Middle East Children Association

Groups

MECA's founders receive UNESCO's prize

Ms. Joni Orbach, from Jerusalem, has an MA in Education.  She has a BA in History and Education and is certified as a mediator.  Joni taught history at the American International School, at the Young Judean Year Course in Jerusalem and at Yeshiva University High School for Boys in New York.  Joni is a trained and experienced mediator in community, small claims and restorative justice mediation. She volunteers at Mosaica, a community mediation center in Jerusalem. Joni has coordinated the facilitation at MECA since 2001.     

Dr. Ghassan Abdullah, from Ramallah, is a lecturer of  Education and Psychology.  He spent many years as Director of the Center for Applied Research in Education (CARE), a Palestinian organization that develops enrichment materials and training programs for Palestinian schools.  He has been involved in Palestinian-Israeli dialogue since the mid-1980s.  He is the author of several workbooks for Palestinian students among them the “Turtles Strategy” – A teacher’s manual for conflict resolution which was also translated into Hebrew. Also prepared a translation into Arabic of the Hague Appeal for Peace book titled “Time to Abolish War”.  In 2005 published the "Anti-Hate Education Manual"