The Community Advocate Mentor Program - Middle East 2007

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The CAMP delegates meet with Congresswoman McCarthy (right) on the Capitol Steps.

IWDC, funded by Steven Spielberg's Righteous Person Foundation and in partnershipwith Peace x Peace, an international NGO focused on cross border work, managed the in-country program and identify established Palestinian and Israeli women leaders to participate in CAMP. The Community Advocate Mentor Program-Middle East began in 2007 in Jerusalem with community-based Palestinian and Israeli women leaders who have a demonstrated record of cross border and co-existence work. They came together to meet each other for the first time at their pre-departure training and to learn about the details of the program.

Pre-departure training sessions over a two-month period included cross culture sessions, how to use the media, how their legislative/public policy process works, presenting oneself as a leader and an overview of the program. After pre-departure training, participants traveled to Washington, DC in May 2007, where they partnered with Members of Congress, lobbyists from the corporate, labor, trade associations, and special interests as well as state legislators for an intensive 10-day, hands-on skills training and experiential learning workshop.

Tali Shacher, the Executive Director of the Israel Women’s Network (left) and Awatif Mahmoud, the Head of the Nursing Union at Saint John Eye Hospital (right), take a moment for the camera during their talks with Congresswoman McCarthy.

The first week of training included sessions led by Members of Congress, public policy specialists, and lobbyists. The sessions focused on how the judicial, legislative and executive branches of government interact with each other as well as with the private and non-profit sectors, how public policy is developed, analyzed and amended, how to develop strategies to influence policy, and the role of interest groups in the legislative and public policy process. A trade association, corporation or Member of Congress hosted each day workshop during the first week so that participants experienced one full day at each organization. The hosts provided meals, led a working lunch discussion and hosted an evening reception. One full day was spent in Annapolis, Maryland State Capitol where workshop participants gained a first hand view and better understanding of how state and federal government intersect. In Annapolis the groups met with the Maryland Women’s Caucus and each woman is partnered with a state legislator talk, learn, and shadow the state legislator to committee hearings. The women were encouraged to provide questions and comments during the testimony at the hearings.

During the second week, the women were partnered with a DC-based lobbyist from a corporation, trade association, labor union or the private sector and they “shadowed” their assigned lobbyist/mentor for two days. The Mentor/Lobbyist provides the experiential learning component by taking each woman to meetings with Members of Congress, attendance at congressional committee hearings, meetings with clients, strategic planning sessions within their offices, special events, press conferences, fundraisers and work in their offices. Next, each woman spent a day shadowing a female Member of Congress where they attend meetings with constituents and lobbyists, luncheons, committee and subcommittee hearings, fund-raisers, and press conferences to better understand the role of a federal legislator and how they make decisions about where to spend their time. More importantly, through dialogue, the Member of Congress gains an up front understanding of the challenges these women face every day in their work to move towards co-existence. The bi-partisan Congressional Mentors group were generous with their time and experience, and IWDC and the participants were blessed by their involvment. Congressional Mentors included the Honorable Carolyn McCarthy, the Honorable Lois Capps, the Honorable Jo Ann Emerson, the Honorable Betty McCollum, the Honorable Carolyn Maloney and the Honorable Deborah Pryce.

At the end of the workshop, participants completed a comprehensive evaluation on each session of the workshop with an opportunity for comments. Feedback was very positive and the Israeli and Palestinian women learned a great deal from the program and from one another. Amazingly, many of the women have become close friends in the short time of their CAMP experience, and are continuing their involvment with IWDC CAMP-ME and one another!