In February 2024, B8 of Hope hosted ten Palestinian and Israeli alumni of New Story Leadership for a seven-day working retreat in Geneva. Joined by New Story Leadership’s director, staff, and a facilitator, the group built on a project they had begun remotely several months earlier: the Phoenix Plan, a jointly developed framework for Gaza’s reconstruction and the broader future of the region.
Local families in Geneva hosted the participants throughout the week. Alongside intensive work on their shared vision, the group learned about Swiss democracy, met members of B8 of Hope’s Executive and Advisory Boards, and exchanged ideas with other peacebuilding practitioners. The retreat gave participants something increasingly difficult to find for Israeli and Palestinian activists: sustained time together to think, debate, and create across borders.
Through research, mentorship, and direct conversations with peacebuilders, B8 of Hope’s Educational Immersive Experience helps young people approach Israel and Palestine with curiosity, empathy, and the confidence to question easy answers.
Amira Mohammed and Evelyn Uzan of Unapologetic: The Third Narrative, an initiative supported by B8 of Hope, engaged more than 130 students at Institut Le Rosey, Institut Sainte-Marcelline, and the International School of Geneva in open and challenging conversations about identity, narrative, and polarization.
Three co-founders of our grantee EMDR4Peace led a workshop at FIFDH exploring individual and collective trauma—and how therapeutic practice can create space for dialogue across deeply divided communities.