ammerdown

Thoughts from Peacebuilding in our Community- Stories from Three Palestinians 23 April 2015

Friends of Palestine Evening by Mike and Lorraine Evans 23 April 2015

Lorraine and I found the evening truly memorable and gave us much to ponder. We were deeply moved by the individual stories of the three young men, which , despite the horros each had experience, were told with such dignity and grace. That such experiences have resulted in the resolute determination of these men to do what they can to change hearts and minds of fellow Palestinians and break the cycle of hatred and violence is both heart-warming and inspiriational. Thank you Ammerdown fo hosting an event so central to the cause of peace and reconciliation. Mike and Lorraine Evans

In the evening of Thursday 23 April 2015, Ammerdown  welcomed three inspirational community workers from Palestine: the head-teacher of a boys' primary school, a law student and a community leader. They live in the same city and will share with us how they are inspiring and nurturing a spirit of peace amongst the next generation of young Palestinians.

Their visit to somerset which was organised by the Bradford on Avon group 'Friends of Palestine'. They spent two weeks in the area, giving a series of talks and workshops in settings such as schools, churches and community centres.

The Ammerdown Centre was delighted to be asked to consider hosting a public meeting, because we rarely have the chance to see beyond the headlines and hear about some of the very positive peace-building work that happens on the ground in Palestine. These are dedicated men passionately committed to giving the younger generation hope in the future through education, sports and arts activites. To quote one of them:

"I want to create change in our community so that our people are not stuck in the past and in history."

These aspirations fit beautifully with Ammerdown's own aims to promote dialogue, peace-building and reconciliation, as highlightes in our newsletter.