Interview with Participants Odile, Roga, Leeba & Kathy - 'Exchanging Thoughts'

Four girls sit in a park in Jaffa. While eating an ice-cream, Odile (23), Liba (19), Roga (19) and Kathy (27) talk about their lives, their expectations, and their different identities.

Odile, from Belgium, is here because she cares about peace and wants to feel that people can live together despite their differences. She lives in the French speaking part of Belgium, and she has only recently (3 years ago) made Flemish friends. From that moment she discovered what being a Belgian is all about. Through UM4P activities and exchanges she realized that everyone can be enriched by the different cultures that surround them.

Liba, and Roga both Israelis, have been doing a year of community service at Sadaka- Reut. During this year they lived in an Arab-Jewish commune in Jaffa and volunteered in different places in the city. Their involvement in this exchange is one of the last projects of this year.

Liba, has known that she doesn't want to go to the army for the last few years. In her opinion the army does not only defend the people of its country, but is also used to occupy. Its actions are many times brutal, immoral and very destructive. Liba also feels that the militarization of Israeli society is dangerous and harmful. She managed to be exempted from the army and decided to contribute to her society in a different way which she does believe in.

Roga decided not to go to the army after a long process of introspection. This decision is not acceptable in her country, where going to the army is a normal part of life. For her it's essential to find a way to act according to her own values and believes, even though it's not what society expects from her.

For Kathy, a Dutch girl living in Belgium, this kind of exchange helps her to form ideas on how promoting social change can be a part of daily life. Sharing stories and experiences and being with like-minded people inspires her. Learning more about the realities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been important for her. In her eyes we should be aware of the things that go on in this world and be responsible 'world citizens'.

After finishing their ice cream, they go back to the day's activity, keeping the conversation in their minds.


Kathy, Odile, Roga and Liba
Angelique (pictures)