SASWMP

Southern Arava Sustainable Waste Management Plan

                   Common Paths 

Jewish and Arab pupils from opposite ends of Israel  come together to study environmental projects in the unique “Common Paths” program.

Jewish pupils from Ma’aleh Shacharut Regional High School near Kibbutz Yotvata, located in the Arava Desert just a few minutes from Eilat, and Muslim Arab pupils  from ‘Ein Mahil  Comprehensive High School in the Galilee visit each other’s communities, host each other in their homes and deal with local, national and regional  environmental issues, each class studying with a teacher from the other school.

The “Common Paths”  program began during the violent events of October 2000,  but those events, did not deter a group of Jewish teachers from Ma’aleh Shacharut high school from visiting the ‘Ein Mahil Comprehensive High School in the Galilee. The goal of the visit was to get acquainted and examine the possibility of cooperation between the two schools. Mohammed Habib-Allah, a veteran teacher at ‘Ein Mahil, together with other staff, scattered what mild suspicions the Jewish teachers had through a warm welcome in the best of the traditional Arab style of hosting

visitors. The friendship that was generated between the teachers

became the basis for the “Common Paths” project. For the past six

years, this program of mutual visits and joint activities between

teachers and the pupils from the two high schools has continued

to be a source of pride for all involved.

As of  2005   the pupils from opposite ends of the country  come

together to study environmental projects in the framework  of “Common Paths” program. This  new environmental component of “Common Paths” is part of a larger project - the Southern Arava Sustainable Waste Management Plan (SASWMP), which is co-financed by the LIFE-Environment Fund of the European Union and takes a regional approach to improve management of agricultural waste in the Southern Arava Valley. SASWMP includes the building of two innovative

constructed wetlands pilot projects that will treat sewage at the

Ketura valley and at Kibbutz Lotan. 

The environmental activities in “Common Paths” combine

formal classroom learning, field trips, and joint projects for pupils

from 9th to 12th grade. The program deals with water issues in the
area, from hydrological, scientific, environmental and political points
of view. Students will consider systems to encourage and facilitate water conservation and re-use. The program will allow them to study the new systems for the purification of sewage water in the constructed wetlands at the city of Sachnin (near the Ein Mahil school) and in the Hevel Eilot Region.

The educational program at ‘Ein Mahil is facilitated by the Sachnin Township and includes both environmental planning and a community-wide project of renovating the ancient ‘Ein Mahil springs.

The program for the pupils is rich and varied, but the heart of it revolves around the well-established cooperation between the teachers of the two schools. Their courage in creating genuine connections of friendship and collegiality is reflected directly to the pupils. At each meeting of the pupils, the guest teachers teach in the classroom of the host school. A Jewish or Arab pupil learning about Arab-Jewish cultural and political issues from the perspective of a teacher from the "other" camp leaves a lasting impression on both the pupils and the teachers. 

 

 

 

 

 

Learning about the Environment

ñCommon Paths Friends ò