The Palestinian Child Arts Center, or ''PCAC'', is a

non-governmental A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from g ...

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

founded in 1994 in

Hebron Hebron ( ar, الخليل or ; he, חֶבְרוֹן ) is a Palestinian. city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judaean Mountains, it lies above sea level. The second-largest city in the West Bank (after East J ...

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

. Its activities primarily involve the intellectual development of Palestinian children, and to reinforce a positive role for the child within

Palestinian Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

society and culture.Irving Epstein (2008) The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Children's Issues Worldwide Greenwood Press, p 197 The violent context within which the children have been raised has affected their behavior and life. After the

Mosque of Abraham massacre The Cave of the Patriarchs massacre, also known as the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre or the Hebron massacre, was a shooting massacre carried out by Baruch Goldstein, an American-Israeli extremist and member of the far-right Kach movement. On 25 Fe ...

in February 1994 some children were traumatized and exhibited drastic behavioral changes. The programs run by PCAC are designed to gradually allow a child to resume normal life. The center's mission is to fulfill the promise in its slogan, ''Towards a creative Palestinian child''.

Objectives

The Palestinian Child Arts Center conducts various activities: * preparation of educational programs for children * modernizing and updating childhood development programs for professionals * development of other programs for children in conjunction with other organizations to create a communal educational culture * conduct research on the violation of the rights of children, and publish bulletins and reports to defend those rights * to coordinate and cooperate with other organizations that focus on children * develop relationships with other

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

and international organizations whose focus is children and their rights

Programs

The centre offers numerous activities and services for both children and adults. Children's programs: * annual ''Amal Al Ghad'' (Hope of Tomorrow), a program targeting children ages 6–12 *

library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

* arts and crafts lessons *

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

courses * young leaders program, for teens ages 14–18 <-- or possibly teenage boys only? --> * puppet theater * electronic games * festivals * exhibitions Adult programs: * leader's recruiting * public education - seminars, lectures, conferences and exhibits related to children * qualifying kindergarten teachers * qualifying advisors for summer camps

Footnotes

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External links

The Palestinian Child Arts Center website
Charities based in the State of Palestine Hebron Children's charities 1994 establishments in the Palestinian territories Organizations established in 1994