This afternoon, 26th September, many joyful voices echoed in the courtyard of the Collège de Terre Sainte for girls, run by the Sisters of St. Joseph. Not far from the Jaffa Gate, in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, this school of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land currently has 320 young Arab pupils at primary and secondary level. It is a welcoming and lively school, with an open and positive environment, joyfully shared by young Christian and Muslim girls.
However, today is a special day and many friends have come to the school, to join the pupils and their families. This afternoon they are celebrating the end of an important educational project, which involved a group of young pupils for a year and a half. The Head of the school, Sister Frida Nasser, and the teachers give us a very warm welcome. They are very satisfied with the work done and the results achieved. “The project was carried out thanks to the support of the Wadi Jose Social Centre, an institution that is engaged in particular in supporting families with economic difficulties and poor housing, and the Council of Jerusalem, which offered the professionals and the material resources of its Social Services and Department of Art and Crafts,” Sister Frida tells us enthusiastically. The initiative, through the group “Fantasy of colours” and the “Art open to well-being” project, addressed in particular a group of 15 pupils with a particularly fragile personality and low self-esteem and offered them the possibility of experiencing, with the educational help of some group leaders, expressive, artistic and recreational activities, such as the study of music, painting, acting, singing, crafts and swimming. Some Jewish experts, including Judith and Michal, who were also present on this day of conclusion, were mainly responsible for the artistic dimension. The young pupils were also able to practise their Hebrew and English with them. The purpose of the project was to foster the development of the self-esteem of the participants and their empowerment, that is, to increase their confidence in their personal capacities and competencies, which translate into greater psychological and spiritual well-being, a growth in their relational capacities and ability to measure up to the surrounding situation and a more aware sense of belonging to the school.
On this conclusive day, after refreshments, the girls of the school inaugurated the exhibition of the artistic works and paintings, proudly lifting the coloured cloths that covered the panels. The works were very colourful and had taken the beauty of nature as inspiration. After that, everybody gathered in the school auditorium for the performances by the young pupils: a piece on the flute, a song performed by a choir of young voices, some traditional dances and costume dramatizations. Alternating with the numbers there were short musical intervals and a presentation in power point on the main phases of the project.
This is an invaluable initiative, which started in a Franciscan school of the Holy Land, in the Christian Quarter of Old Jerusalem, and that the city council also wants to implement in other schools as soon as possible. It is a concrete opportunity of co-existence and collaboration which has helped to build up sincere friendships and mutual trust, working together with passion and humility. The school’s girls, concludes Sister Frida, had no difficulty in relating and working even with the Jewish activity leaders. It is a richness within the richness, which has allowed them not only to overcome personal difficulties but also to grow in their relationship with others, with diversity and with complexity. A small piece of culture and education that we hope can continue in time. A small group of people who look confidently to the new generations and work for their well-being, sowing one of the finest seeds for a future of peace.
By Caterina Foppa Pedretti
Photos by Marco Gavasso
However, today is a special day and many friends have come to the school, to join the pupils and their families. This afternoon they are celebrating the end of an important educational project, which involved a group of young pupils for a year and a half. The Head of the school, Sister Frida Nasser, and the teachers give us a very warm welcome. They are very satisfied with the work done and the results achieved. “The project was carried out thanks to the support of the Wadi Jose Social Centre, an institution that is engaged in particular in supporting families with economic difficulties and poor housing, and the Council of Jerusalem, which offered the professionals and the material resources of its Social Services and Department of Art and Crafts,” Sister Frida tells us enthusiastically. The initiative, through the group “Fantasy of colours” and the “Art open to well-being” project, addressed in particular a group of 15 pupils with a particularly fragile personality and low self-esteem and offered them the possibility of experiencing, with the educational help of some group leaders, expressive, artistic and recreational activities, such as the study of music, painting, acting, singing, crafts and swimming. Some Jewish experts, including Judith and Michal, who were also present on this day of conclusion, were mainly responsible for the artistic dimension. The young pupils were also able to practise their Hebrew and English with them. The purpose of the project was to foster the development of the self-esteem of the participants and their empowerment, that is, to increase their confidence in their personal capacities and competencies, which translate into greater psychological and spiritual well-being, a growth in their relational capacities and ability to measure up to the surrounding situation and a more aware sense of belonging to the school.
On this conclusive day, after refreshments, the girls of the school inaugurated the exhibition of the artistic works and paintings, proudly lifting the coloured cloths that covered the panels. The works were very colourful and had taken the beauty of nature as inspiration. After that, everybody gathered in the school auditorium for the performances by the young pupils: a piece on the flute, a song performed by a choir of young voices, some traditional dances and costume dramatizations. Alternating with the numbers there were short musical intervals and a presentation in power point on the main phases of the project.
This is an invaluable initiative, which started in a Franciscan school of the Holy Land, in the Christian Quarter of Old Jerusalem, and that the city council also wants to implement in other schools as soon as possible. It is a concrete opportunity of co-existence and collaboration which has helped to build up sincere friendships and mutual trust, working together with passion and humility. The school’s girls, concludes Sister Frida, had no difficulty in relating and working even with the Jewish activity leaders. It is a richness within the richness, which has allowed them not only to overcome personal difficulties but also to grow in their relationship with others, with diversity and with complexity. A small piece of culture and education that we hope can continue in time. A small group of people who look confidently to the new generations and work for their well-being, sowing one of the finest seeds for a future of peace.
By Caterina Foppa Pedretti
Photos by Marco Gavasso