The groups continued the ongoing activities according to their planed programs. Meetings addressed subjects such as: identity, sexuality, mother-daughter relationships (in the context of Mother’s Day), and other gender issues.
Activity in the Arab groups
Jisr a-Zarqa and Tira: The girls participated in a Young Woman Parliament that took place in Kfar-Saba on march 28th 2016. The YWP dealt with sexual harassment issues. The title was: “Say NO to sexual violence”.
Fureidis: As part of the local YWP activities, the girls took upon themselves to organize and lead “Mother’s Day” ceremony at school. The event was a big success and reflected on the YWP group’s activity at the school arena.
Yarka: Preparations for the first YWP in the Arab society took place. The event was set to May 15th. Hunaida and Zahara, the local facilitator along with the school’s steering committee are involved in the process. The steering committee consists of three 10th grade teachers, the school counselor and the YWP’s coordinator and the local facilitator. Several meetings were held with the girls. The chosen topic was: “Women and Girls leading the way -Challenges and barriers to success”.
Tira: A meeting in February 17th was organized at the municipality hall, in which the girls, their parents and teachers along with the coordinator Hunaida and Esther Hertzog, as Shin’s representative, participated. The meeting served to strengthen the cooperation with the local municipality’s leaders. A discussion was held regarding the vision of the program and its contribution to the community.
The girls also participated in joint preliminary workshop with girls from the YWP’s group in the neighboring town of Kfar-Saba, to prepare their part in the coming YWP conference (held on March 28th). During the all-participants’ event in Kfar Saba girls from Tira presented impressive talks on “spoken word”, describing women’s experiences concerning sexual harassment.
The girls, guided by their facilitator, led and participated in several projects within their town’s community: “Culture Month” events, including an exhibition, parties, and more; “Women’s day” and “Mother’s day” events that were held in the local Community Center; A joint event with “Krembo Wings” association – a youth movement for disabled kids. All these activities contributed to the girls’ experiences and involvement in social activities in their community.
Activities in the Jewish towns
Kfar Saba: Much of the activity was devoted to preparing the YWP’s event in town on March 28th. The topic was: “girls break silence – saying no to sexual violence”. At the beginning of March a preparation “spoke youth” workshop took place, in which 6 girls from Tira also participated. Over 30 girls participated. During this workshop the girls prepared their pieces for the coming event.
The girls prepared also a power-point presentation concerning their activity in promoting gender equality within the formal and in-formal education programs in town. The girls visited the mayor’s office and he invited them to speak in front of the town council’s members. Later on a few representatives spoke in the town council’s meeting, trying to convince some of them to join the activity of promoting gender education in town.
About 100 girls participated in the YWP’s event in March. The program included a colorful welcome, lecture by a photographer who told the girls how she coped with a sexual assault which she experienced as a small girl. An open stage spoke-youth workshop then took place. Girls stepped up the stage and presented moving pieces written by them.
Hertzliya: In the beginning of March a photography exhibition on “taking pictures of me” was prepared. The 17 pictures that were exhibited presented self portraits of the girls. The exhibition was part of the opening event on the international women’s day, organized by the town’s council. The girls received an appreciation certificate. As a summarizing project of the whole year’s activity the group decided to prepare a film, titled “breaking the fence”, in which they will present stereotypes that divide between boys and girls and breaking them later on. The group also participated in the event in Kfar Saba.
Lod: The girls in Lod, who started as a very vulnerable group, seem to steadily increase their self-confidence and gender empowerment. The meetings focused on body-image and passing from the general – the cultural – the social to the private and personal. They widely discussed the importance of women’s mutual support. The girls were also involved in the good deeds day and dedicated the day to renovating the warm home’s yard and to decorating it. They also participated in the event in Kfar Saba.
Ofakim: The group organized a big event for all girls in the town for the international women’s day. They met and talked with a senior manager in Fox about success, women and the international women’s day. They also met and talked with an ex-model of big sizes about body-image and self acceptance. Following an exciting improvisation game the girls received presents, donated by Fox. The big turnout of girls from the town in this event indicated the success of the event.
Bat Yam: Following the unsuitability of the facilitator in Bat Yam, her work was stopped and a new facilitator was recruited. During March two groups of girls were re-organized and the ways to continue the activity in town is being examined. However, a group of girls from Bat Yam participated in the event in Kfar Saba.