More than 300 Jewish and Arab children celebrated coexistence on May 22 at the concluding event of the “Under the Same Green Roof” project, led by the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation and generously funded by USAID. In celebration of their joint work throughout the year, the children enjoyed a special outdoor activity in Pardes Hanna that included art projects with natural materials and recycling.

For the past three years, the Peres Center trained 120 young leaders (10th grade) from Jewish and Arab communities in Kfar Saba, Kfar Qassem, Kadima Zoran and Tira, who have attended bilingual meetings together about peace and sustainability education. These young leaders bring the 865 sixth- and seventh-graders together under the important issue of climate and sustainability.

The “Under the Same Green Roof” project works in full cooperation with the Kfar Saba and Kfar Qassem municipalities. The connection to these municipalities helps instill educational values for coexistence, accepting the other and solving common problems affecting the next generation.

At the event, Efrat Duvdevani, director general of the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, said, “I am happy to be here, and send out a message of hope and coexistence from these inspiring young leaders. I hope that as a society we can all learn from them and find ways to focus on the things that bring us together and not apart. This project represents the essence of our values at the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, and I am proud we had the opportunity to lead it.”

The Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, founded in 1996 by the late Israeli President Shimon Peres, develops and implements impactful and meaningful programs with a focus on promoting a prosperous Israel, nurturing and highlighting Israeli innovation, and paving the way for shared-living between all of Israel’s citizens and lasting peace between Israel and its neighbors.