The organization Children, Play and Education (EJE) is preparing the second play festival (The first one was in Bethlehem in October 2009) which will held in Palestine under the slogan “Let’s all play” from the 13 to April 15, 2010 in the Spanish Garden in Jericho, in cooperation with the municipality and the Jericho District.
This annual festival will mark the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the signing of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Palestinian Child Day.
The festival opens from 11 am to 4 pm. Organizations working with children, international and local institutions, UNRWA and governmental schools, as well as local communities in Palestine and the people of Jericho will be invited.
During the festival, more than 120 educational games will be displayed. The large range of the games will ensure that all visitors from all ages and groups can find the festival interesting and entertaining. In fact, that would be a unique opportunity for many to discover these games as they remain almost unknown in Palestine.
These games will be divided into three main areas: “scientific games”, “rule games”, and “wood games” (many of these wood games were made by Palestinian children and animators themselves during previous EJE workshop).
As during the previous edition, the children themselves who have been previously trained, together with some EJE animators and experts, will be responsible for presenting the games.
EJE has also specifically trained more than 60 volunteers from the Jericho area in preparation for the festival and its activities.
The Festival will also include educational seminars on the subject of “playing” and its impact on the educational process and how make use of such games. These seminars will be held in the Municipal Theatre at 4 pm.
The festival of aims at spreading the culture of playing and at raising awareness of the Palestinian community about the importance of playing and its beneficial impact on the children by giving everyone the chance to play games .
Building on the great success at the first play Festival in addition to active participation in the play festival in the Shufat refugee camp in January 2010, EJE will continue to organize play festivals in the future. Another festival is already planned in the city of Hebron later this year.
Contact: Bashir, coordinator 0598151959, email:info@ejepal.org
