In the summer of 2022, we built the Olive Branch Award for British schools and this blog explains why. Here at SNS, we’re all about breadth of knowledge and perspectives, diving into complexity and exploring different experiences in a safe space. We want to empower young people and teachers to use critical-thinking skills to make decisions about political issues without shutting out those who make different decisions to ourselves. We want to promote and encourage empathy and make sure that all students have the chance to talk about tough issues. We know that this does not happen from a one time conversation or one touch programme. We know that students and schools need multiple offers of support to enact changes and to feel confident in holding difficult conversations, and we also know that everyone learns and develops differently. That’s why the Olive Branch Award gives schools multiple ways to work with us, from school sessions to teacher training, art and photography murals, to letter exchanges with their peers in Palestine and Israel. 

For all of us, it feels good and a relief to have a simple answer to a tough social or political question. It helps us to belong. Making the effort to understand all sides of an argument and thinking of more creative ways that the issue might be resolved, and furthermore to keep open to questions and doubts even when they think they’ve reached a conclusion, is stepping right out of our normal comfort zone. It’s a hard thing to do, but that’s the path that we seek to help students and teachers walk.

With these principles in mind, and following a surge in demand for our support from schools across the country after the major 2021 escalation and war in Israel-Palestine, we not only wanted to step up the support we offer to schools, but to also respond to the things schools were calling for:

• Ongoing support outside the classroom
• Support to deliver Social and Emotional learning
• Resources in addition to our workshops
• Teacher and staff training opportunities
• Networking and community-building between like-minded educators
• Frameworks for self-monitoring, assessment and evaluation

So - what is the Olive Branch Award?

The Olive Branch Award supports schools to become safe and empowered spaces to talk and learn about tough issues through focusing on four key skills; active listening, empathy, critical thinking, and social and emotional learning. Schools can join and collect leaves for their Olive Branch by participating in SNS sessions and exclusive new programmes for teachers and students. It is a holistic approach for the school to embed a culture of learning, listening, and reflection on Israel - Palestine over a three year period, achieving full SNS accreditation at the end. Schools receive discounts for our programmes, exclusive resources, are invited to our annual Olive Branch Award conference, and also get priority spots at our two Student Leadership Programmes; Bridge-builders and the MUN.

Our commitment to imparting these skills is critical for our success in empowering young people to become constructive, empathic citizens and political activists, and in the longer term, reducing polarisation and prejudice in the UK. We hope you’ll join us!

Sharon Booth

Founder & Executive Director, Solutions Not Sides

Jess Brandler

Managing Director, Solutions Not Sides

*You can read more about the Olive Branch Award in this Information Pack. You can sign up on this page*