The Bard Palestinian Connection (formerly the Bard Palestinian Youth Initiative) is involved in the building of civil society in the West Bank. Through education, cultural and exchange programs, sports and literacy camps, the building of children's libraries, and hands on service and construction projects, Bard students and staff contribute to the creation of a viable and sustainable Palestinian state.

 

The BPC is dedicated to the building of civil society in the West Bank. Bard students study the history and culture of the Middle East. Many of them study Arabic. They have traveled to Washington DC and met with leaders from all the constituencies involved: Americans, Palestinians, Israeli's and both Muslim and Jewish organizers. One of the conclusions they have reached, and that has been corroborated by many, especially the Palestinians, is that that creating a strong, working Palestinian civil society is the best way to resolve the challenges of the region.

 

They are working closely with the Village Council in Mas'ha to create programs that are mutually beneficial to Bard and to the Palestinians. These are all based in education and cultural exchange.  In the spring of 2011 a small representative group from the Village Council will visit Bard and their town, Red Hook, NY.  The idea is to establish formal relationships between Bard-Red Hook-Mas'ha, with the hope of including local area residents in BPC programs.  This might take the form of homestays for Palestinians visiting in the future and local teenagers from Red Hook participating in Mas'ha.

 

The college, through its students, intends to raise money for and help build a children's library in every West Bank town, one at a time.  Of course this will require the development of partnerships with each village, and the development of long term funding sources.

 

Some of the innovative aspects included with this program are:

The complete description of this experience can be found at the Universities and Social Commitment Observatory