An important part of the JAI activities include organizing visits for delegations and fact-finding missions from YWCA and YMCA movements, as well as international organizations. Local YWCA and YMCA staff and representatives also make advocacy trips abroad to reveal the truth about the situation in Palestine and to advocate for solidarity through our different campaigns.
In addition to these advocacy trips, we run several annual programs, each with a special emphasis, to attract different people to Palestine. These include:
Journey for Justice
Journey for Justice is an annual program that brings together youth from YMCAs and YWCAs all over the world to experience and share the occupation with Palestinian youth. For ten days, they join Palestinian youth and travel around Israel and Palestine to witness the effects of Israeli occupation.
Journey for Justice 2010
23rd July - 1st August
Daily report - Reflections and Pictures
Journey for Justice 2009
23rd July - 2nd August
Journey for Justice 2008
23rd – 31st July, 2008
Journey for Justice - October 2007
14th – 22nd October, 2007.
Journey for Justice - Oct. - Nov. 2006
27th October – 5th November, 2006.
For Norwegian and Danish YMCA/YWCA youth leaders.
Journey for Justice - 2006
June 27th - July 6th, 2006, youth from around the world are participating.
Journey for Justice 2005
July 27th - August 3rd, 2005
Journey for Justice - 2004
October 2004, nearly 60 youth participated in the program, from Norway, Denmark, Panama, South Africa, United Kingdom and Palestine. You can view the activities, including interviews and articles by the participants.
Several of the participants from Denmark formed The Palestine Network of YMCA and YWCA in Denmark when they returned.
Olive Picking Program
The Olive Picking Program is organized each fall in coordination with the Alternative Tourism Group (ATG). The olive picking season is short and often Palestinians are harassed or prevented from picking their olives by Israeli settlers or military forces. To prevent this, we invite internationals to come and pick olives with Palestinian farmers.
The program lasts for a week and includes cultural evenings, lectures and presentations, as well as opportunities to visit religious sites.
Contact your Regional Representative
The Olive Tree Campaign is branching out internationally. You can learn more about our programs by getting in touch with one of the past participants in the Olive Picking Program from your region. We have had participants from all over the world and currently have representatives across Europe and in some parts of America and Africa. Email us and we will send you the appropriate contact information. If you are interested in being a representative in your region, we would love to make you part of our international network.
Olive Picking Program - 2008
October - November 2008, 75 participants came from various countries in the world.
Olive Picking Program - 2007
October - November 2007, 36 participants came from various countries in the world.
Olive Picking Program - 2006
In 2006, for ten days, 38 participants from various countries of the world Joined the Olive Picking Program.
Read daily updates, photos and reflections.
Watch a promotion video of the Olive Tree Program (participants' perspectives, fields' visits ..etc.)
In 2005 several eager olive pickers joined the program from Asia, Europe, and the United States. View photos of their experience.
Olive Planting Program
Agricultural experts in the Holy Land estimate that over a million olive trees have been uprooted and destroyed by Israel since it was created in 1948. Almost half of these olive trees were uprooted since the start of the 2nd Intifada in 2000 (Palestinian uprising against the Israeli Military Occupation).
Disrespecting its’ religious, cultural, natural, nutritious and economic value, the olive tree has been constantly targeted by the Israeli military occupation under the guise of security, the construction of the Wall on Palestinian lands, and the expansion of Israeli – Jewish only - colonies (settlements). The destruction of olive trees has had intentional and destructive results on the lives of many Palestinian farmers, land owners and the Palestinian population in general.
For these reasons and many others, the Olive Tree Campaign was launched in 2001 as a positive response to systematic destruction by addressing the needs of effected farmers. The Olive Tree Campaign uses the olive tree as a tool to advocate for the Palestinians right to peace with justice. So far six successful seasons of planting have helped hundreds of Palestinian farmers and land owners, and brought awareness to an expanding international network of friends and partners about the real life of the Palestinians who have been striving for peace with justice for more than half of a century.
Up until 2007, The Olive Tree Campaign - Keep Hope Alive has used two days during the Olive Planting season to invite friends and partners to plant olive trees as a sign of solidarity with the Palestinians. In February 2008 we had our first Olive Planting program, where people came from various corners of the world to show solidarity with the Palestinians and to strengthen our mission to "Keep Hope Alive" for a better future of peace with justice to the oppressed in this ongoing conflict.
Besides olive planting, the program will feature introductory presentations about the current situation in Palestine and the effects of the Apartheid Wall, tours in the old city of Jerusalem, Hebron, Bethlehem, in addition to cultural events and social gatherings.
Olive Planting Program 2010
6th - 15th February
Olive Planting Program 2009
7th - 16th February
Olive Planting Program 2008
2nd - 11th February
