On Thursday night, about 70 students participated in the “Israel, Palestine, and Me: Student Forum for Reflection and Dialogue” event. They were able to discuss current events in Gaza and Israel in a safe and welcoming space.
The event was hosted by the School of Communication and the School of Peace and Conflict. Their goal was to create a dialogue for students to have constructive conversations.
Johanna Solomon, assistant professor in the School of Peace and Conflict Studies, served as a facilitator during the event, keeping students’ feelings and emotions regarding conflict in mind when approaching the conversation.
“We are all part of Kent State University, and we almost all agree that we want other Kent State students and people to feel included and safe,” Solomon said. Told. “And that can at least give us space to have difficult conversations.”
During the event, discussion guidelines were presented to all students in a large room. After the guidelines were clarified, he split into four smaller groups with the larger group in separate rooms.
“The important thing is to give students time to at least connect as people who are affected by what’s going on in the Middle East,” Solomon said. “I hope this is just the beginning of the conversation and not the end.”
In smaller groups, students discussed events in Gaza and Israel in more depth with the guidance of a facilitator.
Jamil Al Wekian, a professor at the School of Peace and Conflict Studies, facilitated the event and felt it was his duty as a professor to help students fight disinformation.
“Our goal is clear: to create a more pluralistic society where everyone is welcome, regardless of their background,” Al Wekian said. “We also want our students to dispel some of the misinformation being spread by the news media.”
Al Wekian said she believes the event was necessary and wanted to bring together a variety of students from different backgrounds to break down barriers and allay fears.
After small group discussions, students returned to one large group to reflect on what they learned and share lessons learned from the event.
Chris Abuelias, a sophomore peace and conflict studies major, attended the event to alleviate his fears as an Arab student and to meet other people who want to create peace.
“I’m really grateful to the professors in the School of Peace and Conflict Studies for taking this initiative because a lot of times you see this kind of dialogue not happening,” Abuelias said. said. “It’s mostly TikTok, an addictive algorithm that only shows you what you want to see and doesn’t really listen to how people are affected.”
Abuelias said his biggest takeaway from the event was the need to understand and humanize people, and he felt the conversation was a good starting point.
Another student, senior computer science major Yaseen Shaikh, said the event was a restorative experience for him during a time of immense conflict.
“It’s rather refreshing compared to the recent response, which was basically a lot of yelling and screaming,” he said. “A lot of people were trying to scream at each other.”
Shaikh said the event provided a way for students, including himself, to foster and engage in insightful conversations to learn more.
“I think this event did what the university is supposed to do, which is to broaden people’s horizons, encourage them to challenge their own preconceptions and prejudices, and help them accept, or at least become comfortable with, other points of view.” he said. . “I think we accomplished our purpose.”
Adriana Quinlan is a reporter. To contact her, [email protected].
Vanessa Davidson is a reporter. To contact her, [email protected].