Healing Through Art: The Roots & Threads Journey

Healing Through Art: The Roots & Threads Journey

In Tulkarem and Jenin, the sounds of music, the colours of paint, the scent of wood, the texture of clay, and the patterns of embroidery are weaving together a new story of resilience. Through Roots & Threads, implemented by the Tamer Institute for Community Education in partnership with Taawon, and with the generous support of GOAL, children are reclaiming safe spaces for healing and creativity.

What began with psychosocial support sessions and life-skills training has grown into something deeper. Here, memory meets craft, and pain is reshaped into expression. Threads of embroidery, carvings on wood, murals on walls, and clay sculptures have become the children’s language of survival and hope.

“It’s my first time working with my hands like this,” said one participant. “I tried pottery and embroidery… and I felt it’s more than just an activity. It could be a skill I carry with me for life.”

In Tulkarm and Jenin, 200 young girls and boys discovered that art can be a path to healing and a doorway to a brighter future.

These young people are transforming what they have learned into art that speaks. Each piece reflects their individuality, their voice, and their story. Soon, families will witness their work displayed alongside the narratives born from the experience, living proof that creativity can rise from hardship.

“I’ve always loved drawing,” said another child, “but here it felt like something bigger… a way to express my feelings and ideas. When I saw my painting among my friends’ work, I felt proud.”

In May 2025, GOAL expanded its partnership with Taawon into the northern West Bank city of Jenin, an area experiencing a sharp deterioration in humanitarian conditions.

Building Confidence, Preserving Culture

In early August 2025, GOAL, in partnership with Taawon, announced the launch of a new Social Development Initiative for Adolescents in the West Bank, which is home to 3.4 million people. This initiative aims to empower 200 adolescents aged 13–18 from highly disadvantaged and marginalised communities in Jenin and Tulkarem.

Each participant will engage in 90 hours of intensive, interactive, and experiential training designed to enhance life skills, social development, and vocational interests. The goal is to better equip these young people to thrive both in school and in their communities. As part of the program, vocational training opportunities will allow participants to develop creative skills in areas such as photography, clay modelling, and ceramics.

Through the Roots & Threads initiative, summer camps became more than just a seasonal escape. They evolved into creative spaces where children stitch their stories with threads of embroidery, paint them with colours, and shape them with clay.

The Root and Threads component of this initiative is not only about crafts. It is about restoring identity, reviving heritage, and giving children the confidence to dream. What started as a summer camp has become a space of healing and empowerment.

Expanding Support Amid Rising Needs in Gaza and the West Bank

The GOAL-Taawon partnership commenced in December 2023 and has since progressed through five phases. Phase 1 focused on emergency food aid in Gaza. Phase 2 focused on the establishment and operation of two medical stations and the provision of health consultations. Phase 3 focused on the continued operation of those medical stations. Phase 4 focused on the launch of the Social Development Initiative for Adolescents in the West Bank, as described above and most recently, Phase 5 is focused on a new emergency food aid initiative.

Through Roots & Threads, implemented by the Tamer Institute for Community Education in partnership with Taawon, under the patronage of the Ministry of Social Development and with the support of GOAL Global.

For further information please see https://www.taawon.org/en