Child Centre - Gaza

Organised throughout programme cycles, the CCG Literature Clubhouse hosted a number of literary evenings. Attended by children, parents and an interested audience, these evenings included Tender Leaves, On the Shadow and Light, and Thoughts. A literary encounter was also held with Palestinian storyteller Mays Dagher, who won the Young Writer of the Year Award (YWYA) 2015. Mays discussed her two collections Masters Love Honey and a Forced Vacation. Another literary encounter was organised with writer Munir Fasheh, who had a conversation about his book My Story with Words: Stories for Boys and Girls. This publication is believed to be Fasheh’s autobiography. The encounter brought together children of the CCG Literature Clubhouse and Takween programme. Additionally, the CCG hosted Khaled Juma to have an overview of his literary experience and discuss his novels Mariam the Mute and The Maker of Tales. Children published three of their literary contributions in the 28 literary magazine. 

The CCG English Language Club created an enabling and supportive environment to practice English, promote children’s linguistic and personal skills, and improve their methods of presentation and debate. In this context, children of the English Language Club shared texts of their own at the Rise Up literary and cultural evening. Organised at the CCG, a large number of children, parents and interested audiences attended this event. The Club sponsored another literary evening, titled Sparkle, which brought together children of the Club and featured several activities, including readings and summaries of books they had read. The Club also held a dialogue, Talk Show, which highlighted the importance of reading. In addition, the English Language Club organised cultural encounters, including with Palestinian-Australian writer and activist Samah Sabawi. Children discussed some of Sabawi’s literary works, including her play Tales of a City by the Sea. The Club also hosted Danish writer Glenn Ringtved, who read out and talked to children about some of his English publications, including Cry Heart But Never Break and You & Me at Dawn.  

 

In summer 2017, the CCG delivered a total of 12 courses on performing arts, ranging from drama, performance, to theatre. These taught children new skills and experiences. Targeting toddlers, courses such as Ballet and Aerobics furnished an opportunity to more than 50 children to come up on the stage. The experience provided a driver to stimulate spaces of potential creativity within many children. 

Also in summer 2017, children of the CCG Performing Arts Club presented a joint performance in The Little Lamp, a play by writer Ghassan Kanafani. Children reflected the atmosphere of the play in expressive dances on the stage, adding to the beauty of the work and allowing an opportunity to enrich children’s experience and variety of art skills.  

On an ongoing basis, the CCG provided training to children of the Qattan Choir. These helped to enhance children’s voices and give them an art experience, which they have built up over years and started to reflect on their performance, sense, and taste of art. 

In observance of the World Heritage Day, children of the My Country’s Monuments programme celebrated the 3rd Rozana Heritage Festival. In a heritage setting which brought children together with their grandmothers, the programme allowed participants the opportunity to meet with heritage specialists, explore many archaeological sites, and organise awareness sessions with parents in the areas surrounding these sites. In the autumn 2017 programme cycle, My Country’s Monuments was implemented jointly with four new schools. 

Participants in fine art programmes and activities had a rich experience this year. In summer 2017, nine courses were delivered to children, featuring a varied content of fine art techniques. An exhibition was curated, showcasing some of the works produced by children, including video art and printing. Children also participated in a workshop on animation filmmaking. 

 

Public science programmes offered by the CCG were characterised by their capacity to introduce practical experience to children and make the acquisition of knowledge an effective and attractive process. In this context, Do it Yourself programme attracts a considerable number of children, furnishing an opportunity to build their capacity to embrace a scientific approach to dealing with the problems they face in their daily lives and experimenting new methods to come up with workable solutions. In this programme, children practiced how to search for information and to propose and experiment many ideas. More importantly, the programme activities gave children the knowledge and understanding of the culture of innovation and creation and taught them to use scientific methods. Participating children exhibited their projects in the closing ceremony of Summer 2017 activities. The event allowed an opportunity to children to explain their projects and ideas to the audience, who visited the 2017 Scientific Products Exhibition. 

The Green World / Experts science programme offered children a unique experience in aquaculture. This theme was approached as a solution to cope with decreasing agricultural land and dwindling availability of water in the Gaza Strip. Under the Microscope programme introduced children to many concepts associated with plant and human cells. Children experienced working in the lab and testing specimens using the microscope. 

During the reporting period, the CCG implemented four programmes at the Computer Lab: Robot Engineers, How to Make Things / Smart Electronics, Animation in Education, and Play with Numbers. In these fields, courses were frequently organised during the reporting period. Another set of courses were also delivered in the areas of programming, design, and filmmaking. Children who participated in these courses produced many practical models and designs, which were exhibited at the closing ceremony of the Summer 2017 activities, Beit Byout (Playing House). With the participation of children, some robot and electronics projects were also showcased at the Science Days Palestine (SDP) 2017. 

Work was also underway with the CCG Programmers’ Club and Web Designers Club during the reporting period. In the Summer 2017 activities, new children joined the CCG clubs, with foster talents and promote exploration and creativity among children. 

 

The CCG Technical Services Unit organised two training courses, targeting staff members of the Al-Noor Rehabilitation Centre for the Visually Impaired. Comprising six training hours each, the first workshop covered Dewey Decimal Classification System and the other Library Computerisation Using the Winisis Programme. Six employees of the Al-Noor Rehabilitation Centre for the Visually Impaired attended the workshops. 

Five different cycles of programmes and courses were also implemented, targeting cultural actors from local community organisations as well as kindergarten (KG) principals and educators. Held with the assistance of specialist trainers, these addressed as diverse themes as quality assurance, academic planning at KGs, production of teaching aids, active learning, therapy manual, healing and education through the arts (HEART), licences, accreditation, and financial and information management in early childhood in the context of the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) project, co-funded by Save the Children International (SCI). 

In addition, the CCG organised two training events. Titled Behaviour Modification Strategies, the first training course was delivered to staff members of the Al-Amal Institute for Orphans over two days in August 2017.  In the context of the ECCD project, the other training event, titled Active Learning and HEART, targeted KG principals and educators. The training was provided over four days in October 2017. 

In collaboration with the Ministry of Education, the CGG also organised a training course for teachers on Arduino. The training was designed to improve teachers’ IT skills. Participants were introduced to the types and features of the Arduino board and code writing on the Arduino software (IDE). 

Additionally, in November 2017, the CCG also delivered a training course on Storytelling Techniques with senior people at the Dar Suad Al-A’zamy Association. Consisting of eight training hours, a total of 22 male and female senior people benefited from the training event. 

The CCG organised a science lecture on Simulation in Teaching Science using the Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) Methodology in education. Held in collaboration with the Islamic University, 150 female students of the Faculty of Science attended the lecture. In the context of the Library Week event, the CCG Technical Services Unit organised a workshop on the importance of reading at the Salah Khalaf School. 

 

The CCG hosted a series of activities, events, and services which targeted children, parents and professionals who work with children. Of these activities, Dardashat (Parents Chats) programme brought together 108 mothers in 21 encounters. The programme aimed at engaging parents and raising their awareness of the significant role they play in change management within society. 

A total of 18,937 children under 6 years of age and parents participated in the CCG activities. These focused on promoting the habit of reading since early age and bolstering the relationship between children and parents, particularly mothers, with a view to consolidating their role as first teachers of their children. Implemented activities included Storytelling; I Play, Explore and Learn; What Happens if?; I Read and Play with my Child; Letters and Numbers; Free Play; Movement within Movement; and We Have Fun with Stories. 

A workshop on STEAM brought together 14 parents and 3rd grade students. Addressing themes in science and art, the workshop was tailored to introduce the features of environments through worksheets, science films, use of brainstorming techniques, and mantle of the expert. In the workshop, children made inventions that relied on, and were informed by, features that help living beings to adapt to various environments. To this end, children used science films and flash cards. 

Parent encounters were a key activity, which the CCG implemented at beneficiary KGs of the ECCD project, Setting the Foundation for Future Cognitive, Social, Emotional, and Physical Development of Children. This activity was also carried out at beneficiary schools of the Improved Education project, funded by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). The programme achieved several objectives, including raising parents’ awareness in educational, social and health areas. Parent encounters addressed several themes, most notably Child Nutrition; Behaviour Modification; My Child can Express Himself/Herself; and Stages of Child Development. At 14 KGs, five themes were addressed in parent encounters, benefiting 1,159 mothers. Another three themes were introduced at five elementary schools in Central Gaza, targeting 159 parents, including 14 fathers and 145 mothers. 

Targeting children under 6 years of age, the CCG Atelier featured activities that aimed at developing children’s sense of art and develop their fine motor skills. To this end, 10 main activities were carried out: A Needle and Thread; Something from Nothing; Gouache Painting for Kids; Paper within Paper; Mosaic; Free Painting; Art Crafts; Sticks; A Painting and a Piece of Information; and Open Atelier for All Groups. A total of 18,963 children, most of whom were with their fathers or mothers, took part in these activities. 

After they learned the basic principles of painting, a number of mothers engaged in the Art of Colouring course. Having been introduced to acrylic and water colours, mothers developed their theoretical and practical experience of the art of colouring, use of brushes, and colouring a portrait on canvas. Participants managed to paint and colour a collection of paintings, which simulated the silent and living nature, as well as portraits of world and local famous painters. 

The CCG also organised a course on puppet making to help mothers to make puppets for their children. Participants, including 12 ladies, learned how to cut, stuff and sew puppets perfectly. They managed to produce a collection of puppets of different sizes, including puppets in the form of children or animals. Participants were extremely happy when they gave the puppets they had made to their children and played with them. 

Almost 240 children and parents participated in the Science for Toddlers activity, which introduced children to a set of concepts, skills, and perceptions that improve their knowledge of science both simply and smoothly. By carrying our simple science experiments with the participation of parents, this activity was set to improve healthy behaviour and habits among children and satisfy their curiosity for exploration and discovery. It furnished an opportunity for parents to share information with their children and with the parents of other children. 

In summer 2017, the CCG also organised Sesame and the Computer activity in the CCG Computer Lab. This activity is among the most attractive to parents and their children under 6 years of age. It contributes to consolidating relationships between parents and children through a set of recreational and educational games for toddlers. On average, 10 parents (fathers and mothers) and children were engaged in each activity. 

A total of 12,861 children visited the CCG and participated in a wide range of activities and events. The CCG implemented the Reading is Life event, whereby the CCG library received 463 children from educational institutions and schools. These children watched the Hakawati (Storytelling) and Shadow Theatre events. Additionally, in October 2017, the CCG received dozens of school children during the Library Week. In tours around the CCG premises, students were briefed about the Centre and the services it delivered. Many reading activities were also organised, including Hakawati, Shadow of Tales, cultural competitions, reading books and stories, film screenings, and IT, science and art activities. 

Celebrating the World Arabic Language Day 2017, the CCG organised a language, poetry and storytelling festival, which brought together 370 children of participating schools and of the CCG. In collaboration with the Goethe Institute, the CCG also launched the Talking Point project with the aim of strengthening linkages between the Palestinian and German cultures and creating a productive cultural dialogue. 

An audience of more than 1,000 people participated in the closing ceremony of Summer 2017 events, which featured a variety of culture and art activities. In addition to the theatre, the audience participated in accompanying activities (Art, Science and IT Exhibition). The CCG also received and briefed the audience about the products made by children in the summer. 

The CCG participation in the SDP and Science Film Festival 2017 revolved around the theme of the Anthropocene age, which focused on human impact on life and nature. This theme was reflected in several activities, including clean environmental solutions, construction challenge, optical illusion room, IT, and creative science spaces. It also featured activities of medicine, health, physics, chemistry, and amazing light. In addition, science films, which introduced many scientific ideas in a fun way, were screened and discussed. More than 3,300 visitors enjoyed presentations in the SDP and Science Film Festival 2017. 

For the first time, the CCG organised a chess tournament, in which 62 children participated. Organised in collaboration with the Young Palestinian Filmmakers Society, the 4th International Young Filmmakers Festival screened seven films by filmmakers from Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon, Norway, and Greece. 

On the occasion of the Palestinian reconciliation, children of the Qattan Choir sang Mawtini (My Homeland)  Peace to Gaza in the context of the CCG-sponsored event, Palestine Unites Us. The event was concluded with the carnival of colours, which both old and young people participated in. 

In the context of the Promotion of Reading campaign, the CCG organised What the Land Says events. Implemented in partnership with the Tamer Institute for Community Education, the event engaged more than 250 children from six schools. For the third year in a row, CCG children participated in the Sea and Freedom carnival, curated by the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music. In addition, the closing ceremony of Wjad Project (2nd year) was observed in April 2017. The launching ceremony of the CCG Mobile Library project was held in October 2017. 

The CCG continued to work on projects co-funded by the Bank of Palestine, SCI, Welfare Association, and NRC. An agreement on the Non-curricular Activities for Children of the Wajd Project (Year 3) was also signed with the Welfare Association. 

During the reporting period, with a view to expanding networking and collaboration opportunities, the CCG hosted a number of foreign delegations which participated in many CCG events. The most notable of these were visits by Yachar Nafissi-Azar, Deputy Head of Mission of the Representative Office of Switzerland to Palestine; the Papal Mission; Takeshi Okubo, Japanese Ambassador for Palestinian Affairs and Representative of Japan to Palestine; a delegation of the Representative Office of Germany and Goethe Institute in the launching event of Talking Point project; and Andrew Karney from MAP UK. The CCG also received the Palestinian Minister of Culture, Ihab Bseiso, along with a delegation from the Ministry of Culture. In addition, the CCG participated in the reception of the Consul of France on the occasion of the French National Day. The CCG attended a farewell party for Anthony Bruno, former Director of the French Cultural Centre, and met with the new Director Pierre Chevalier