The Problem
Fly to Peace attempts to lay the foundations necessary to solve the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict. We believe that the underlying negative perception each side has of
the other prevents progress. Through education and open dialogue, our children have a chance to see the conflict with new eyes.
The Idea
Fly to Peace is a resource for teachers, parents, grandparents, babysitters, siblings, and caretakers – anybody with children in their lives. Our goal is to combat prejudice and animosity from all sides of the conflict from the root. “Once learned, stereotypes and prejudices resist change” (tolerance.org), so it is vital to expose children to the ideals of tolerance, coexistence, and conflict resolution while their perceptions of people on opposing sides of the conflict are still malleable.
The Method
Education: Our database is filled with books that can be used to open a dialogue and instill messages of coexistence, connection, conflict resolution, tolerance, culture, and friendship. We believe learning these values early on will ensure that our children grow up more prepared to resolve the conflict than we are.
Dialogue: The books are the first step, but without meaningful follow-up they are only stories. Conversations about the book’s implications, accuracies, failures, and themes will add meaning and real-world application. These discussions can become food for thought that carry with children throughout their lives.
Change: Success to us does not need to be measured only in large-scale changes. If communities begin to lessen any negative attitudes toward the other parties, then we will have succeeded. And if any children find their passions in reading or in resolving this conflict, we will have also succeeded.
The Books
Each book in our database has been carefully chosen by our researchers for its relevance to the problem at hand, the themes it carries, and its literary merit. The database will be available on our website for free as a resource to any who wish to use it. In particular, we work closely with elementary schools in the region to ensure they have access to the books as well as meaningful follow-up materials.
The Butterflies
The first seeds of inspiration for Fly to Peace came from Talia Joya’s book “Parparim Shel Tikvah” (Butterflies of Hope). Written in both Hebrew and Arabic, it tells the story of a young boy and his friend on the other side of a large wall raising caterpillars together. The logo of Fly to Peace is both a small nod to the book that sparked the idea and a celebration of the metaphor inherent in the life of a butterfly: that even the most steadfast cocoon will be followed by flight.
We’ve been trying to walk the road to peace, but maybe our destination can’t be reached on foot. Perhaps we should be giving the next generations the tools they need to fly there.
