In response to the continued and escalating violence in Palestine, the Woodcraft Folk stands united in calling for an immediate ceasefire.
The call for a ceasefire is not just a plea for peace; it’s a stand against human rights violations. As a children’s rights organisation, we passionately oppose any harm inflicted upon all. Children and young people in particular should not be subjected to the horrors of war, nor should they witness genocide unfolding on the internet.
Our co-operative values call for solidarity with those suffering. This echoes the sentiment expressed by our members through marches and groups actively engaged in advocacy, as well as our friends across borders in IFM-SEI.
The violence in Palestine implicates us all, not just in solidarity but in responsibility. The arms trade in the UK directly contributes to continued violence, militarisation and occupation. We acknowledge the International Court of Justice’s call for Israel to take all possible measures to prevent genocidal acts, and we believe that this call extends to us in the UK too. Silence in the face of injustice is complicity.
We extend our solidarity not only to those in Palestine but also to people living in violence globally, including in Congo, Sudan, and Yemen.
Let this statement serve as an appeal to our members, allies, and the general public to join us in denouncing ongoing violence, and advocating for a just and lasting ceasefire and an end to occupation.
Resources
In our last Palestine statement we shared some resources that our volunteer teams may find useful when supporting our young members as as they respond to news stories and social media reports, answering their questions and facilitating discussions on:
- Peace, remembrance
- Peaceful solutions to conflict
- Social media & propaganda
- Mental wellbeing and healthy responses to trauma and conflict
- Influencing decision makers and social action
We are sharing these below again as a reminder and have also included a further few resources that we hope you will find useful.
- Peace Communicators – educational toolkit and further activities found here on peace and conflict
- Growing with Greif toolkit together with other group night activities here.
- IFM SEI Anti- Racism toolkit. The section on Activism maybe useful to explore with groups for ideas on how to create advocacy campaigns to support Palestine. The topic ‘How to be an Alley’ would also be suitable to explore
Please tag us on Woodcraft Folk’s socials with any other peace activities you explore with your group in relation Palestine so that we can share them with other groups.
Together, let us embody the values of peace, co-operation, and international friendship that define Woodcraft Folk.
Woodcraft Folk, General Council
