SIPP's 2024 mini-grant program for grants of up to $3000 was implemented in the shadow of the 2024 Gaza war. After reviewing a number of proposals relating to a wide variety of environmental and civil society projects, we have chosen to fund the following projects/organizations:
SIPP is supporting a portion of this introductory program at this coed boarding school in northern Israel which offers an IB high school program for an equal number of Jewish and Palestinian students. In this program, 10th graders learn conflict resolution training and leadership development through weekly dialogue and encounters. The program is intended to prepare the students for success in the 11th and 12 grades. https://gh-is.org
This program employs comprehensive sports-based peace education methodologies to facilitate cross-cultural exchange, constructive dialogue, and inter-language learning between Israeli, Palestinian, Jewish and Arab children and youth. https://www.peres-center.org
This program aims to build bridges between Israeli and Palestinian children aged 6-10 by using the universal language of art. There will be four online meetings for a small group of 12 children (6 Israelis and 6 Palestinians) to explore themes such as personal identity, shared society, and a mutual love for nature and the environment. https://challenge.org.il
This gap year program includes a series of four week-long seminars of identity exploration and shared society workshops for 30 young Bedouin leaders and 30 young Jewish leaders. Participants will spend extensive time with religious, secular, Arab, and Jewish Israelis. https://www.desertstars.org.il/homepage-english
The project’s goal is to promote women’s education in the unrecognized Bedouin Village of Abde, the sourthernmost Bedouin village in Israel. Two teachers will teach language courses in Hebrew, Arabic and English for two groups of six women. Lessons will take place in a class at a local school, the village’s only public facility. Basic language studies will help the women become an example to their children and families, and ultimately boost their chances of successfully attaining gainful employment and mobility in positions that require Hebrew, English and Arabic speakers.
This project focuses on teaching the Hebrew language to Bedouin children from the Azazmeh region through art and play in the home courtyard. https://www.rifman.org/
There will be one or two events that include workshops (for up to 150 people each) that teach non-violent communications, storytelling, family constellations that are conducted in a moveable museum showcasing all the Palestinian culture (inclusive of its industry, entertainment, educational, farming aspects) before and after 1948. The first event is planned for May, 2024. https://www.elham-thedayafter.org