Imagine if children in the Middle East were taught co-existence, tolerance, and the vision of a future peace that was at once hopeful, tangible, and reachable. Imagine if every Israeli and every Palestinian child was invited by their teachers to visualize what their lives would look like ten years from now if the negotiations process were successful this year.
If in 2008, the Israeli and Palestinian Heads of State achieve a historic two state agreement and implement it, what would Israel look like in 2018? What would Palestine look like? What would your life look like?
This project is already underway.
In Palestine, over the last two months, OneVoice Palestine has partnered with the Palestinian Ministry of Education to bring this question into Palestinian schools – we've asked children aged 13-17 to submit an essay for the Imagine: 2018 competition, and have in turn received nearly 2,000 final submissions. Through partners and volunteers, the contest has been taken to schools in Gaza as well. The submissions express beautiful visions of a future Palestine that is independent and without occupation, that is frequented by tourists and visitors, that is vibrant and at peace with all its neighbors.
In Israel, we're working with the Israeli Ministry of Education, various municipalities, 4 youth movements, and Tapuz, the largest internet forum in Israel, to bring this essay contest to Israeli youth. The contest was launched just a few weeks ago, but we're already getting some powerful submissions driven by the dreams of young Israelis to live in an Israel that is safe, secure, recognized and at peace with all its neighbors, that works with neighboring countries to promote regional interests.
50 essayists will be selected from each side as winners for their national contests. From among those, 10 will be selected by some of the world's foremost directors and made into 1-5 minute short films.
Nina Jacobson, Executive Producer at DreamWorks Studios, Davis Guggenheim, Director of "An Inconvenient Truth," and Danny DeVito have already signed on to work with OneVoice on the project, in addition to a number of others. We are actively recruiting the top Israeli, Palestinian, American, and international directors to get involved.
Get involved, and read more about the contest in English, Hebrew, and Arabic.
The OneVoice Teams in Ramallah, Gaza, Tel Aviv, London, and New York
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