Popular Engagement Work
In our efforts to foster popular engagement, our goal is to inform, educate, and inspire dialogue, understanding, and cooperation between Danes and Palestinians. We are determined to challenge prevailing media narratives and stereotypes by sharing constructive and diverse stories about our partners, programs, art, and culture in Palestine and Denmark.
Our audience comprises individuals living in, having connections to, or expressing interest in Denmark, Palestine, or the Middle East. We’ve already reached many, and now we aim to involve them more actively. We provide diverse opportunities for popular engagement, varying in depth and intensity to accommodate different levels of involvement, such as supporting, connecting, participating, and joining us on social media. Whether it’s liking, sharing, or engaging with our content, signing up for our newsletter, making a donation, becoming a member of the support association, participating in a journey to Palestine with your Folk High School, working as a volunteer at one of our partner organizations, getting involved as a volunteer at the Danish House, doing an internship with us, participating in the General Assembly, getting elected to the board, or entering a professional and committed collaboration with us and our partner organizations – there’s a meaningful way for everyone to engage with us.
Children, young people, learning and creativity
This program is dedicated to enhancing the resilience of young girls and boys, women, and men, contributing to the advancement of quality education in Palestine. For the youth involved, it is a journey toward finding their voices, fostering courage, and building self-confidence through transformative learning experiences that unleash their creativity.
Participation in artistic and cultural productions becomes a platform for developing essential qualities such as persistence, discipline, self-control, and collaboration. These activities play a crucial role in identity formation, network building, and the accumulation of social capital — all vital elements for fostering resilience.
The programs extend outreach to hard-to-reach communities, focusing on strengthening the literary skills of young readers and writers. Exposure to literary fiction serves as a window and mirror, expanding the world of children and young people. Literature offers a profound understanding of humanity, fostering empathy and self-discovery through identification with fictional characters.
Building on the shared traditions of children’s literature in Palestine and Denmark, this initiative involves translating and publishing Danish and Palestinian literature for young audiences. Creative learning and training programs target young children, emphasizing inclusion and outreach with a specific program for community centers in hard-to-reach communities. Key partners include cultural practitioners and Danish librarians.
Additionally, the program focuses on enhancing the cultural capabilities of the most marginalized girls and boys through the creation of community-based safe spaces. These spaces enable the exercise of freedom of expression through cultural activities like drama, circus, music, sports, and dance, organized by volunteers and organizations. Young cultural entrepreneurs will be trained to lead these activities, emphasizing awareness of gender equality and child protection. The initiative also supports international festivals in Palestine and the participation of Danish cultural practitioners.
Fostering Cultural Empowerment: Support for Civil Society in Palestine
In Palestine, a resilient and dynamic civil society actively advocates for creativity, cultural expression, and freedom. However, this sector faces significant pressures from various forces and dynamics. We are committed to supporting our partners in creating an enabling environment that contributes to freedom of expression and cultural vitality in Palestine.
The challenges are formidable, with Palestinian civil society organizations enduring smear campaigns, artists facing threats, and the shutdown of artistic productions. Legal frameworks, government support, and infrastructure are insufficient to address these issues adequately.
The Danish House reaffirms its commitment to supporting Palestinian civil society organizations involved in the arts and culture. A fundamental aspect of many of our projects is to provide high-quality learning opportunities and professional development through transnational collaborations involving artists, cultural practitioners, and academics from both Palestine and Denmark. We are also actively engaged with partners to address infrastructure needs and enhance outreach efforts, among other crucial elements.
Become a member of the support association of the Danish House in Palestine or make a donation and contribute to our work.
NEWSLETTER
Do you want international experience from the Middle East? Are you interested in gaining relevant work experience? Do you want to learn about the situation in Palestine?