The Coalition of Civil Forces for Civil Peace holds a workshop on strengthening community tolerance in Al-Nuseirat
Middle governorate, Publication and Information Unit:
The Coalition of Civil Forces for Civil Peace at the Palestinian Center for Democracy and Conflict Resolution, in partnership with the Palestinian Teacher Forum, held an educational workshop on strengthening the foundations of tolerance and dialogue between the different groups of the local community, at the forum's premises in the Al-Nuseirat area of the Middle governorate in the Gaza Strip, with the participation of 35 male and female teachers from the governorate.
At the start of the workshop, the field coordinator of the Coalition of Civil Forces said: "At the Palestinian Center for Conflict Resolution we seek to strengthen concepts relating to community reconciliation and to raise awareness of accepting differing views and of tolerance between people," explaining that during last October the Coalition of Civil Forces held 60 educational meetings in schools in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to teach pupils to use means of dialogue rather than violence in dealing with others.
For his part, the academic lecturer Ashraf Al-Kurd said that teachers bear great responsibilities in bringing up pupils, but that political and social circumstances sometimes prevent information and educational messages from being conveyed properly. He said a teacher can achieve that upbringing by many means despite the obstacles and the discouragement they may suffer from the general social system, as he put it.
On how far tolerance affects the dealings of pupils and people, Dr. Nabil Jaber, a lecturer at Al-Quds Open University, explained that tolerance is the safety valve for children and for people, so that society can enjoy strong relations between its members and the wheel of daily life can move forward, adding: "The loss of the term tolerance from citizens' vocabulary strengthens social division and its reflections in a poor political reality, and so there is a need to develop an educational system that encourages respect for others and the acceptance of criticism."
