Campaign overview
Goal: Peace and protection of children in Gaza is promoted by Woodcraft Folk
Aims:
- The UK government suspends all military sales and transfers to Israel, including parts for weapons such as F-35 fighter jets
- The UK government enables humanitarian programmes in Gaza
- Children in the UK are educated about ecocide and genocide, and make informed decisions about campaigning for peace and the protection of children
- The Woodcraft Folk fosters international cooperation and solidarity by linking with youth organisations with similar values and principles in Palestine/Israel
Objectives:
- 50 groups and/or Districts send collective letters to their MPs, reinforcing the organisation’s letter to the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary, by June 2026 (see the government’s response in Appendix 3 below).
- 100 Elfins, 100 Pioneers, 100 Venturers and 100 DFs take part in at least one educational activity about Palestine by June 2026.
- Ten Districts take part in collective actions promoting peace and protection of children in Gaza by June 2026.
- Woodcraft Folk Districts and regions forge relationships leading to the hosting of two youth groups from Palestine/Israel on regional or Woodcraft-wide camps in 2027-30.
Strategy:
If you are a group leader and you want to support this campaign but you only have capacity to undertake one action, please consider doing this:
- MAKE A GOOD GROUP NIGHT. Choose an indoor group night where the children attending are vocal about fairness and safety (expecting the maturity appropriate for their age).
- HAVE FUN. Prepare an activity related to peace and protection, using our Games Games Games resources, for instance:
- Peace words (Elfins)
- Barriers to Peace (Pioneers)
- Conflict Onion (Venturers)
- Peace crane origami
- Look for other activities on the subject of international friendship
- DISCUSS. The most important part of the session is the debrief which may take five minutes to half an hour. In the debrief, sit in a circle to ask the children to give examples of wars they know about. Ask them what could be done for peace and for protecting children from attacks by powerful armies. If only a handful of children stay for the debrief, prepare a craft such as origami as a back-up activity. Sometimes it is more accessible for a debate to take place while having something to do with one’s hands at the same time.
- TAKE ACTION. Offer several options of actions to take to support peace and protection of children in Gaza:
- Decorate a public space with peace cranes, with messages from Woodcraft Folk children
- Send a letter to your MP (model letter below)
- Write a friendship letter to our affiliated Palestinian youth organisation, see list of IFM friends here.
- Seeds for Development and Culture “Bothoor”, and share it by facebook
- Take letter-writing action for the release of a conscientious objector, for instance https://www.amnesty.org.uk/urgent-actions/israel-release-conscientious-objector OR https://www.refuser.org/refuser-updates/2025/8/27/18-year-old-jailed-for-refusing-israels-genocide
- DOCUMENT. Let the children decide which of the action(s) they want to take, if any. Please take a photo of the activity, with consent, and share with Folk Office. You will inspire others! Attach photos and captions to the Communications Request Form and email comms@woodcraft.org.uk; lauren.penny@woodcraft.org.uk; education.groups@woodcraft.org.uk . In social media, use #WoodcraftFolk4Palestine.
You can find the full resource pack here, filled with activities and information to share with groups of all ages.