GALILEE

AT A GLANCE: HAND IN HAND GALILEE SCHOOL

NUMBER OF STUDENTS: 242

GRADES: 1st grade through 6th grade

LOCATION: Misgav region, near Arab town of Sakhnim

FOUNDING DATE: 1998

PRINCIPALS: Itay Diner and Rasmiya Sh'hada

THE GALILEE SCHOOL

The Galilee School, one of Hand in Hand's two original campuses (along with the Jerusalem school), was founded in 1998. The school started when a critical mass of Arab and Jewish parents decided they wanted a different kind of education for their children; they wanted them to grow up together. While the Galilee region has more of a tradition of shared living than some of Israel's other regions, there are still very few opportunities for Arabs and Jews to meaningfully interact and learn about one another. The Galilee school has become an institution of shared living in the region.

Like in all of our schools, classes in the Galilee school are taught by co-teachers, one Jewish and one Arab, in which all students learn both Hebrew and Arabic. (Read more about our educational model).

In order to make students more active learners and increase their motivation, the school introduced a major pedagogical change in teaching methodology in 2014 and have been developing it ever since. Teachers have been receiving special training in the use of Project Based Learning (PBL). Students learn to conduct research, write, conduct interviews, make presentations, and produce work that integrates multiple academic subjects. Literature, art and technology are being integrated into a new “Augmented Book Project”, and the students are learning about sustainable living and the environment in the new greenhouse. Students are also raising awareness for people with disabilities through games and posters. Read more about this educational innovation here.

THE GALILEE COMMUNITY

“As parents, we cannot lay the burden of creating a shared future on the shoulders of our children. We, the adults, must lead the way.”

-Hand in Hand CEO Shuli Dichter

Hand in Hand’s adult communities are an essential way for us to expand our impact beyond the schools and create a broad-base for a shared civil society in Israel.

The Galilee community is made up of hundreds of Arab and Jewish adults who are committed to creating a shared society. They engage in activities that both build their friendships as well as dive into the conflict that underpins Jewish-Arab relations.

Some of these include: