90%
90% of participants reported satisfaction and said they would recommend the programme
Teachers and facilitators also reported deeper trust and stronger emotional resilience in the classroom
Children Teaching Children
About the project
What happens when children grow up side by side, but rarely meet? In Israel, most Jewish and Arab children live in separate communities and go to separate schools.
Challenge revealed
When children are kept apart, fear and misunderstanding can take root where there should be friendship and trust. Many form assumptions about each other before ever having the chance to speak. There are few safe spaces to meet peers from the other community, ask questions or explore difference with honesty and respect.
As one student put it, “There’s a lot of separation between us. On the one hand I understand why that separation exists, but it also sort of makes me sad…”
Scale of need
This longstanding divide between Israel’s Jewish and Arab communities has only been intensified by recent conflict in the region, making trust even harder to build.
Right now, over 90% of Israeli Jews and Arabs live in separate communities, and over 99% of their children attend separate schools.
That means most children have little or no meaningful contact with peers from the other community during their formative years. Division can feel normal, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Solution in action
Givat Haviva’s Children Teaching Children is a facilitated peace education programme that brings Israeli Jewish and Arab middle school students together to learn with and from one another. With vital support from Theirworld, the programme helps 12–15-year-olds build understanding across differences through structured, arts-based learning.
In weekly sessions led by trained facilitators, students explore identity, democracy, community life and coexistence through storytelling, art, music and dialogue. This longstanding, structured process helps young people listen, speak honestly and build vital understanding over time.
“Arab and Jewish children do not usually meet,” says Project Co-Coordinator Zacharia Mahmeed. “This encounter sometimes happens in academia but unfortunately it also happens at checkpoints with a soldier in the army facing an Arab Israeli citizen. That’s why we see CTC programmes as an opportunity to bring Arab and Jewish children together from a very young age, because it breaks down all the barriers and stereotypes.”
Emotional payoff
To date, hundreds of students have taken part, with many reporting greater empathy, self-confidence and understanding of others’ experiences.
“It was a very interesting experience. I thought it was going to be scary at first, but all the people are just peaceful, and they’re nice,” said one 15-year-old student.
“There is a stigma that it’s dangerous to enter an Arab village,” said another student. “The program was really good. We at the very least made some friendships, built a bridge with the girls there. And it was a special way to learn.”
Programmes like Children Teaching Children show what’s possible when young people are given the tools, support and safe spaces to build understanding across difference.
“The programme provides a rare and vital space for Arab and Jewish students to learn together, challenge stereotypes, and develop empathy. This partnership is helping us shape a more hopeful and resilient society.” said Dikla Tomer Kaial, Director of Education-Givat Haviva.
There’s a lot of separation between us. On the one hand I understand why that separation exists, but it also sort of makes me sad…There is a stigma that it's dangerous to enter an Arab village. The program was really good. We at the very least made some friendships, built a bridge with the girls there. And it was a special way to learn, and we did workshops together on religious identities.Student, 15 yo
Today, most Jewish and Arab children in Israel still grow up separated from one another.
Your support can help change that.
By investing in programmes like Children Teaching Children, more young people will have the opportunity to build understanding across difference, challenge prejudice before it takes root and develop the relationships that can help shape a more peaceful and resilient society.