“Creative Cooperation: Art & Environment”

An effort to foster mutual understanding, encourage intercultural dialogue, and develop young people’s active participation in society

In an effort to promote intercultural exchange through youth programs, the International Center of Bethlehem participated in founding, planning and implementing a Euro-Mediterranean youth program with the participation of youngsters from Portugal, Turkey, France, and Palestine.

 “Creative Cooperation: Art & Environment” was the topic of the youth exchange that took place between 5^th and 20^th of August 2004 in the historic town of Tomar in Portugal.

For the first part of the program, participants were guided through professional workshops on environment in relation to art and on methods for reusing unwanted and non-recyclable materials in creating art works such as musical instruments, paintings, and others.  In addition, ecological behavior was maintained throughout the project.     

During the second part of the program, the participants formed their own multicultural groups based on their fields of interest and expertise, and worked together to produce collective art works dealing with the issue of the environment. The art groups formed by the participants included wall paintings addressing environmental protection, an intercultural music piece using sounds and instruments form the four cultures, photography series of nature, a collective dance emphasizing the importance of protecting natural resources, and a multi-lingual theatre play representing the elements of nature.

The participants from different cultures, contexts and backgrounds were able to discover artistic similarities and differences, share their experiences and knowledge, incorporate their different backgrounds in the process, and cooperate in creating joint artistic outcomes.

Eventually, the participants were given the opportunity to share their achievements with the community through a street performance and stage performance in the town hall of Tomar.

 In addition to the workshops on art and environment, time was spent on workshops for enhancing intercultural learning, encouraging interaction and group building, and stimulating higher levels of creativity. In addition, the evening gatherings constituted an essential part of the learning process, with traditional and cultural activities, national dinners, political and social discussions, and the exchange of lifestyles and concerns of youth in the different countries. The program also included visits to historical and cultural places in Tomar and in Lisbon, as well as presentations of the Portuguese culture.

For the Palestinian participants from the ICB, this rewarding experience was an opportunity to develop their creativity skills, raise environmental awareness, develop personal views and visions, exchange cultural and social lifestyles, present the Palestinian reality to youth and community members globally, and gain hope through seeing the world as a smaller place where people everywhere seek the same basic needs.