Bir Zeit Center

(Living Stones)

Established in 2003, Living Stones is a resource center for students of Bir Zeit University providing them with access to academic, cultural, and Christian materials through the use of the internet, a library, a study center, evenings of poetry, film and music, topical seminars, a café and Bible studies.
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Tel 02-2811271

Projects

Living Stones Students’ Center and Project:

Project Summary
    
This project has two distinct components.  Throughout the day, the staff work with local youth.  They present visual art programs in various schools and organize sports activities, summer camps, youth leadership training and various seminars.  In the evening, the staff open the Living Stones Student Center to university students.  The center provides these students a place to meet, socialize, use the internet or attend special musical presentations, poetry and prose readings, art exhibitions, and meals during religious holidays.

Background
    
The people of the Palestinian territories are suffering from socio-economic hardship, and the observed trend is towards a tightening of restrictions for them. Restrictions on the movement of Palestinian goods, workers, businessmen, officials and public service providers have intensified dramatically. This has resulted in an isolation of Gaza, while the West Bank has been divided into small pockets. Checkpoints and roads reserved for settlers physically divide up the area.

Within this context, PBS has identified a number of needs among the youth and university students in the Bir Zeit area. These include:

Needs

• Positive role models of servant-leadership.
• Curriculum activities during non-school (open) days.
• Micro-enterprise opportunities
• Time management training.
• Communication and interaction opportunities with people of other faiths or nationalities.