Monday 21 September 2009

Olive Co-operative Education Tour 2010

Sunday 24th to Sunday 31st May 2010 - 7 nights for £675
Olive Co-operative are pleased to announce our 2010 Education Tour to Palestine and Israel. The recent devastating assault on Gaza haspushed the seemingly intractable 'problems' of the Middle East furtherinto public consciousness, but the portrayal of the situation in theBritish media continues to be confusing, even misleading. Now morethan ever there is a need for propaganda and popular misconceptions tobe challenged with knowledge and understanding. Olive Co-operativeruns tours to Palestine and Israel because we believe that the bestway to understand the situation is to visit the area, to meet thepeople and to experience the physical impacts of the occupation: the Walls, settlements and checkpoints. Our Education Tour will allow thisunderstanding to be bought into educational institutions in the UK, togive British students a chance to grasp what is really happening inthe Middle East. This tour is an ideal opportunity for teachers of allage groups, university students and people with a general interest inthe area to gain invaluable first hand experience. The Israeli education system is a crucial element in the conditioningof a young population into accepting their role in an occupying army.In Palestine, the education system continues to function effectivelydespite the ever escalating problems that the institutions andindividuals within them have to deal with. Participants on this tourwill visit a variety of educational spaces in Jerusalem, Ramallah,Bethlehem and Nablus, including a school, university, communityeducation centre and grassroots information centre. The group willalso meet with refuseniks and a Trade Union activist.Designed for those with a particular interest in education, the tourwill also suit anyone wanting to gain a general understanding of thecurrent situation in Palestine and Israel, giving them the opportunityto see the Wall, visit refugee camps and meet inspiring Palestinianand Israeli individuals and organisations. Participants will benefit from the experience and personal contactsof our tour guide, who ran our successful Teacher's Tour in 2007 and has worked as a long term volunteer in the West Bank, including with the International Women's Peace Service. For a full itinerary and to discuss the tour, please contact leonie@olivecoop.com or 0161 2731970.
For Olive Co-operative guidance notes to travel in the region, please visit http://www.olivecoop.com/tours/guidance-notes/ To find out more about Olive Cooperative, please see our website at www.olivecoop.com.
Please note: Tour prices include your Olive tour guide, all local travel, accommodation, breakfasts, some dinners and donations to groups visited. Prices are exclusive of flights and airport transfers. Olive tour guides monitor the situation on the ground to assess localcircumstances. All itineraries are subject to change.
We ask our customers to read our Travel Guidance Notes before joining one of ourtours.Olive Cooperative has 5 years experience running tours to Palestineand Israel, and extensive knowledge of a broad spectrum of civilsociety organisations. Each tour is built around a theme or topic, butall are suitable for anyone with a general interest in the region. Thethemed nature of Olive tours is designed to facilitate lastinginternational linkages between individuals and groups of similarinterests. We also offer a service for those who would like a tailormade tour to suit their availability and interests, or for groups ofpeople or families who wish to experience this unique but troubledarea of the world together.

No comments: