Scaling Up

The SFP: World Peace College summer university program starts this week.

In partnership with the University of Massachusetts-Boston, the Peace College is giving a course entitled: "Scaling Up: Grassroots Conflict Resolution Efforts to National and Policy Impacts"

The course is going to be a combination of lectures and workshops and I am very excited to start the program, meet the prof and the other participants in the program. The staff at the SFP and Peace College were a little disappointed by the number of participants who have registered, I think everyone was hoping for a larger turn out, but hopefully the program itself will still be great experience.


I finally got a change to explore the Fred Segal Friendship Library, which is nearing completion. NSWAS is built on a side of a hill and the library faces north, down the hill and looks over the village and the SFP. There is something special about exploring a building that is largely empty. You get to imagine what it will look like when it's finished and all of the great possibilities for the space. 

The library is going to have two floors, a business center, offices, a community kitchen of sorts and conference rooms. It has a great outdoor atrium and a lovely garden as well. It's going be a fantastic building to read and work in when it's completed. I can't wait to come back and see it in operation! 


In response to the vandalism and assault on the community this past week, the SFP and NSWAS have issues several press releases and a clean up effort has begun around town. In addition a few human rights groups and partners of the village from Israel and the Palestinian Authority have released statements and come to the village to express their solidarity.

Faten and I posed for a few candid photos around the Library for the website

People are still filling out insurance claims and damage reports, but life has generally returned to normal, with the event now feeling as more of nuisance thing anything else. People are continuing to call for tolerance and understanding in spite of anger and fear mongering of others. 

http://nswas.org/spip.php?article1026
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC6KIag7rdc&feature=plcp




Some more pictures from around the village and the new Library

The stairs up to the Library

The Library Courtyard

The Library from the Front