Last year, at the height of the pandemic, ALLMEP launched the first iteration of its Mid East Storytellers program alongside our partners B8 of Hope and Pendulum. The program focused on bringing stories, written and told by peacebuilders on the ground, to wider audiences around the world. Too often, the perspectives of grassroots activists are silenced or overlooked in discourse about the ongoing conflict. This needs to change and we are asking for your help.

In the wake of the violence this past May, we brought together a new cohort of storytellers for the second iteration of the program, asking “What drives your activism? Why dedicate your life to the pursuit of peace and equality? And, what sort of future do you hope to build?”

These Palestinian and Israeli activists are co-resisting an unjust and violent reality, and instead showing– and building– a very different shared future that is possible in its place. 

We want to share their incredible stories with you, and we want you to share them with the wider world. This years’ competition is fast approaching, with three stories receiving cash prizes of up to $1,000 in support of their work next month. Please share these stories widely, encourage those who discuss the region in media or politics to put these activists in the spotlight, and help shine a light on these important Palestinian and Jewish Israeli voices from the field.