Participants in Kids4Peace Jerusalem’s Youth Action Program Social Media Track took part in the building “Building Visions for the Future of Jerusalem: A Bottom Up Approach” project last year.
Since 2017, the project engaged residents of East and West Jerusalem to work together to shape the current and future reality of their neighborhoods and the city as a whole.
Kids4Peace took an interest in this project as urban planning and formal negotiations on Jerusalem have sadly ignored the voices of many residents in the past, particularly those from marginalized and diverse communities. This project aimed to dignify diverse voices, enhance knowledge of the complexity of Jerusalem and contribute towards a constructive public and civil society engagement about the future of the city.
On November 20, there was an exhibition opening at the Hebrew University that included a number of photos and statements from Kids4Peace Youth together with participants from other schools, women’s groups and local leaders. Called “Our City – مدينتنا – עירנו” the location of the exhibition in the middle of a busy campus will see thousands of people walk past it and hopefully engage with the ideas presented every day.
As the exhibition moves around the city, the project hopes to engage and inspire residents, policy-designers and other activists to work on local creative initiatives, increase knowledge of the complexities of Jerusalem and contribute towards a negotiated solution to the city.
“Building Visions for the Future of Jerusalem: A Bottom Up Approach” is a The Leonard Davis Institute for International Relations – Hebrew University and IPCRI – Israel Palestine Center for Regional Initiatives (IPCRI) collaboration funded by the European Union.