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Hope Flowers School UK
Two or three key longterm UK volunteers sought
December 2007
HFS-UK is the British support group for the Hope Flowers School in Bethlehem, West Bank, Palestine. Following the passing away of super-trooper extraordinaire Pam Perry in August 2007, the operation is now run by me, Palden Jenkins, with a little help from my friends. Pam's now busy co-opting angels!
We need to up-step our support-raising activities in UK. The main things to be developed over the next year or two are:
- work on developing funding contacts (gov't, trusts, people) and raising funding;
- building educational links with teachers, educationalists, inspectors and schools in UK;
- networking (spreading the word, contact-building, collaborations, volunteers);
- organising occasional UK tours for the school coordinator, Ibrahim Issa;
- building a legal structure/charity, with the systems setup and desk-work involved;
- responding to emergent needs at the school, and taking constructive initiatives.
Who is sought. Two or three dedicated, skilled, computer-literate, UK-resident, self-supporting people willing to work for at least three years. They need to have visited Palestine or to be appraised of the situation there, and interested in possibly visiting Palestine. We're working with Palestinians, mainly Muslims, but people with anti-Israeli inclinations should not apply - this is about healing and bridging communities and worldviews.
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What it involves. This is a question of being able and willing to chip away gradually at things, to be willing to deal patiently and steadfastly with setbacks, frustrations and inefficiencies derived both from the situation in the West Bank as well as from British institutions and social complacency. We will work as a team, but self-directing motivation and ability to work on your own are important. It fluctuates from a few hours per week to periodic time-consuming emergencies. To some extent, roles in the team will be built around individuals' skills and inclinations, and each person will 'hold', progress and manage specific areas as outlined above - with backup from the others.
Thus far the operation has been based in Glastonbury, but we'll work mainly on an online basis with occasional get-togethers, so your location is not as determining a factor as your online capability. Palden is already rather stretched and now virtually single-handed, so he will not have much time for meetings, training and coordination - but these issues can be surmounted.
Pay: 'treasures in heaven', the joy of helping improve the lives of people in dire straits and of playing a small part in what is potentially a globally-significant educational and peace-building venture. Benefits: a welcome in the West Bank, one of the most communitaire and hospitable places imaginable, a personal connection with Bethlehem, a fine place, and fulfilment in pursuing your life-purpose. You are likely to become more human and understanding.
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Personal qualities. We need realistic, persevering idealists who will stay on the case. Peace is not enough: without justice and the healing of the wounds of the past, there will be no peace. You will encounter people with radically contrasting viewpoints, some of whom will not accept yours. It is valuable to understand the profound operational meaning of the Arabic notion in'sh'allah. This is about interfacing the West and the Arab world, not imposing Western ways on Arabs. Much of the work is tedious and comes to nothing. Some things will be testing or upsetting. If you're right for this, it could be one of the most significant things you did with your life. But have no illusions about what you're getting into.
Who you will be working with. I'm Palden, an unashamed aged hippy with spiritual orientation, Virgo, 57, working for peace and social transformation since Vietnam days. I'm a strategist, conceptualiser, wordsmith, speaker, educationalist and persuader by nature. I work self-employed as a webmaster, editor and adviser - I get hardly any funding for this work. I am tough and resolute on some things with people who work with me, but once that's clear, I give plenty of leeway and, for some, I'm a good, fair, empathic and interesting person to work with. I intend to move on in a few years, and wish to put in place a team who can carry things further.
Induction. We'll start slowly and work things up. If you're still with us in six months, you will gain more influence and 'say'. Until then, please try to 'learn the ropes', because working with Palestine isn't easy and simple - sometimes getting an e-mail through is a big achievement. There are factual issues to get to grips with, systems to establish, and a group synergy building.
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Watch an 11-minute video introducing the Hope Flowers School:
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What you're working with. In my judgement, Hope Flowers is the world leader in education for war-traumatised children. The vision of the school's founder and its current leadership and staff is a key ingredient. Being a non-affiliated private school, it has little institutional support and slender means, but it does have the freedom to innovate without intervention. It works in the wider community too. Founded in 1984, the school has now reached a stage where it is beginning to run teacher trainings for teachers and counsellors around the West Bank - and this, I believe, will one day make the school internationally known, when its experience and methods are applied in places such as Iraq, Algeria, Pakistan and Britain. But there's a long way to go.
The bottom-line principles are these: if a traumatised kid is unable to process its feelings and bewilderment after witnessing bad scenes, it becomes an angry teenager and, by age 18, a candidate for violence. The school seeks to help children grow into adults with a constructive contribution to make, thereby generationally removing the causes of violence. The challenges of the 21st Century are such that there is no longer space for conflict. If the world's longest-lasting conflict in the Holy Land can genuinely be brought to an end, the 'conflict industry' worldwide could be significantly weakened. But this won't happen tomorrow.
What to do next. Please work through the Hope Flowers website first. If you are interested in discussing involvement, please start with an e-mail introducing yourself, outlining your skills/gifts, what moves you to apply, any parameters you wish to mention, and anything else you believe to be relevant - maximum one page, please! It might be worth checking out my website and my Middle East blog. If you know of someone who might be interested, please point them to this web-page.
Best wishes, and thank you for reading and considering this.
Palden Jenkins
16 Chilkwell St, Glastonbury, Somerset BA6 8DB, UK.
01458-834576 (+44-1458-834576)
Relevant web-addresses:
www.hopeflowersschool.org
www.palden.co.uk - Palden's own website
http://glastongog.blogspot.com - Palden's Middle East blog (my own views)
