The September 2005 Journey of Understanding
On 9th September a group of 16 young people met at St Ethelburga’s Centre for Reconciliation and Peace in the heart of the City of London. They were there as part of an Encompass programme; the first Journey of Understanding! The Centre was an exciting venue for the participants from Indonesia, Israel, the Palestinian Territories, the US and the UK to meet with the Braden family as it provided a startling backdrop: the history of conflict in London. The Centre had been a church for over 700 years until it was devastated by an IRA bomb in 1993. Israeli participant Adina Golumbic said, “I am here to get to know Palestinians so that we can try to find a solution to our conflict.”
Following a walk around the City which took in The Tower of London, Tower Bridge and Monument, the group were guests of the British Museum on the new Diversity and Dialogue trail around the museum which had been put together by a group of London school children representing eight world faiths. This project was led by Save the Children. The trail used the Museum’s collection to demonstrate how cultures and religions had learnt from one another and could coexist together.
The group flew to Glasgow Prestwick and then were taken by coach to the Loch Eil Outward Bound® Centre, just outside Fort William. The staff at the Centre introduced themselves and the first round of discussions were held, led by our trained Facilitator.
It was a startling process to observe. The programme coincided with the fourth anniversary of 9/11. On the evening of 9/11, having built shelters together in forest following a long hike, the group sat down and discussed their memories and feelings related to that event. The mood was sombre but allowed the participants to begin to understand a little better the pain that conflict had caused many of them: Indonesians who had lost friends in Bali, Palestinians who had lost family members, Israelis who remembered dead friends. And for the Americans and Brits a realisation that terrorism can affect anyone, anywhere, at anytime.
The programme of activities forced people from different faiths and backgrounds to work together on activities as diverse as raft building, abseiling and camping. By the end of the week the responsibility of putting the program of activities together was handed over to the participants. They were able to construct a programme which everyone was able to participate in, having found out about religious and cultural needs. There was even time for a trip to the bowling alley in Fort William- a cultural experience in itself!
Now that the participants have returned home, Encompass is here to support them develop the links and ideas that they gained in Scotland. We are keen to setup home-stays between Israelis and Palestinians, debating societies in Indonesia and school conferences in the UK. We see these as the real mark of success of an Encompass programme.
Click on photo below to see the Album;
Posted Friday July 29, 2005
