Opening of the Internet Club

Rana Khoury
 
Destruction May Be... Continuity Shall Be has been ICB’s unwavering commitment to the community surrounding it. With this motto, the ICB vowed to continue to build and rebuild, to create life in the midst of despair, and to find a way out of the darkness that has engulfed the Palestinians who suffered and still suffer under the brutal Israeli military occupation. ICB’s dedication to its motto has never been more apparent than during the past 20 months, after the April 2002 Israeli invasion of Bethlehem which caused much destruction to the ICB building, including furniture and equipment, to the Lutheran compounded which houses the ICB building, and to the city of Bethlehem at large.

One particular area that was devastatingly damaged was what to be the Internet Club that is part of the Media and Communication Center. The Internet Club was a room with an ambitious mission to train women, youth and the unemployed in a now essential field, that of communications. The Israeli soldiers drilled a 30cm wide hole into the floor of the room, now covered by glass as a reminder of their brutality and violence. All shutter windows were totally destroyed. Doors, computers, copy machine, refrigerator, chairs, desks, brand new not yet installed fixtures were shattered, as well as white paint, bought to white wash the new facilities was poured on the ground. All of this destruction was pure vandalism. For more details on the damages done to the Christmas Lutheran Church and the International Center of Bethlehem please go to http://www.annadwa.org/news&reports/AnnualReport2002.htm
 

Yet, the destruction did not put a stop to our dreams, and today we celebrate one more dream. The Internet Club has been fully restored and now is furnished with 15 computer terminals, thus creating the necessary infrastructure to carry out plans and vision aimed at encouraging human productivity so as to enable the local community to participate in shaping its own future. Through the Internet Club, we provide needed vocational training, this time in the field of communications which promises good future for the ICB’s target groups, mainly women, young people and the unemployed, as they further their education and become equipped with creative skills in a context of high unemployment rate, thus creating job opportunities. We give access to reach out to not only the world, but even areas within Palestine that nowadays with the Israeli siege of Palestinian towns and the building of the apartheid wall it is physically impossible to do so. Finally, we encourage and facilitate active communication and the establishment of an online network between different categories of people, whether be it educators, theologians, journalists, musicians and artists from Palestine and the rest of the world.

Current activities taking place at the Internet Club include the following:
1. MEATRC workshops on web design to enable the member centers to promote their work online.
2. Getting Women Online courses designed to teach computer basic skills to women who are computer illiterate.
3. Bright Stars courses designed for the bright stars members who are the children and youth between the ages of 6-16. They learn many computer applications, including web design.
4. Artists Online courses for the artists and artisans. They are introduced to graphic design with a focus on digital art.
5. Religion Educators workshops designed for teachers of religions on how to utilize the internet to find information and facilitate teaching religion in schools.
6. Open internet club when courses are not being held for members, students, and local community with minimal fees to enable everyone to use these facilities.

Thanks to the friends and supporters who believe in ICB and who helped in making this dream come true.

A class for educators of religion is being held at ICB internet club.

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