Jericho's treasures discovered

New education is changing how children in Jericho view their cultural heritage and themselves.

HU lecturer and researcher Bart Wagemakers developed an educational project for young people in Jericho, a city in the Palestinian Territories, with Palestinian partner Hamdan Taha and HU students. Bart: "Since its establishment in the 1990s, the Palestinian Authority has been responsible for building up public services in the area, including education. And that process takes place under difficult conditions and experiences challenges. At the same time, the Palestinian Territories are home to unique cultural heritage, including very special archaeological 'treasures'. In Jericho, for instance, archaeologists have uncovered the remains of one of the oldest cities in the world. The history associated with this archaeological site is also the history of the people living here today. But knowledge among local youth about their unique environment is limited." Bart has extensive experience in heritage education and has built a large network in Israel and the Palestinian Territories. "In collaboration with Palestinian partners I wanted to provide support with HU students by developing an educational project on cultural heritage. So that young people in Jericho will feel more connected to their surroundings and will get involved in preserving their cultural heritage."

 

Students get to work on their own

They learn to look into their environment in a practical way

Students share ideas

"With our project, we want to show young people that they have a relationship with their environment: the environment influences them, but they also influence their environment. Only when you experience that, will you start advocating for your environment. We wanted to create and decided to involve the students in Jericho from the start. We asked them what they want to learn about their environment. That also revealed themes we had not thought of ourselves. For example: which animals live in Jericho? But also: what consequences does climate change have for Jericho? Whereas in the Netherlands we worry about floods, in Jericho they need a solution to the growing water shortage. Students also indicated that they want to learn in an active and practical way. They want to hear as little instructions as possible from the lecturer and discover as many things on their own as possible."

 

What do you want to learn and how do you want to learn?

Students think about their own education

Successful approach

All education professionals that are involved in this project indicate that this learning approach and the developed materials have made students very enthusiastic and engaged. The students themselves are also positive. The education was born after all out of their interest, intrinsic motivation and desire to learn. The fact that they are so enthusiastic about what they are learning and the way they are learning is reflected in the community of Jericho. Bart: "There are examples of children telling family members what they learnt about Jericho's history during the project, after which grandparents would pull out photo books to show what Jericho used to look like in the past. Or a student who told at home what he had learned about the animals that live in Jericho, after which his father said: come on, get in the car. We'll go visit the local beekeeper. That was the first time he went into nature with his father. So, you can see that education really can stirs things up ."

 

Knowledge of place is important everywhere

Education framework is globally applicable

Applicable everywhere

"The design of this project (the framework) is applicable anywhere, as long as it is adapted to local conditions," said Bart. HU alumna Minke Huijbregts participated in the project as an honours student: "I am eager to deploy it in the Netherlands. It is important everywhere, including the Netherlands, for young people to know and feel connected to their living environment. That they see what is unique about that environment and that they want to commit to it. Because that is what this project does: it helps them to develop a vision of the past, present and future of their place. And it encourages them to think how they themselves can make a valuable contribution to it. Young people who want to engage positively with their environment can make a huge difference anywhere in the world." 

 

Credits

Research, education and practice converge

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