This year our school has started a twinning experience with a Palestinian school and our blog will be the means through which we kids will exchange news and experiences with those children of our same age, who live so far.
The project’s aim is to make us aware of the problems of people living in Palestine, as at our age we don’t really know much about the tensions existing in that country.
Someone will know that, after the end of 2nd World War, the United Nations decided to compensate the Jewish people and make amends for the genocide they suffered, by destining a part of Palestinian territory to the birth of a Jewish nation.
This was inevitably the beginning of a long series of wars, as the territories given to the Jewish had been inhabited by the Palestinian people for thousands of years. This situation has always been very serious, and in those territories life is very difficult. Even adults find it difficult to have a clear idea of the reasons for the Arabian-Palestinian conflict, but what is worse, is that people talk less and less about this conflict.
That’s why this twinning experience is going to be a precious occasion to get fresh news and try to understand…
Before starting exchanges, we interviewed Mrs Casagrandi, who has conceived this project.
Can you tell us something about this project?
You pupils of “Puecherinside” will communicate on the blog in the section puecher@nablus. You will talk to kids who live in Palestine and don’t have a school any more, because of the conflict with Israel. They attend the lessons that a teacher organizes for them. You probably don’t know that there is not a war, but not even peace, in Palestine today, because of continuous tensions with Israel. The borders between the two countries are arbitrary and continuously changing to Palestine’s disadvantage, so children don’t feel protected.
What subjects will we talk about with those children?
You will talk about your lives, your school and its projects, your free time. You can even ask them some questions about their situation.
Who exactly will we communicate with?
You will communicate with the “Kids of Nablus”.
From 1 to 10, how would you evaluate this activity?
It depends on how we will handle the situation, because there is great embarrassment about this subject. The Arabian-Palestinian conflict is often seen as a political matter, but, most of all, it is a HUMANITARIAN matter. In fact, the aim of this correspondence is to bring attention on this problem without preconceived ideas, as people only talk about vague desires of peace without considering that peace is impossible without a little justice. The Palestinian sufferings are due to the fact that people are more and more losing their land because of a government internationally recognized as democratic. Moreover, who, in Europe, defends the Palestinian reasons, often causes damage rather than benefit, because the matter becomes “ideological” (a difficult, but important word), and this is very harmful to Palestinian people. Before my journey to Israel and the occupied territories, I used to think of “two quarrellers”, but then I realized that there are things to change before “making peace”.
What’s the purpose of all this?
The purpose is to bring this delicate matter to light, as nobody wants to talk about it any more; moreover, it is going to be a “shot in the arm” for children! And, besides Nablus, on 27th November we are going to meet some kids from Zambia who are coming to perform at our “Officine Puecher”…It would be wonderful to talk about our “blog” with them, and talk about them…
Writing in English will be a challenge! And, of course, we invite all the kids of our school to take part in this exchange with their articles and comments.
(Giulia Capolla, Anita Notarianni, Giulia Tortini)
Translation by: Mrs M.A. Aleo
PuecherInside (oltre 10 anni di giornalismo a scuola) 