Creative Voices: When Youth Expression Becomes Action

“Art is not a mirror held up to reality, but a hammer with which to shape it. “

– Bertolt Brecht

On Friday, 30 January 2026, Holy Land Trust launched the first training session of the Creative Voices project, marking the beginning of a series of 18 training sessionsimplemented in partnership with the Greek Catholic Patriarchate School Peter Nettekoven in Beit Sahour and targeting 10th-grade students.

Creative Voices aims to strengthen students’ skills in leadership, community responsibility, mental health awareness, advocacy, debate, and self-expression, through an interactivelearning journey that uses creativity and art as tools for positive change .

Throughout the project, students will design and implement creative community initiatives addressing issues relevant to their school and local community, including:

Bullying prevention

Mental health and wellbeing

Creating safe spaces for dialogue and expression

Youth participation and civic responsibility

These initiatives provide students with a platform to become active contributors to their communities and agents of positive change, reinforcing the role of youth as partners in building inclusive and resilient societies .

Follow us to stay updated on the project’s upcoming activities and student-led initiatives.

Towards Safer Communities and Preserving Human Dignity

As part of the implementation of the Community Preparedness project, the first meeting of the project’s Technical Working Group (TWG) was held at the Holy Land Trust office in Bethlehem. The meeting marked the start of developing a comprehensive training curriculum for teams and personnel of the Palestinian Civil Police and the Palestinian Civil Defense .

The training curriculum focuses primarily on de-escalation of settler attacks by equipping Palestinian citizens with practical tools, guidance, and clear instructions on how to respond during incidents of violence. This includes measures to protect lives, ensure personal safety, and reduce physical and material harm resulting from such attacks.

In parallel, the curriculum places strong emphasis on effective and responsible documentation of violations, including preserving the crime scene, documenting incidents in a professional and ethical manner, and submitting testimonies and complaints through official and accredited channels in ways that ensure protection and do not expose individuals to further risk or harm.

Within this framework, the training gives particular importance to preserving the dignity of Palestinian citizens , through providing guidance on mental health, psychological first aid, and trauma-informed approaches . These components aim to mitigate the psychological impact of violence, strengthen coping mechanisms, and enhance individual and collective resilience.

The overall goal of the project is to strengthen protection, resilience, and trust within Palestinian communities in Areas B and C by enhancing participation, coordination, and direct engagement with Palestinian security forces. This is achieved through fostering direct interaction between civilians and security personnel, strengthening emergency preparedness capacities, and integrating trauma-informed approaches within the security sector.

This project is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands and implemented in partnership with the Palestinian Civil Police, the Palestinian Civil Defense, and the Office of the Security Coordinator (OSC).

By supporting Holy Land Trust’s programs, you help create safe spaces where young people can express themselves, build confidence, and contribute positively to their communities.

Your support enables initiatives that transform creativity into action and strengthen community resilience.

We believe that when young people are trusted, supported, and heard, positive change becomes possible.

Said Durzi Zarzar,

TRAVEL & ENCOUNTER PROGRAM MANAGER

Holy Land Trust