FROM: Internationals for Justice In Palestine--a project of the Palestine Solidarity Group of Chicago   psgchicago.org


contact: info (at) psgchicago.org


OPEN CALL TO APPLY FOR PARTICIPATION IN A SOLIDARITY DELEGATION TO
PALESTINE

This is an open call to apply for participation in a delegation to
Palestine organized by the Palestine Solidarity Group (PSG) of
Chicago.  If you are currently active or wish to become active in
organizing for justice for Palestine or doing other kinds of
Palestine solidarity work, please consider taking part in a trip to
the occupied territories to witness Israeli military occupation first-
hand.

The delegation is made up of people from various national, racial,
ethnic, religious, and class backgrounds; will travel all over the
West Bank and Gaza to experience how the occupation affects different
cities and villages, and the people who live there; and will also
meet with people and groups inside 1948 Palestine (Israel) working
towards fighting against the institutionalized racism against those
Palestinians.

Reaction from member of a former delegation:
"Reading books or watching film about the situation in Palestine
could only tell me so much. I heard stories from Palestinians where
they would have to wait at checkpoints for hours and hours, and about
them having to stay inside their homes as their city was under siege
by the Israeli Military.  Growing up in this country, I couldn't come
close to imagining what it must be like to be forced to deal with
occupation on a daily basis.  I went to Palestine to see and
experience life under occupation, and realized that I had to come
back to the U.S. and get involved in serious organizing for
Palestinian rights."
___________________________________________________________

Mission Statement

The Palestine Solidarity Group (PSG) in Chicago is organizing two
international solidarity delegations to Palestine for this coming
summer.  One of the delegations will consist of medical students and
professionals who will be volunteering in whichever hospitals,
clinics and community health centers need their services the most at
the time of the delegation.  The duration of the delegation is
expected to last somewhere between one and three months and this may
vary from one individual to the next depending upon her/his
availability and resources.  The second delegation is open to anyone
and differs somewhat from the first in that the delegation will spend
time with various Palestinian organizations working to build an
infrastructure of resistance by providing daily necessities to the
people, visiting different regions of Palestine, and meeting with a
diverse cross-section of Palestinian society so that delegation
participants may gain a fuller understanding of life under Israeli
occupation.  We want to make it clear that we will not be engaged in
any form of direct action in Palestine, but rather we seek to build
an organizing strategy for work in the United States based on the
firsthand experience gained by participating in the delegation. 

We encourage all people who are serious about learning more about the
conditions of the Palestinian people and who will be committed to
being part of the Palestine solidarity movement upon their return to
the U.S. to join us. We expect the delegates to give report backs in
their communities, write stories for their local papers, organize
local solidarity committees and any other form of activism that
builds from their experiences in Palestine. We also intend on
maintaining connections with delegates and forming a large network of
activists devoted to justice in Palestine. We understand that
people's time and resources are limited, but we are convinced that
anyone spending time in Palestine will feel a strong connection to
the people and their struggle and return to the U.S. with renewed
dedication to do whatever they can to bring about justice for the
Palestinian people.

Potential delegation members must fill out an application and undergo
an interview/screening process.  We see fundraising as a collective
responsibility of both the PSG and of the individuals choosing to go
on the delegation and so everyone is expected to participate in
fundraising efforts.  The PSG will also work to provide returning
delegates with opportunities to share their experiences with others.

The Palestine Solidarity Group is committed to five basic
principles: the right of return for all Palestinian refugees and
their descendants, the end of the illegal occupation of Palestinian
lands, the right of Palestinians to defend themselves against Israeli
aggression, the right of Palestinians to self-determination and
national liberation, and the release of all Palestinian political
prisoners.  The PSG promotes progressive activism on many fronts and
helps to organize demonstrations, direct action campaigns, media
advocacy and educational programs, and we also publish a monthly
journal.  Please log onto www.psgchicago.org for additional
information about the group, our campaigns, the journal or the
Internationals for Justice in Palestine project. _______________________________________________________________

Delegation Application - email responses to: delegation (at) psgchicago.org



I. Basic Information

NAME (as it appears on passport)
______________________________________________________

PHONE (H) _______________   (W) ________________________

E-MAIL _____________________________

ADDRESS ____________________________

STATE _____________                ZIP_____________________

AGE ______    OCCUPATION _______________________

PASSPORT NUMBER_______________________  EXPIRATION DATE ___________


II. Please respond to the following questions in detail on a separate
sheet of paper.  Feel free to elaborate as much as is necessary but
please be aware that no more than 2-3 pages total are recommended.

1) Have you ever been to Palestine or anywhere else outside of the
United States? If so, where, when and what did you do there?

2) How familiar are you with the Palestine Solidarity group, or the
work of other U.S. solidarity organizations, past or present? Please
explain.

3) Are you involved with Palestine solidarity organizing? If so,
please explain.

4) What community, solidarity and/or political organizations are/were
you active in or a member of?

5) How would you assess your own knowledge of Palestine's history,
the history of US involvement there and in the Middle East, and
Palestine's current political, social, and economic situation?

6) Why do you want to go on this delegation? What do you hope to gain
from and contribute to this delegation?

7) Upon your return to the US, what are some ways you would
contribute to strengthening local, regional and national campaigns in
solidarity with Palestine?

8) What are you most looking forward to about this delegation?

9) What concerns do you have about this delegation?

10) The delegation itinerary is focused on meeting the political
objectives and there is very little "personal time" where one can be
alone. Housing will usually be shared with other people, we travel
together as a group, and for security reasons no one goes out alone.
Please comment on ways that you would try to manage any stress or
discomfort these conditions might cause you.

11) Do you have experience with giving presentations, tabling,
organizing campus or community groups? (These are examples of some of
the things future delegations have done upon their return and we
encourage future delegations to take part in.)


III. Other background information.

What level of Arabic do you speak?

___None   ___Beginner   ___Intermediate   ___Conversational  
___Fluent   ___Interpreter

Do you have any particular physical or mental health needs we should
know about?

______________________________________________________________________
____________

Are you currently taking any prescription or non-prescription
medication? If so, for what?

______________________________________________________________________
____________

Do you have any allergies to medication or food? If so, what?

______________________________________________________________________
____________

Other special needs or dietary restrictions (We will do everything
that we can to accommodate such requests but please note that finding
100% vegetarian and vegan options can be very difficult on a
delegation such as this since most of the families you will visit and
stay with typically serve meat with most meals.):

______________________________________________________________________
____________

How did you first hear about this delegation?

______________________________________________________________________
____________


Please list two (2) references, preferably, but not exclusively, from
a local or regional solidarity committee. At least one should be from
outside the committee you work in.

Name:
Organization affiliation:
Relationship to you:
Phone number:
Email:
Address:

Name:
Organization affiliation:
Relationship to you:
Phone number:
Email:
Address:


Please list at least two (2) emergency contacts living in the United
States (if possible):
Name:
Phone numbers:
Address:
Email:

Name:
Phone numbers:
Address:
Email:

I hereby declare that I have answered all questions honestly and to
the best of my knowledge.  Please note that failure to answer
honestly may result in your being excluded or expelled from the
delegation.

Signature
______________________________________________________________________
____

Date ______________________


 


application responses: delegation (at) psgchicago.org


general questions: info (at) psgchicago.org