Students’ and Teachers’ Visit to Israel & Palestine 2011

19 – 26 February 2011
After the great success of the 2010 Visit to Israel & Palestine, there was a swell of eager candidates who wanted to jump at this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
We welcomed 11 students from 4 of our participant schools, accompanied by 3 teachers.

This was our 2011 Dream Team:
The Students
LYCEE FRANCAISE D’IRLANDE (FRENCH SCHOOL), CLONSKEAGH, DUBLIN

  • Solenn PUECH

OATLANDS COLLEGE, CBS, MOUNT MERRION, DUBLIN

  • Alex BROPHY
  • James DOYLE
  • Ciaran HOGARTY

THE KING’S HOSPITAL SCHOOL, PALMERSTOWN, DUBLIN

  • Denise CHAILA
  • Milly FARRELL
  • Annita HARTY
  • Rebekah ROE

ST. KEVIN’S COMMUNITY COLLEGE, CLONDALKIN, DUBLIN

  • Yemi ABOLARINWA
  • Abiola OLANIYI

The teachers

  • Ms Aisling Caffrey ST. KEVIN’S COMMUNITY COLLEGE
  • Ms Yvonne Duggan THE KING’S HOSPITAL SCHOOL
  • Mr. Pascal Moore LYCEE FRANCAIS D’IRLANDE

Part Two of the Visit is telling the story back home: the experiences and reflections of the participants contained in their Visit Reports help to share the story and preserve the goodwill.

The Student Visit Reports

“All I had in my head was continuous excitement and happiness; it was one of those feelings that came once in a blue moon. I went to bed around 1 am the next day. I was so anxious to see what Palestine and Israel was like with my own eyes…”
Click here for Abiola Olaniyi’s Visit Report

“ It was only a short walk back to our hotel. I went to bed and the overwhelming thought was “I can’t believe I’m actually here” followed with a wave of utter bliss….”
Click here for Alex Brophy’s Visit Report

“The trip itself played a large role in maturing us as people and broadened our vision to see the world and the various issues as real problems that affect real people rather than just sad spectres on the news…”
Click here for Denise Chaila’s Visit Report

“I know that people want to try to understand how I feel about it and keep asking me which side I am for, but I can’t answer this question because I think you can’t describe the things we saw in Israel and Palestine without making a judgment on the reality of the conflict…”
Click here for James Doyle’s Visit Report

“I would recommend anybody to go out there and experience what we did. Before I went out I took things for granted, the experience showed me that I should be thankful for what I have…”
Click here for Rebekah Roe’s Visit Report

“The Palestine and Israel trip is the best experience in my life. The whole entire trip was amazing and exciting even though it was an educational trip it is an experience in my life I will never forget. Every single day was fun because you could never predict what will happen the next day…”
Click here for Yemi Abolarinwa’s Visit Report

The Teacher Visit Reports

“For me there was so much learning in this whole week. It opened my eyes culturally and there was a great deal of emotion involved too. The experience of seeing both Jerusalem and Hebron was quite amazing and yet I felt that I only got a slight touch of it all and would hope someday to return if the opportunity arises…”
Click here for Ms Yvonne Duggan’s Visit Report

“The visit is exceptionally rich with information and encounters. The fact that SAB works with schools, teachers and students, as well as with IPYL in Hebron, turned the visit into more than an ordinary school trip. It was an experience through which the students gained in maturity and social skills. For that alone it was well worth it…”
Click here for Mr. Pascal Moore’s Visit Report