PCFF is a community of Israelis and Palestinians who have lost close family members during the conflict. Together they promote a long-term reconciliation process through dialogue and mutual understanding. Since its inception in 1995, they have embarked on a joint reconciliation mission in the midst of the on-going violence, transforming their extraordinary loss and pain of bereavement into a catalyst for reconciliation. The work of the organization, which consists of dialogue, media programming, workshops, and youth outreach, is focusing on education and influencing the public and policymakers. As bereavement is highly respected in both Israeli and Palestinian communities, the PCFF consciously relays on the narrative of bereavement as a leadership tool in reconciliation. The cross-community nature of the organization is highly effective and unique given their ability to transcend their own suffering to work for peace.

To date, the organization has conducted various activities, allowing its work to extend into classrooms, art galleries, television studios and the larger community. Its work is rooted in the personal stories of its members and the need to build understanding across the conflict divide. The organization has received important international acclaim and grown in size and capacity. Yet, there is a need to further develop its capacity, skills and outreach and help the organization expand the reach of their programs.

About The Dialogue Encounters Project:

The unique abilities of the organization lie in the stories of its members. These stories open up emotional channels within many Israelis and Palestinians alike. The PCFF’s members provide hope that pain and anger can be transformed into empathy, not revenge and further bloodshed. The PCFF educational activities have given a voice to the personal stories of its members, which hold special significance for almost all Israelis and Palestinians. The fact that an Israeli and a Palestinian present together their tragic stories and jointly express their willingness to end de conflict and open a way to reconciliation has a magic effect; it generates what we call an "emotional breakthrough". Our experience suggests that youth and adults draw hope and strength from these stories.

The PCFF dialog encounters contribute to a much-needed change in the perceptions of both sides to the conflict. The length of these encounters is of 90 minutes, without a break. Most of the encounters are organized in colleges and secondary schools (16-17 years old students). The structure of these meetings is the following: in the first stage (about 40-45 minutes) the two lecturers-facilitators (all of them members of the PCFF), tell their stories and describe the strategies of the organization. The second stage is devoted to an open discussion and the free flow of Q&A. The last 5-10 minutes are generally devoted to a sum-up and filling feed-back forms by the students. The dialog encounters project has been ongoing for the last ten years, and steadily increasing the number of encounters. Last year we reached the number of 1,200, namely close to 40,000 people were exposed to the message of the PCFF. The only constraint to enlarge this number is the financial one. This project has been mostly funded by European governmental sources.

For more information, please visit PCFF website: www.theparentscircle.com