Goals

• On this project we hope to explore our relationship with ourselves, with others and with the world in which we live.
• We want to learn about Israel and Palestine as a means of gaining a greater understanding of the current global political climate and of ourselves.
• We hope to explore non-violence as an active means of creating social change and enhancing our own lives.
• We hope to more closely resemble the people we wish to become, genuinely changing our lives and having a great impact on the lives of the people we meet and all those who live in the Middle East. We want to bring peace to the region, no matter how small. We want to remind ourselves, and each other, to embrace life.
• Everyone will have their own goals and we will help and support each other in achieving them. Whether that is to learn the basics of a new language, to write a book, to play an instrument or to discover their life goals, we will endeavor to do encourage everyone involved.
• We hope to share a beautiful experience and create memories that will never die.

This trip is about learning to live our lives in the best ways we can.

Not only does this mean minimizing our negative impact on others but also doing whatever we can, however we can, to make the world a better place for all.

Because our main goal is learning - and because this is often qualitative in nature - we will manage to achieve this simply by exposing ourselves to experience. Basically, we cannot 'fail'. If everything seems to go wrong, we will find ourselves exposed to a golden opportunity for learning.

Our learning - as with other aspects of the trip - will occur on various levels and in many different ways. At times it will be quantitative - where we will actually be able to 'see' what we have learned. This could be a few words in a new language or the entire history of the Middle East. Perhaps we will learn about the various indigenous peoples we will meet along the way. Maybe we will find the answer as to where the role of the individual lies in society. Perhaps the meaning of life.

Other things we will learn will be less obvious. Perhaps just a step in the direction of conflict resolution (whether internal in the individual, between travel partners or warring nations). It is possible that simply by speaking to people we meet along the way we will learn much - but find ourselves unable to express any of it in words. Seeds of learning will be planted within us and our direction in life may be strengthened or change completely.

Although we are expecting to learn about so much on our journey (and before and after the actual trip) we will have a few questions in mind to provide a focus for the group. Some of the focus will be up to the individual to decide. Others will come in the time running up to the trip. Here are some of the trip's main focuses however:

One of the questions people often ask is "what's the point in learning or trying to make the world better for future generations?". There is the feeling that it's too late to change anything. We will explore how much an individual could and should do. What is enough? What is duty? Where does one draw the line?

The microcosm of Israel and Palestine can teach us so much about the modern world.

It is where east meets west and the birthplace of organized religion. We will set out to find out what is actually happening there. What are the problems and where do they stem from? What is the 'answer' to the situation? What other factors are there and what is already being done to make changes?

Rather that just passing by and staring, we hope that we will be able to actually make a difference to the lives of those we meet along the way. We plan to work with the communities we meet on our journey and to be able to share something positive with them. Building mud huts for our own pleasure along the way (for people who are probably far more skilled than ourselves) would make little sense at all because these communities have no need for them. We intend to be able to make a real difference so all of our actions must be well thought out and well planned alongside these communities.

One important goal is concerned with having the greatest impact we possibly can for the duration of the project. This means getting others involved. Allowing anyone who is willing or interested to take part in the adventure in whatever way they can. If this means sponsoring us a fiver then that’s great. If it means donating a video camera that’s cool too. We hope to document our trip and what we see along the way so that others may learn from our adventure. It's about having the greatest impact possible. We will film, paint, photograph or write songs depending on our personal abilities and interests.

Finally, throughout the trip we hope that everyone will try their best to minimize the negative impact we humans have on the environment and on other people. We hope to do the right thing whenever we can. Being proactive as individuals and as a group is a really important part of this adventure and although it may seem like a small thing, it could possibly be the most important. For example, we will not litter along the way. Sounds obvious and simple right? We will try not to offend those we meet on our journey (or indeed before and after). It's getting a bit harder now...We will try our best to do our fair share of work without grumbling or parading! You get the idea.

The little things. The most important things. The glue that holds this whole trip together.

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