Achievements - Tishreen Association

Campaigns

2015 – Campaign against gun violence
The campaign was aimed at raising a public voice against the phenomena of community violence, rampant crime and gun ownership within our Arab communities and towns. It included banners and stickers bearing the campaign logo, together with a short video produced by the association’s youth addressing the issue of community violence from their perspective. The main message was to pressure the police to collect illegal firearms, as well as to undermine the social legitimacy of violence and guns.

2015 – Schoolbooks campaign

The campaign, entitled ‘Your book delights others’, was destined at replacing old schoolbooks with new ones for a more joyful reading experience. Tishreen youth launched an event in the association’s center in order to gather books, but also other school-related supplies such as stationery and school bags, which were then donated to students and families in the area.

2016 – Campaign to promote active citizenship
The campaign, entitled ‘Are You Still Silent?’ aimed to break the barrier of silence and indifference that afflicts a wide section of our community in the face of the burning issues which affect it. The campaign addressed the deterioration of culture, the poor quality of education in our schools, community violence, and the marginalization of Palestinians by discriminatory state policies. The campaign included the posting of pictures in the public space with gagged youth to express the community’s silence. The campaign’s message was to encourage youth and adults alike to take action in order to change the harsh reality of life in the Triangle region.

2017 – Campaign regarding damage to public property
In the framework of our Youth Leadership program, participants undertook a campaign focusing on vandalism, whose main message was the importance of respecting and nurturing public space. The campaign included a video and the distribution of flyers, stickers and posters.

2019 – Books and toys for Gaza children
For the course of two months, we gathered toys, games and books destined for the establishment of a community center for children and mothers in Gaza. Having collected a significant amount of items from the community, we transferred all to Mrs. Aseel Tayah, the campaign initiator, who subsequently sent everything to Gaza.

2019 – Campaign to end violence against women
We joined the '16 Days of Activism to Stop Violence against Women' nation-wide campaign which took place during the months of November and December. During this time, we dedicated our weekly workshops in high schools to the issue of sexual and gender-based violence.

Projects

2013-2016 – Leadership training for high school students; Youth trained: 150
This project was aimed at encouraging youth to address burning social issues. Activities included educating youth on key social issues relevant to the Triangle region, such as house demolitions, community volunteerism and empowerment, political and social activism, and Palestinian heritage. The project ended in 2017.

2014-2016 – Women’s Network
Women participants:25 The project’s objective was to increase women’s civic and political participation in the region while advocating for women’s issues to be included in the agendas of local councils. Following an intensive training course in 2014, the group of 25 women took part in the following: (1) advocating for public spaces appropriate for women in municipality of Taybeh; (2) identifying women leaders in the Triangle who are experts in particular areas and can share their knowledge with others; (3) Organizing four public events focusing on different topics of relevance to women.

2015-2018 – Economic Empowerment of Women
Women Trained :80 This project’s overall goal was to improve the economic participation of women by assisting them in finding gainful employment. In three yearly cohorts, women from the Triangle region participated in an intensive training course that included modules on Hebrew language skills, computer skills, social skills, and worker’s rights. Following the training, the women were supported in finding a job placement and integrating in their new jobs. Some 80 women participated in the project, of which all were able to secure a full or part-time job. A poll conducted at the end of each year showed that participants felt an improvement not only in their financial status, but also in their status within their household. Their confidence and relationships with their husbands and children had improved as they obtained their economic independence.

2017 – Leadership training for university students; Students trained: 80
The aim of the project was to promote critical thinking and social responsibility among university students, thus encouraging leadership and social activism. This included a thorough training on topics of leadership, volunteerism, collective responsibility, identity, racism, discrimination and gender inequality. Following the training, the participants conducted field research on five issues of relevance to the communities of the Triangle region, drew conclusions, and suggested recommendations for action on each of the issues (including vandalism, clan affiliation, house demolitions, infrastructure, and public spaces).

2018 – Cultural production training for artists
Tishreen promotes art as a tool for social and political change. The project supported emerging artists from the Triangle area, with the purpose of promoting Palestinian art in the region. The project had built networks between local artists with the aim of creating collaborations that will promote Palestinian cultural identity. The project created a neutral space where artist could create freely while pushing accepted social and political norms. To this day, some 15 local artists gather in the ‘Cultural Forum’ created by Tishreen. Since its inception at the start of 2018, these artists have worked to produce two main local exhibitions – ‘Ehna Hein’ (We Are Here) and ‘Come Tomorrow, I’ll Explain to You’.

2018 – Establishment of the Alternative Space
In parallel to the ‘Cultural Forum’, Tishreen launched its ‘Alternative Space’ – an actual physical space for artists, youth and activists to convene and organize, as well as a space to showcase social and cultural programs. The Alternative Space provides an exemplary prototype of a social project which has the ability to generate financial income and create a physical workspace, or ‘hub’ that makes room for performances and trainings for artists. Since its launch in January of 2018, the Alternative Space has held over 30 different cultural and social events, such as art exhibitions, movie screenings, lectures and panels, music performances and more. We estimate that over 3000 people have visited this space in the courses of these different events.

2019 – Youth Leadership for a Safe Community
This project aims to raise awareness among youth about social issues in general, and the issue of violence in the Arab community in particular. After having trained a group of 12 university students to become facilitators, they in turn lead workshops with high school students. These workshops deal with issues such as identity building, critical thinking, social responsibility, and community violence. Working with 6 different schools and over 120 students, we aim to contribute to the formation of activist groups that are capable of implementing grassroots initiatives and provoking public discussion while challenging prevalent social discourse.

Exhibitions

January 2018 – ‘Ehna Hein’ exhibition
In January 2018, in an official launch of the Alternative Space, Tishreen held the ‘Ehna Hein’ (We Are Here) exhibition. This was the Cultural Forum’s first project. The theme of the exhibition was the peculiarities of Palestinian society within Israel. The collection of works addressed several issues central to Arab society, including gender relations, the Palestinian struggle, and other issues..

March 2018 – ‘A Sight of Disjunction’ exhibition
In March of 2018, the Alternative Space hosted the A.M. Qattan Foundation’s exhibition ‘A Sight of Disjunction’, whose central theme revolved around ‘The Heart Paints What the Hand Perceives’, the autobiography of artist Tamam El-Akhal and her husband Ismail Shammout. The exhibition seeks to part with conventional Palestinian icons, so that a painting becomes a means of modern reflection and a link between different times and works of art. It also reveals the artistic process as it can only be seen from within the artist’s studio and seldom at exhibitions.

September 2018 – Naji Al-Ali Exhibition: Art as a political message
In September 2018, Tishreen hosted the exhibition ‘Naji Al Ali: Art as a political message’, which included a lecture by guest speaker and artist Rana Bisharat. Bisharat exhibited her work about political caricaturist ‘Naji Al Ali’ while discussing the struggle and challenges that artists face in producing work that has political implications. In addition to the lecture, four members of the Cultural Forum exhibited works that reenacted the works of Al Ali.

April 2019 – ‘Come Tomorrow, I’ll Explain to You’ exhibition
In April 2019, the Alternative Space held the Cultural Forum’s second exhibition under the title ‘Come Tomorrow, I’ll Explain to You’. The artists sought to discuss gender relations, the place of women in Palestinian society, their sense of self-worth.. The artists sought to address a reality in which women in our area are weighed down by the bridle of masculinity, patriarchy, and inherited tribal customs and traditions. The exhibition grew out of a process of discussion and examination by members of the cultural production Forum who explored the reality of women internationally, regionally in the Arab world, and locally in the Triangle area.