Thursday, November 9, 2006

"Trauma and Resilience in Gaza "

12:30-2:00pm
IPJ Theatre

Sponsored by:
University of San Diego's Social Issue Committee,
Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice,
Department of Psychology,
and the Department of Art

Mr. Marwan Diab and Mr. Dyaa Saymah, staff members of the Gaza Community Mental Health Program will discuss the effects of occupation, war, poverty, violence, stress and exile on the population of the Gaza Strip. They will outline the goals and strategies of the Gaza Community Mental Health Program in assisting the people of Gaza, specifically targeting women and children who have suffered severe trauma.

The Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated, poverty stricken and war-torn areas on this planet. Over 90 percent of the 1.35 million Palestinians living in this tiny passage of land are refugees or the descendants of refugees. Many still live in very densely populated refugee camps that were established nearly 60 years ago and have now grown into cities. Constant military operations and incursions into Gaza have resulted in a culture of violence, premature death, humiliation, poverty, hopelessness and rage. The majority of people in Gaza have directly experienced traumatic events and live with post-traumatic stress that often manifests itself in unpredictable and destructive actions. Yet remarkably, the Palestinians of Gaza have been surprisingly resilient and have managed, against great odds, to maintain a relatively high degree of normalcy in their familial and societal interactions. This lecture will explore the relationship of trauma and resilience in Gaza and discuss the work being carried out by the Gaza Community Mental Health Program in helping the population cope with unimaginably stressful conditions.

In the summer of 2005, John Halaka, Professor of Visual Arts at the University of San Diego, and Dr. Susan Greene, founder of Break the Silence Mural Project, traveled to the Gaza Strip to work on a group of murals sponsored by the Gaza Community Mental Health Program. Professor Halaka will introduce the speakers and briefly discuss the murals he collaborated on with Dr. Greene and Palestinian artists at the Rachel Corrie Children's Center in the City of Rafah.

Photo: Boys taking a break from playing soccer in a destroyed
neighborhood in the Rafah Refugee Camp, Gaza Strip. August 2005.
Photo credit: John Halaka

For further information contact: 619-260-4798

This event is free and open to the public.