$5000 to JERUSALEM STORIES HIGH SCHOOL PILOT PROGRAM
Project Dirctor: Carol Grosman
Brief Synopsis: Highlighting the power of personal stories and portraits to promote empathy and tolerance, Jerusalem Stories High School Pilot Program teaches refugees to craft stories and present story/photo programs to high school audiences. This pilot event will include 50 high school principals, students, and teachers who will modify the current program by suggesting dialogue specifically for high school populations. The final program will be presented in 70 schools in East and West Jerusalem in 2009. Negotiations are pending with Palestinian schools. The program will be performed in Hebrew and Arabic. This is an opportunity for tremendous exposure with support from governmental and educational authorities.
$5,000 to COMING HOME: A LIFE FORCE PROJECT
Project Directors: Laura Simms and Gillian Huebner
Brief Synopsis: Coming Home is a creative and psychosocial support project involving young refugees from conflict zones who have recently settled in the United States, Canada, and Austria It is a model project that uses traditional and personal storytelling exercises in intense listening to promote creativity. It helps the refugees regain focus, explore healing images, and build communication skills. These skills in turn enable them to call on their inner capacities for renewal and the ability to become active participants in reshaping their lives. Materials and a training manual will be developed and used in three separate three-day workshops located in Winnipeg, Canada and Macondo, Austria. Additional workshops will be scheduled as partners are developed.