in the Jerusalem area, in Ramallah and in Tul Karem,
and in Jenin and is preparing for similar trainings in other key
towns in the West Bank. To support this work we are developing a
manual in Arabic and a Resource Library. We have produced a
Radio Soap Opera to promote nonviolence among Palestinian youth,
which was launched in June 2003. |
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Status:
In progress |
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Active nonviolence
and Women |
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MEND has
two programs of Nonviolence that are specifically related to
women. The first, funded by the (UNIFEM Trust Fund) involves
training a wide cross-section of women in the Bethlehem area in
Active Nonviolence and Participatory Video. The women are
currently making a film on role models of women in crisis. |
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Status:
In progress |
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