Pioneering a pathway of civic participation, democratisation and human rights in war torn Palestine
Background:
When Palestine is mentioned in the international media, images of violence, occupation, destruction and despair spring to mind. Synonymous with these, is an overbearing sense of terror and hopelessness, as is frequently reflected in the mood and faces of its’ people.
Yet despite the inexorable human toll that has weighed heavily on Palestinian society, a glimmer of light flickers in the darkness - a light ignited by the hope engendered in those who have resisted oppression and suppression. In the words of US poet, Robert Frost, they have chosen “the {road} less travelled”. “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less travelled by, And that has made all the difference”.
This resistance or road less travelled, is not one of disturbance, protest or uprising, but of peaceful activism - activism through education and in particular, civic education; a discipline designed to foster civically aware and responsible young people, inculcated with the knowledge, skills and values which will enable them to uphold the principles of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. And beyond that, a movement which will engender mutual understanding, cohesion and community solidarity.
In a society permeated by a culture of conflict, this vision is what has motivated the Teacher’s Creativity Centre (TCC), a Ramallah based NGO, to undertake a decades long programme of civic and citizenship education for school going students.
TCC began as an informal group of schoolteachers who got together in in the early 90’s, frustrated with the collapse of societal norms, amid the continual waves of Intifadas, increased militarism and societal disruption. The destruction of civil structures, the breakdown of law, order and community cohesion, caused an eruption of chaos in both society and schools. Discipline and oversight disintegrated. The objectives and quality of education were compromised and a culture of anarchy prevailed among students.
After the 1993 Oslo Agreement, the new Palestinian Authority and it’s Ministry of Education (MOE), invited TCC to formalise their group into a legally based NGO- which was officially constituted in 1994.
As a result of TCC’s advocacy in highlighting the need to address violence and lack of respect in the public sphere, they were asked to collaborate with the Ministry on devising a Civic Education curriculum. The aim was to link the academic with the social aspects of education and to restore values of respect, tolerance, responsibility and democratisation.
Over the last 3 decades, TCC’s activities have ebbed and flowed with the fluctuations of the political environment. Ongoing crises such as eemergencies, military activity, blockades, diminishing resources and poverty have been inhibiting factors. Opportunities for student school attendance, safe access and the upskilling of teachers was and continues to be restricted. “Settler” disturbances, shootings, army interrogation and arrests, fear, anxiety and mental health issues have all played their part.
TCC & Project Citizen:
TCC’s stated vision is for “productive, tolerant, initiative-taking, and responsible Palestinians who are committed to their national identity and actively participating in building a democratic and civic society.
Due to the tireless advocacy of TCC’s director, Dr. Refaat Sabbah and the dedication of his staff, governors and teachers, TCC has made amazing strides in developing innovative programmes of creative learning in the civic realm; these have enabled young people not only to develop academic and personal capabilities, but also to effect social change in their own communities and beyond.
One of its’ flagship programmes is an adaptation of a US Centre for Civic Education (CCE) model, entitled “Project Citizen”. (P.C.)
This five-step generic model was disseminated to multiple countries in the 199O’s/2000’s, as part of US federal policy, aimed at developing democracy education internationally.
The emphasis of the project is on advocacy and public policy, and the project model is based on a learning by doing approach. Students construct their own knowledge through research, analysis and conclusions; they identify problems in their communities, select one for further study, then research & propose a policy solution; finally, they devise an action plan which they showcase in a public hearing.
This process facilitates young people to develop skills such as research, team building, co-operation, negotiation and advocacy; it also requires them to demonstrate attitudes such as empathy, responsibility, consensus building and knowledge of civic principles
In Palestine, where statehood is denied, political institutions undermined and access to services impaired, people become withdrawn and alienated from the public sphere.
Conflict and crises not only disrupt livelihoods, infrastructure and economic growth, but impact on multiple domains. The well documented typology of the effects of conflict in war zones, lists acute psychological distress, loss of social capital, lack of community pride & participation, a decline in co-operative behaviour and a diminution of trust, apathy, loss of networks etc. - the list is endless.
Everyone recognises the importance of education in advancing a nation, but historically the focus has been primarily on academic performance with less emphasis on the relationship and role of the individual and society.
Dr. Sabbah recognised the potential of Project Citizen to build the capacity of powerless groups to exercise their voices, to articulate their needs and interrogate decisions made on their behalf. He also realised that “In crises, young people need positive images. They need to be imbued with trust” and he saw the project as “affording them the opportunity to practice social coherence and to see the value of networking between teacher, student and parent.
TCC ‘s aim was to strategically link the students with their communities and explore how PC might impact the fallout from conflict - issues such as public apathy, lack of awareness, relationship breakdown, loss of respect, trust, transparency, accountability, etc.
Evolution of the Project Citizen programme:
In 2004 TCC embarked on the project with a small group of 20schools. Given the fractured nature of Palestinian administrative structures, they focused on local issues.
Public attention was attracted to the programme when some of the student findings actually filtered out into the community through their showcase presentations.
In Jenin, for example, students tackled the problem of failing watermelon crops and attributed it to the destructive actions of the Israeli soldiers. After further research and analysis, they discovered that the harvest decline was due to over farming and depletion of the soil. Enlisting the help of scientific advisors, they identified soil treatment and alternative crop rotation as a solution and were able to involve the Ministry of Agriculture.
In Ramallah, 15–17-year-old girls identified problems with sanitation and health services in the hospital's maternity unit. By attracting the attention of the local community and government officials through local media, they succeeded in improving the quality of services provided by the hospital.
So already in the first phase of the programme, TCC observed that students were capable of leading successful campaigns which could actually bear fruit and make positive change. In observing how these kinds of activities resonated and responded to the needs of the community, the programme was expanded and escalated across both West Bank and Gaza. Today, over 300 schools have participated in the programme.
Not only did this building of student capacity, empower students to discover their own agency, but it also enhanced their personal development and psychological well-being through increased pride and self-worth.
Additionally, it impacted parents and the wider community, not only by their witnessing the impact of their children’s actions, but by creating a stronger cohesion and common purpose between the students, parents and the wider population.
Knock-on effects such as attitudes and prevailing culture were also indirectly influenced. For example, parents, reluctant, ( because of cultural restrictions) to allow their daughters to travel to project hearings, were converted, once they observed the collective impact of their children’s power of advocacy.
In a later phase of the programme, one father, assuming his daughter’s public hearing/showcase, to be a theoretical and methodological presentation, was quoted as saying, after witnessing her powerful engagement with Government officials, “If this is democracy, I accept; if this is Citizenship, I understand”,
This kind of unity and support is essential in cementing the fabric and resilience of communities, living in volatile and unstable environments. It also inspired TCC to focus further on linking the academic with social outcomes in their curricular materials and teacher training.
A further development in the evolution of the programme, was the idea of extending the programme beyond a public policy focus to include an exploration of values as integral to community activism. TCC was cognisant of the notion that a “good society’, is not a specific vision or end point, but rather a framework that enables political ideas and actions to be evaluated against core values of justice, integrity, equity and sustainability.
And so, student research was extended to focus their lens on the civic values underpinning policy solutions - e.g. how do those solutions if implemented, impact on other groups or issues in the community, in terms of fairness, equity and rights.?
Or how was teaching delivery in the classroom modelling the values and attitudes inherent in the aims of the project; for example, how were democratic processes being fostered by the teacher– e.g. dialogue, cooperation, consensus building, whole class involvement? . How was student work linked into the community and to the media; in short, how was social capital being developed and sustained?
A natural follow-on was to direct a value-based lens towards existing policies and practice within Palestinian administrative structures, where fragmentation and lack of accountability was rampant. In the West Bank, students proposed targeting infrastructure projects which were known to be mismanaged, lacking in financial transparency, corrupt and poorly delivered with a view to assessing their integrity.
TCC then incorporated and piloted a values dimension to P.C., where students focused their attention on problems relating to the social and ethical performance of services and utilised a structured process of social auditing as a method of analysis.
They trained Ministry of Education supervisors, school principals and teachers in social auditing methodologies and enlisted 58 schools across the West Bank to conduct audits of infrastructure projects, funded or administered by municipalities or village councils. Most schools selected, were in socially and economically disadvantaged areas and in localities with high illiteracy and poverty rates.
With the assistance of their business and economics teachers, partnerships with MOE and Integrity Action, (a UK non-profit), and the expertise of engineers, maintenance and design personnel, the students analysed financial, administrative, and technical information related to the projects; they followed this by conducting campaigns calling stakeholders to account.
MOE was instrumental in liaising with local municipalities and councils to facilitate student’s access to information. Their Educational Supervisors/ Inspectors also agreed to oversee and support the schools by following up and documenting student activities.
Integrity Action helped the students develop audit tools and monitoring guidance.
While initially being located in the 11th grade business and economics classrooms, the social audit programme subsequently expanded to include the whole school and adopted a cross curricular approach; this approach had its genesis in previous phases of the programme, where project activities started initially with small groups of 6-8 pupils, then widened to whole class involvement and then to whole school, where both principal and entire staff had input.
Within the Social Audit process, subject teachers such as Maths, assisted the students in assessing municipal budgets and accounts; business and economics teachers helped them assess administrative and planning; Arabic teachers helped students to articulate their presentations; Art teachers in illustrations…. etc.
Each group of students communicated their findings and recommendations to their local communities and public officials. Public hearings, local media, and social media were used to communicate with those most affected by the infrastructural failures. These activities aimed to get the voices of students and residents heard, especially when public officials were reluctant to co-operate.
The students uncovered financial and delivery problems in 85% of the projects they monitored. In the West Bank, for example, students identified problems in the construction of a road in Qabatiya and pressed the Mayor to ensure the contractor delivered properly and on time. In the Nablus area, students stopped a contractor from building a road on people’s land and made sure it was delivered in the right place and to the correct dimensions.
Improved electrical networks, better access to water, greater safety etc. were other outcomes of the student’s work.
A further development in the continuum of P. C’s evolution, has focused on contextualising identified problems within a Human Rights framework, where students not only identify a problem, but learn to frame that problem as rights denied or rights violated.
TCC has trained history teachers in human rights and international law, who can enable students to present their problems in human rights language. Establishing their rights, becomes a powerful advocacy tool when exposing the derogation of duties. Students are being encouraged to use the context of the current political and social situation to address live issues such as gender discrimination or the detrimental impact of growing “Settlement” incursion and Israeli separation walls on their lives.
Other topical issues, include school violence and dropout, disability access, healthy nutrition, child labour, sanitation facilities, environmental pollution
Summary:
To recap - over the last 20 years, TCC’s Project Citizen programme has evolved organically though 5 phases.
(I) from its’ initial iteration as a traditional P.C. model, using a methodology of linking a community problem with public policy as a means of enabling students to relate civic principles and practice to real life issues
(ii) then widening it’s scope to link P.C. to social outcomes, impacting not only the students, but the wider Community.
(iii) developing it into an exploration of values underpinning both the student’s practice and the solutions they proposed.
(iv) progressing towards an application of those values to existing infrastructure policies and practice at local and municipal council level with the aim of encouraging a culture of transparency and accountability.
(v) contextualising problems within a Human Rights framework.
Outcomes:
So what does this initiative mean for both Palestine and for educational development?
In summary, transformative behaviour & empowerment and ownership; strengthening social cohesion, social inclusion, building interdependence and consensus within communities.
Personal, social and political benefits which interact, and fuse include the following:
- the building of student capacity and improved educational attainment
- the enhancement of personal development and psychological well being
- the inculcation of values and qualities, which engender justice, equity, and human rights
- fostering a culture of democratic practice
- increasing a sense of inclusivity, participation, responsibility and agency among Palestinian youth
- focusing public attention on issues fundamental to a community’s well being
- strengthening governance by mobilizing societal and public institutions to improve the transparency and integrity of local public services
- promoting the values of transparency, accountability and integrity generally within communities
- nurturing cultural change
- strengthening trust, co-operation, solidarity and cohesion within and between communities
- strengthening capacity and resilience in the community at large.
While difficult to quantify, it is inevitable that the intersection and domino effect of these outcomes, will escalate ripples of change into significant waves of transformation.
TCC has adapted Project Citizen in Palestine to become a strategy for citizenship- a strategy for the mobilisation of both young people and their communities to engage in civic action, a strategy for building cohesion and solidarity, a strategy for peace building.
Analysis:
So how did this programme take root, survive and expand, in a hostile environment of occupation and militarisation?
Two factors stand out - firstly the dedication, endurance and resilience of TCC and its’ stakeholders. (One anecdote recalls that during the 2nd Intifada, TCC, impeded by road blockades, used donkeys and carts to distribute teaching resources to schools!)
Secondly the input of 5 key drivers, instigated by TCC, which were instrumental in ensuring the growth and sustainability of the programme -ie. Vision, Strategy, Partnership, Motivation and Participation.
A Vision which envisaged a Palestine engaged in responsible activism, “based on the principles of democracy, human rights, and the cultural and civilizational heritage of the Palestinian people, while emphasizing the values of fairness, integrity, accountability, and participation’.(TCC: 2025)
A strategy which started with an initial focus on building student capabilities for democratic practices; then extending that beyond academia to activating the role of the school as an agent of change within the community; following on with the application of those capabilities to real live political issues and social outcomes and mobilising students to engage in community endeavour.
Partnerships with key movers and shakers in both Government and Civil Society, such as MOE whose leverage and resource back-up, ensured effective implementation; Integrity Action whose expertise in social audit methodologies added a scientific rigour to problem analysis; other Institutional and Community stakeholders such as the municipal and local councils, parent associations etc , all of whose input and collaboration were required to ensure success.
Motivation, by establishing the relevance of the project and its benefits not only to educational objectives and the Institutional curriculum, but also to Palestinian lives. Building community capacity is crucial for sustaining peace in conflict zones because it empowers local communities to address their own needs. Responding to the needs of the Palestinian population was crucial.
Participation and Inclusion – ensuring ownership not only by students, but by all teachers, principals, parents, special advisors, community, local administrative bodies, MOE and other Govt officials.
The Future:
Palestinian society continues to face many challenges, not least the escalating trajectory of violence and genocide. While Project Citizen continues in the West Bank, the current annihilation of Gaza, has forced TCC to suspend P.C. in that region and focus its activities on providing psycho-social and emotional support for traumatised children.
In spite of the horrendous retribution being visited upon their society, TCC nevertheless, continues to hope that the embodiment of the values and principles of citizenship imbued within their students, will demonstrate what is possible, even in the midst of an intractable conflict.
In Palestine, TCC’s Project Citizen has mobilised thousands of students and created a cohort of socially responsible and actively engaged young people who have pioneered a new pathway for transformative change
Inspired by the words of South African bishop, Desmond Tutu, “Hope is being able to see that there is light, despite all of the darkness.'' , TCC’s aspiration is, that a new generation of informed and able citizens will be well positioned to lead and build a democratic and sustainable nation, one with freedom, dignity and justice.
There’s an old Greek proverb which states: “A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in”.
Let’s hope that young Palestinians will live to see those trees flourish and sit in that long-awaited shade.
References:
• Dr. Refaat Sabbah & TCC staff
• “Palestine: Teaching active citizenship through Social Audits”; Dept of Economics & Financial Sciences, Palestine Polytechnic University/Feb 2016
• Integrity Action case Study- “Students strengthening the budget process and services in Palestine”
Marianne Mc Gill: Former director of Co-operation Ireland’s Youth Education and Community programme and Civic -link Project Citizen initiative. February 2025