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How do you explain war to school age kids?

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TG12345 View Drop Down
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    Posted: 05 January 2013 at 5:21pm
Salaam Alaikum.

So... this is a question for people who work with kids.

I will be giving a talk at church to the kids church (ages 6-9) about Palestine, and have made a Powerpoint, but this is the first time I have tried to explain it to kids that young... I've given talks to middle school students and it was possible without being too graphic to explain the situation. I'm thinking of comparing it to bullying, something I think most would be able to understand, and talk about how our Palestinian friends and kids their age were picked on by Israeli soldiers and people with guns. I don't think it makes sense going too much into the history or politics since it would be over their heads, but just keep it to something simple that they could relate to. I also can't make it too graphic and talk about the horrific stories I heard of people getting shot and my face getting smashed in with a metal pipe.

I was asked to do this by our the childrens ministry leader, since one of the core values of our church is "confrontation", believe it or not. The theme is standing up against injustice. I'll be talking about the situation in the West Bank, and what the groups (Christian Peacemaker Teams, International Solidarity Movement) I was with did to confront the injustices against Palestinians, and how Palestinians we met and encouraged and worked with were standing up for their rights. I'm thinking of just keeping it simple and letting the kids know that Palestinians we were with are being bullied by the soldiers, and that Jesus tells us to stand up against bullying, and that it's worth doing even if it sometimes is hard and may mean getting hurt.

Kind of nervous about this, but think it should go well, inshAllah. Smile

Yeah, any feedback or thoughts people want to share would be great.

Thanks!
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nothing View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote nothing Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 January 2013 at 8:34pm
I don't know, maybe you can use them themselves as examples? A takes whatever belonging to B, and see what B feels like. Kind like that anyway.

Salaam and good luck.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote abuayisha Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 January 2013 at 8:13am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TG12345 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 January 2013 at 5:45pm
Salaam Alaikum abuayisha and nothing,

That is a very powerful video... reminds me of the stories we heard from a Palestinian Christian man in Bethlehem whose 8 year old son witnessed his 6 year old friend getting shot. We also walked Palestinian kids from school in Hebron, due to settler harrassment many feel unsafe to walk to their place of learning.

The presentation at church went well. I showed the kids the pictures from my blog (those that they would be able to handle) and made the comparison to bullying. I also shared stories of Palestinians we met who were standing up against the occupation by not using violence but also not giving in to the abuse and standing up for their rights. They took it in well, I think. I ended by challenging them to stand up against bullying in their schools. We also looked at verses in the Bible about being peacemakers and loving one's enemies, and how hard that can be.

Thanks for your feedback and encouragement.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Matt Browne Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 January 2013 at 4:51am
By asking the following questions:

Have you ever seen kids hitting other kids?

Answer: Oh, yes.

Have those kids ever been taught how to resolve conflicts peacefully by talking to each other?

Answer: Ah, not really.

What happens when these kids become adults without ever learning these skills?

A religion that's intolerant of other religions can't be the world's best religion --Abdel Samad
Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people--Eleanor Roosevelt
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