Jonas Foundation

A second chance

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  • Switzerland
    • Le Choeur « Jonas », Genève
  • Camps
  • Permanent Projects
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      • Project at a Carehome
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    • Paris StDenis
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    • Kyrgyzstan
  • Past temporary projects
    • «Musik, Theater, Freude» – SOS Children’s Villages, Berlin
    • Camps for children with special needs in Armenia
    • Puppet workshop for the children of Gaza-City
    • Drama Workshops towards a nonviolent culture, Ramallah
    • Dance and drumming classes for youngsters who have been traumatised by violence, Tel Aviv
    • Music therapy for children with autism, Haïfa
    • Russia, St Petersburg
    • Madagascar, Africa
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Drama Workshops towards a nonviolent culture, Ramallah

Project director: Kathy Bergen, Project Coordinator for the  «Friends International Center in Ramallah» (FICR) (Building for a culture of peace and nonviolence).

Drama workshop with Faten Khoury, actress and Drama Trainer
Project Coordinator in Europe: Peter Rayner, director of the project “Music in a carehome”, England.

Objectives of the Project: Through drama workshops we will ask the hard questions about violent or non-violent resistance. The objective of the project is not to give the answers, but to ask the questions and through the workshops, encourage the participants to explore the answers for themselves. These workshops will not resolve any dispute or may not change lives immediately for the participants.
Change happens slowly whether change in attitude or action, but the workshops will be apart of change of attitudes and action over a period of time through listening, self-expression and dialogue.

Target groups: Youth between the ages 18-22.
15-20 youth from the Ramallah area will be selected to participate in a 10-day workshop.
Interested participants will need to apply by filling in an application in order to become a participant. A selection committee of three persons (actor|trainer, a representative from an organization that works with youth, program coordinator of the Friends Center) will decide on the final participants.

In phase one, 10 workshops will be held with the participants. Each workshop focuses on the topics of:
Team-building; make participants aware of the types of violence; becoming aware of violence; learning to deal with violence in our lives; to listen to each other; to analyze; to act: to find an action that will promote alternatives to violence; “What can we do to solve the problems in Palestine?” – to create two scenes; using the tools of nonviolence through theatre; “How can we apply these ideas in our society?” – openess to dialogue –

We will implement phase one by:
Evaluating the experience of the participants – were their expectations met and how did the workshops change their perceptions of non-violent resistance and life in general.
Deciding with the participants to prepare a small presentation as a result of what they learned and shared in the workshops and then present this to a special community group of their choosing.
Recommending future activities for the group to continue learning together.

In the future, the project might be extended to youth coming from other areas,creating opportunities for youth coming from different backgrounds – such as Palestinians inside Israel, Palestinians from the West Banks, and Palestinians from Jerusalem – to meet and share.
It could be extended to youth living in Israel and, through the arts – theatre, music, writing, painting, sculpture, drama – develop self-esteem and be an inspiration towards dialogue.

kathy_ramallah
Kathy Bergen in the garden of Ramallah Friends Meetinghouse.

News

  • Carolina: Master’s thesis!
  • 4th February, Gstaad: Fundraising Concert
  • Océane Masters degree and Prix Arditi!
  • Jerusalem: Jonas Alumni at the «Alleluia» festival
  • Jonas student at the Davidsbündler Music Academy in The Hague

Special piano concerts – CD available


The CD of a concert of Rati Skhirtladze’s (13 years) and his teachers Natia Beraia Taktakishvlili and Dachi Taktakishvili is available – order here: info@jonasfoundation.org
The concerts took place in Switzerland (Berne, Bioley-Magnoux, Geneva) from 12th to 15th March 2015.
On the program: Liszt, Chopin, Ravel, Lagidze.

Donations

You would like to donate? More informations you can find here.

Middle East

Drama workshops in Ramallah (Kathy Bergen, Faten Khoury) – Read more

Milman Center, Haifa

Musictherapy for children suffering from autism at the Milman Center, Haifa. Read more

Armenia: Integration of disabled children

The Jonas Foundation supports the project “Art for Inclusion” in Armenia. Documentary films: "I am a hero", "If you have wings" and "Only love". Read more

Paris-StDenis, France

The Jonas Music Class at Collège Pierre-de-Geyter, StDenis, France. Read more

London Music School

Read more about our music school.

Puzzle «Creation»

«The Creation», a painting in form of a huge puzzle! A piece of art put together by handicapped children and children from the Bernese Oberland (summer 2007). During the International Year 2008 of the Earth, «The Creation» was hosted by the International Airport Geneva at Gate A8. Read more

June 2006: UN Human Rights Council

Jonas Choir UN Geneva
19th June: The «Jonas Singers» sing with the «Petits Chanteurs de la Cathédrale» at the first Session of the Human Rights Council, United Nations, Geneva. Young singers from countries as varied as Iran, Zimbabwe, Angola, Rwanda, Cameroun, Bulgaria, Germany, United Kingdom, France and Switzerland, have been invited to sing at the first Session of the Human Rights Council.

Jonas Foundation · CH–1407 Bioley-Magnoux · info@jonasfoundation.org