Practicing Nonviolence
Practicing nonviolence and nurturing self esteem
CREATING HOPE
ButtonPracticing Nonviolence & Nurturing Self Esteem
At House of Hope Vision School, we believe peace cannot exist without justice. That’s why our core values of equality, responsibility, and solidarity are central to our approach to nonviolence education for Palestinian children growing up under Occupation.
House of Hope students learn Compassionate Communication, a healing approach to conflict resolution that gives them the skills to deepen their connection with themselves and others and nonviolently advocate for their right to live in peace and freedom.
Thanks to your support, our students also learn about peace and justice leaders throughout history, such as Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa. We teach them peace and justice education principles of democracy, gender equality, human rights, environmental responsibility, Palestinian history and heritage, and solidarity with other oppressed people.
Beloved Community
Every student participates in House of Hope’s “Beloved Community” curriculum, which examines seven universal spiritual themes that are found in the three Abrahamic religions: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Students also learn about Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the importance of reconciliation through forgiveness.
Creative expression is threaded through all of our lessons as a way to actively engage students in mind, body, and spirit. Giraffe and jackal puppets are used to introduce the students to NVC. The giraffe represents communication with compassion and empathy, while the jackal represents when fear and judgement block compassion.
As our students find unique ways to explore and engage their emotions, they are equipped to integrate these lessons as a path toward internal healing of trauma that in turn leads to an ability to engage with their peers and communities with confident compassion.
House of Hope Student Pledge
Morning Nonviolence Pledge – Ru'ya Vision Elementary School
I pledge before God, Creator of the Heavens and the Earth,
To be a nonviolent person, truthful in word and deed,
To choose the path of goodness and reject the path of evil,
To be a light in the face of darkness and a seed of peace in the land of struggle.
I walk in the footsteps of the martyrs of love:
Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela,
And our great leader, the martyr Yasser Arafat, may God have mercy on him,
Who taught us that freedom is not bought with violence but built with dignity and justice.
I pledge to love my school and respect my teachers,
To stand by my classmates and never harm anyone in word or action,
To reject hatred, insults, and bullying,
And to respond to harm with patience, kindness, and flowers.
I pledge to plant seeds of love in my heart and in those around me,
To resist evil through collective refusal to participate in systems of oppression and fight injustice with awareness,
To be a voice for justice and a tool for peace.
Because love is from God,
And the most honorable among us in the sight of God is the most righteous,
Today, I choose to be a student of peace,
And a pioneer on the path of nonviolence,
For a brighter future — for myself and for my people.
Till freedom comes.
