It’s the last week before three girls and their teacher from Gaza fly to Belfast to meet 2 girls and their teacher from the Czech Republic. What’s happening in Belfast, you might ask? But only if you haven’t read our blogs and Facebook and Twitter posts or if you didn’t watch the prize giving ceremony of our Annual Lockdown Theatre competition.

I really believe that putting on a play in the language being learnt is one of the simplest, most engaging, most inclusive and most effective language learning activities we can offer to young learners of English.

Can drama help to spread awareness about atrocities that are being committed around the world? Can it help to develop our collective emotional intelligence and our sensitivity towards others? Can it help to heal this broken, sinking world?

As always in these sessions we found more things in common between us than things that are different. Sean in Ireland showed a map of Palestine from the 1890’s that someone in Palestine had given him when he’d visited, and this promoted a discussion about history and borders. Amal in Gaza shared a souvenir of Ireland that she’d bought there (see below). The words of the blessing are beautiful to us all wherever we are, and whoever we are.

This time last week, in a truly inspiring event, graced by the presence of over 140 students, teachers and competition judges from around the world, we announced the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place plays from this year's International Lockdown Theatre Competition.

I actually walked through the doors of a school, thousands of miles away. Yes, I was Zoomed to Al Basma Modern School in Gaza from Florence within minutes! I had the pleasure of working with friend, colleague and storyteller Fadwa Hassouna. Fadwa Invited me to tell a story to two of her classes ... what an experience!!!

Since the early days of the Hands Up Project, translation has always played an important part in many of our online learning sessions.

Here are some translation activities which may happen:-

The ELTons Awards for innovation in English language teaching are the British Council's own international awards. Now in their nineteenth year, the ELTons aim to find the latest, most original ways to learn and teach English from around the world, with awards for courses, resources for teachers and learners, digital innovations and for projects which bridge educational inequality.

In this weeks blog Mark, our designer, writes about working with internationally renowned Palestinian artist and friend of the Hands Up Project - Malak Mattar. And how her first foray in illustrating and writing a Children’s book came to be.

In this weeks blog Amanda Avison writes about how inspirational Palestinian students gave her the confidence to try something new in the ESOL classroom.

For many years now the students and teachers of Palestine have been at the forefront of innovation in performing theatre online. Last year was no exception of course, and despite the pandemic (perhaps because of it!) we saw a new sub-genre of Remote Theatre being developed, where students could perform in the same play from multiple locations. We came to call this new form Lockdown Theatre.

To mark the UN day of friendship we have a lovely post by our brilliant and most active volunteer in Argentina, Tere. And don’t forget to tune in tonight at 8pm Palestine time to see Tere's and Haneen’s students in action in a live lockdown theatre performance of ‘Unity’ (with a few surprises too!)