22/01/2023
In recent weeks the students in the Peace and Conflict Management Program had the opportunity to enjoy 2 , which provided insights into some of the complex conflicts in the region:
On 4th of January, the students from the class Community Conflict and Civil Society, with the professor Harry Frey were on an academic visit to the city of Akko, very close to Haifa, where they had the opportunity to explore and experience the territory from the perspective of local leaders and habitants of the area. Akko is a mixed Jewish-Arab city and the purpose of the visit was for the students to identify the opportunities and challenges that this community has in relation to the social development of the city. The students were invited to reflect on how they, as future peace builders, would face the different challenges that they identify in order to improve the quality of life from all the different populations that live and share the city of Akko.
A few days later, the students from the Peace and Conflict Management Program MA and Diplomacy MA accompanied by Professor Edward (Edy) Kaufman, had the opportunity to walk and experience the city of Haifa from an academic point of view. The tour was carried out with the objective of getting to know the different dynamics and cultures of the people who live in this city and the interaction between them. The field trip leads them to visit the Ahmedian Mosque and talk with one of the leaders, the Beit Hagefen, a well known and a great example of a Community Center in Israel that shares and strive for shared living, working with Arab and Jewish population, a guide tour though Wadi Nisnas neighborhood their history and context. The students and academic companions were also able to stop by the Municipality in Hassan Shukri and get to hear more from their historical main aspects and actual context of the city. Finally, the day ended at the Baha'i World Center, having the complete experience with a walking tour through the gardens, seeking for an open dialogue with some volunteers from the Baha'i faith, sharing their beliefs and identifying shared values that we all have as human beings.
As part of the holistic formation that the Peace and Conflict Management Program is seeking for their students, the field trips are created to help students apply what they learn in the classroom and have the opportunity to identify complex social conflicts in the real and tangible context, having a more rounded approach and developing their leadership, empowered to think how they can add value if intervening as a Peacebuilder/ Conflict Specialist.
