Pedagogical Rethink in Gaza

Advising and trainings in methods, teacher trainings, and the psychosocial stabilisation of parents traumatised by war make up the work priorities of the Friends of Waldorf Education’s trauma pedagogical mission in the Gaza Strip from February 4^th to 19^th.

Since July 2012 the "Friends of Waldorf Education” have already carried out two trauma pedagogical crisis missions in Gaza, support by the German Federal Foreign Office. During the third mission from February 4th to 19th, the eleven volunteer, pedagogical professionals* will fulfil the requests of Palestinian cooperation partners.

The “Al-Qattan Center for the Child”, which has been working with the “Friends” since February 2009, is planning a pedagogical restructuring of their in total six kindergartens. Because children in the Gaza-Strip must be able to read, write, and do basic arithmetic before entering school, kindergartens in Gaza are very intellectual and only minimally child-oriented. A coordination group of six colleagues of the “Al-Qattan Center” has focused on the possibilities for a pedagogical restructuring of Palestinian kindergartens for several months. Already in October 2010 there were advising sessions for members of the coordination group at the request of the “Al-Qattan Center”, which are now being continued. Additionally around 20 kindergarten teachers, who will work in the restructured kindergartens, will receive training in methods in order to equip them with imaginative methods for early childhood education.

The seven colleagues, who have been working in one of the child protection centres set-up by the “Friends” in a suburb of Gaza since July 2010, will be trained in dealing with children and adolescents aged ten to sixteen years with special behavioural disorders on the theoretical and practical level.

Not only children and adolescents suffer from traumatic experiences. Parents too are often highly traumatised by devastating experiences. During discussions with parents of children at the Samouni-Clan and the “Al-Qattan Center” in 2010, it became apparent how deep these events have branded the parents. Therefore the “Friends”-Team will also take on the psychosocial stabilisation of mothers and fathers during their coming two-week mission.

*Included in the team are: Bernd Ruf (mission leader), Kristina Manz (coordination), Lukas Mall (direction pedagogical team), Pia Büchi (direction medical team), Monika Görzel-Straube (Waldorf pedagogue), Heidi Wolf (art therapist), Hans-Joachim Sennock (Waldorf pedagogue), Heike Böhret (Waldorf pre-school teacher), Dimitri Vinogradov (eurhythmist), Micaela Sauber (story-teller)