Side-by-Side

This initiative uses the visual art of photography as a new "language" through which teenagers caught on both sides of a conflict can communicate with each other and the world about their experiences. The camera can, organisers believe, be a powerful tool with which youth can express themselves and re-think the experience of "the other". Photography is, in short, construed here as a channel through which the young people can voice their losses, frustrations, and differences, but also, it is hoped, find common ground and friendship.

In January 2007, at a 3-day workshop in a monastery in the hills above Jerusalem, organisers introduced the project to 14 Israeli and Palestinian youngsters who had lost family members in the ongoing conflict. Throughout the next 6 months, the young people documented their lives using digital cameras and met together for 4 additional workshops. They began to share their lives and views with each other, communicating through the images they took. Workshops on themes such as daily life could prove uneasy viewing for children on both sides, but the people running the workshops encouraged them to reflect on their own lives and not be afraid to ask difficult questions about sensitive topics. In between workshops, the young participants had access to computers and digital cameras, and were visited in their home areas by local facilitators, who provided additional guidance and support. Small group meetings also took place. Participants posted their work on an interactive (password-protected, as of this writing) website designed for the project, and were able to view and comment on the work of others. In addition, a selection of the work created by the young people was made public through a travelling exhibition and a booklet.

The following comments by participating youth help illustrate how this strategy is designed to work by enabling the expression of an alternate view of those living on either side of a divide:

• "In the news we always hear that the Palestinians want to blow us up or kill us, but we can see that Palestinians aren't like this. Whenever we distance ourselves from them, we'll see them in that way." - Noam, a 13-year-old Israeli participant from Zichron Yacov
• "We can all see each other's photos to learn about the real lives of the other side, not only what we see on TV." - Nitzan, age 14
• "Israelis can see we're not terrorists, and we can see they're not all soldiers on checkpoints." - Mohammad, a 13-year-old Palestinian from Hebron
• "It's really important for us to do it so the rest of the country, or the world, can see that we're just kids and we're not involved in all this political war." - Noam, a 14-year-old Israeli student from Herzliya

Conflict, Children, Youth.

According to organisers, May 2008 marked 60 years since the founding of the State of Israel, "an event celebrated by Israelis as Independence Day yet remembered by Palestinians as 'al-Nakba', or the Catastrophe." In this context, the project faced many challenges - including the 2006 war in Lebanon, violent clashes in the West Bank, regular checkpoint closures, and travel restrictions.

PhotoVoice, founded in 1999, runs photography projects around the globe in an effort to give those who are usually the subject of photojournalism the chance to represent themselves. Its mission is to bring about positive social change for marginalised communities by providing them with photographic training with which they can advocate, express themselves, and generate income. Launched in 1995, the Families Forum works to spearhead a reconciliation process between Israelis and Palestinians.