On Tuesday, October 13th, the annual CAS Fair was held at the Eastern Mediterranean International School (EMIS). CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) is a core element of the IB (International Baccalaureate) program and consists of a series of extra-curricular activities, such as sports and social initiatives led by students. There were a very wide range of options for students, who can join projects such as the podcast ‘Voices for change’ or the ‘Leadership Academy’. This year the Charney Resolution Center is collaborating with EMIS on two different projects, under my supervision. Firstly, the organization of the yearly Peace Talks Simulation, where students engage in discussion regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and attempt at finding concrete solutions to highly complex issues. Secondly, the filming of ‘Humans of EMIS’, a documentary that aims at showing perspectives from an international community in a zone of conflict.
This year the Peace Talks Simulation aims at being revolutionary and at setting a good model for years to come. Emilie, Flo, Yael and Sara, who are the 4 students participating in this CAS, are highly motivated and we already started working on some new ideas. For instance, we want to make the Peace Talks Simulation an on-going process throughout the year, having 3 different stages: Preparation, Simulation Day, and Continuation with Further Activities. We feel the need to organize a few Preparation days, so that students will feel more prepared for the actual Simulation that will happen in January. Several workshops and lectures will be held, varying from listening to different perspectives to learning about the importance of language when discussing the conflict.
The idea of the ‘Humans of EMIS’ inspired more than 25 students to sign up, all eager to take part in this project. We have started discussing ideas and proposals, trying to figure out the best way to portray the unique stories of EMIS students. Soon we will work on a small trailer for the documentary, that will give everyone a better idea of what we want the final project to look like. This project was partially inspired by the FB page created in 2017 by EMIS students, with the goal of sharing the stories and diversity of this unique community. (Humans of EMIS)
Overall, both projects were received with enthusiasm by the EMIS community, making us positive and excited to support and collaborate with the students who actively engage with the mission of EMIS and of the Charney Center.
This is the beautiful flyer that was given out to EMIS students!
