The Bridge Builders Programme was one of the highlights of my summer break. Learning about the complexities of the Palestine- Israeli conflict, forming my own opinions, staying on Cambridge grounds, whilst having political interfaith sessions and discussions, hearing from a broad range of opinions and perspectives that have challenged my own and learning to be comfortable with that. 

Since the turn of the century, respectful, intellectual debate has increasingly disappeared from public discourse. While much has been written about the causes, what I want to focus on here is the damaging effect this decline has had on democratic societies like ours, and what needs to happen to reverse this trend.

As the one-year anniversary of Oct 7 and the start of the Israel-Hamas war approaches, many British schools find themselves navigating an extremely sensitive situation: whether or how to mark the occasion. For educators, this decision carries heavy implications, not just in terms of the event itself, but also in how it will resonate with their diverse student populations and their broader communities. 

This summer, I had the privilege of participating in the Bridge Builders Programme (BBP), an experience that far exceeded my expectations. I had hoped to gain a deeper understanding of the Israel-Palestine conflict, but what I truly left with was so much more than that.

It was a profound sense of connection, solidarity, and hope for a future where people, no matter how different, can come together to transcend their differences and cultivate peace.

During the school year, days speed by, and there is hardly time to stand still and think. The SNS conference made sure there was plenty of opportunity to reflect on the past year in the serene surroundings of Cambridge colleges. As well as talks from several organizations in the field of social change, there were many conversations with the other participants.