A group of 20 young people connected with Life Agapy (local ministry of CRU) gathered from Bethlehem, Beit Sahour, and Beit Jala – three neighboring communities with a shared history and daily struggles. These university students, each carrying their own story of growing up under occupation, came eager to learn what it means to practice peace when life is full of tension, fear, and injustice.
Learning to see ourselves and each other
Our time together focused on interpersonal peacemaking: How do we respond to conflict? How pressure, fear, or past hurts influence our reactions? How do our words and silence affect the people around us?
Students saw that the way we handle tension can either deepen division or open a door to understanding. One of them said, “This training helped me understand myself better; how I react in conflict and why the other person might respond the way they do.”
Courage for honest conversation
We spent time learning how to confront with love, speaking truth with gentleness, rather than avoiding hard conversations. One student shared, “I’ve often avoided difficult conversations, but now I see that gentle confrontation can actually fix relationships. I’m encouraged to speak up sooner with honesty and kindness.”
We practiced separating a person’s worth from their behavior; naming a problem without labeling the person. In a place where dignity is precious and often threatened, this distinction matters a lot
Seeds of change
One student, who serves as a scout leader in her Catholic church in Bethlehem, asked for permission to bring one of the workshops to her scout group. Her eagerness to share what she learned really encouraged me. Others spoke about using these tools in their university communities and their ministry teams.
This is where change begins. In small, everyday choices. In students daring to speak truthfully and courageously. In choosing to listen, to stay engaged, and not to step back when conversations become difficult.
As I watched these students, I kept thinking that peacemaking in this land is more than ending wars. It means shaping hearts and minds to meet daily injustice and division with courage, understanding, and hope. Amid the pressure and pain of complex realities, they are learning to confront conflict with the wisdom that faith offers: responding with compassion, resilience, courage, and the discerning spirit Christ modelled – gentle as doves, wise as serpents.
I’m grateful for the chance to walk with these young people as they grow into peacebuilders and become agents of change in their communities. More trainings are already in the planning stage, and the students themselves have asked for additional sessions next year.
