BADIL Summer Camp: “Generations of Return”
“This camp is a clear message to the Israelis that the
Palestinian people are able to survive and maintain their national
identity and collective memory even in the most difficult times”,
said Salah Ajarmeh, director of the local Lajee Children’s Center
and coordinator of the special summer-camp administrative committee
which had worked hard for weeks to see this moment arrive.
Despite the fact that Israel’s brutal “Operation Summer Rain”
against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip had just begun, causing much
apprehension also in the West Bank, all groups arrived, from Fawwar
camp in the south, Aqbat Jaber in Jericho, to Far’ah in the
north.
Participants were from the BADIL Project for Youth Education and Activation, active in 11 refugee camps across the West Bank (See
“BADIL Project for Youth Education and Activation”). Only the guests from Nazareth, expected with much enthusiasm and curiosity by the youth of the West Bank camps, failed to make it this time.
Activities
The summer camp was held in the Al- Zeituna holiday village, and
offered a safe out-door space and swimming pools. The environment
was a welcome change from what the children left
behind in Jenin or Balata, where the appearance of Israeli soldiers
in the narrow allies of the camps is the major source of excitement
– and fear. The mornings and afternoons were dedicated to lectures
and discussions in groups, about the Wall and Jewish settlements,
techniques of torture employed in Israeli prisons, fears and trauma
experienced by the children, UN resolutions, the Boycott,
Divestment and Sanctions campaign, as well as freedom of expression
and democracy. Visits to the old city of Bethlehem, the Church of
Nativity and local refugee camps provided an opportunity for many
to see for the first time a part of Palestine they had known only
from the screens of Arab satellite TV. Evenings were spent playing
games, participating in theater, dancing and songs were performed
by the children themselves and guests from the area.
Public Support and Recognition
The children and youth were welcomed by a representative of the
Beit Jala Municipal Council, who expressed strong support for this
effort at enlightening and cultivating Palestinian youth.
Palestinian officials and veterans of the struggle contributed from
their experience as speakers and workshop facilitators, thereby
giving recognition and support to the young participants.
A Collective Effort A spirit of “Generations of Return” was
conveyed also by the veteran female and male activists who formed
the voluntary administrative committee which took responsibility
for the logistic preparations. Together with BADIL staff, they
designed the program, T-shirts and hats, cleared authorizations
from parents, arranged transport, and recruited an over
30-members-strong support team of volunteers, including
medical staff, facilitators, cooks, guards and cleaners, all of
whom were essential for the success of this summer camp.