Schools

Click here to book a workshop for the Autumn Term 2021/22, or for later in the academic year.

 

Sessions for secondary schools Years 9-13, compatible with RS, Citizenship, History, Geography and more.

Activities

Solutions not Sides (SNS) primarily engages students at the opinion-forming stage (14-18 years of age), ensuring that the students engage with the subject of conflict within the safe space of a structured educational environment.

This is carried out through an innovative programme of training and workshops with young people in secondary schools that are led by our experienced and highly trained facilitators, which include: 

  • Classroom-based educational workshops for Year 9 to Year 13, split up into 3 interactive sessions including live Palestinian & Israeli speakers and SNS-made films.
  • Peer-to-peer programme to connect your students with their peers in Israel-Palestine and engage in a collaborative project
  • An annual Student Leadership Programme for young people enrolled in studies between Year 13 and their second year of university, or on a gap year.
  • Training sessions for their teachers and community leaders 

The educational sessions for Year 9 to Year 13 are the central activity of the programme and include activities on general conflict under-standing, critical-thinking skills and conflict resolution with the application of these principles to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Students learn the difference between positions and interests and how they can apply this understanding to explore meaningful solutions. The session also gives some background from both sides’ points of view as to the issues at the heart of the conflict, both past and present, and features real-life experiences and aspirations of people who are living through it, told in person by Israeli and Palestinian speakers from the region. Time is given for Q&A so that students have the unique opportunity to learn more from these people who are living in the region and are involved in working for conflict resolution. The skills and experiences gained through participation in the sessions are transferable to other conflict situations, both in personal and political contexts.

If your school has already done an SNS session, you can give your students the opportunity to develop a project or presentation on a topic with specialist resources developed by SNS. There are seven topics to choose from where older students can work individually or in groups, in lesson or at home, to enrich their understanding of the more complex aspects of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Contact us for details on how to do this.

This programme is fully supervised by SNS DBS-checked staff. Click here to see when we will be in your area, or contact the programme director to find out more details here.

Click here for more information on how the sessions are relevant for curriculums in England & Wales. Click here for Scotland, here for the IB Diploma and here for applicability to the Ofsted Framework.

School sessions format

  • PART 1: EXPLORATION - Learning about historical narratives (can be done as homework or as a teacher-led preparatory session); 1 hour. Session run by school teacher on the historical narratives using our film 'The Beginner's Guide to Israel-Palestine'. All materials and guidance provided by SNS. 
  • PART 2: EMPATHY - Learning about conflict resolution (teacher-led preparatory session); 1 hour. Session run by school teacher introducing the conflict resolution principle of the iceberg using the new film developed in conjunction with The Parents Circle, materials on understanding the experiences of Palestinians and Israelis and their needs, and introduction to the concept of one and two-state solutions.
  • PART 3: EMPOWERMENT - Live classroom session with Israeli and Palestinian speakers and an SNS facilitator; 1 hour. Session run by an SNS facilitator and the Palestinian and Israeli speakers online or live focused on answering student questions and having a solutions-focused discussion around pros and cons of one and two state solution options, plus other ideas for solutions. Facilitator to lead a 10-minute debrief time during the last section of the session
  • OPTIONAL FOLLOW UP - Student projects are an exciting way for students to develop their understanding around one of the following topics- Refugees, Religion, Nationalism, Negotiations, Activism in the UK, Emotions and Conflict, and Media and Critical Thinking. Students are provided with resources to be able to create a class project on their topic either in lesson or as homework; 1 hour
  • Maximum number of students: 30

Curriculum & skills

Solutions Not Sides sessions are uniquely designed to fulfil the transferable skills requirements of Pearson and other exam boards. 

Every aspect of our sessions ensures that students develop in the following areas:

Cognitive skills:

  • Problem solving
  • Systems thinking
  • Critical thinking
  • ICT literacy

Interpersonal skills:

  • Communication
  • Relationship-building
  • Collaborative problem solving

Intrapersonal skills:

  • Adaptability
  • Self-management and self-development

Click here for more information on how the sessions are relevant for curriculums in England & Wales, here for Scotland, here for the IB Diploma and here for how they can apply to the Ofsted Framework.

Please click here to see book a workshop for the 2021-22 academic year.

Students

If SNS has not yet visited your school, please speak to one of your teachers and direct them towards this page. If you have already participated in an SNS session, we hope you enjoyed it – this is the place where you can find out more about follow up opportunities:

 

SNS' Student Leadership Programme

Will you be aged 16-19 by February 2021? If yes, then you are eligible to apply for our annual Student Leadership programme! Head over to our SLP page to learn more & apply.

The Forum of Discussion of Israel and Palestine

FODIP’s remit is to host and facilitate sensitively inter faith dialogue on the Israeli Palestinian conflict, within and between Jews, Christians, Muslims and others in the UK, and to promote co-operation through dialogue.

If you are over 18 years of age, other opportunities are available to you:

Internship

Volunteering

Blogging