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Solutions Not Sides
Educating for peace and building bridges
PEOPLE & CULTURE
Sharon Booth
Executive Director & Founder, Solutions Not Sides
Sharon Booth
Executive Director & Founder, Solutions Not Sides
Issue 76 | February 2025
One of Campbell Tickell’s chosen organisations to support for our seasonal donations in 2024, Solutions Not Sides delivers conflict resolution education across the UK.
Solutions Not Sides (SNS) is a registered charity dedicated to delivering conflict resolution education to British secondary schools and empowering leaders to foster bridge-building in communities and workplaces across the UK.
Our focus is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its impact in the UK, particularly on community cohesion and levels of racism, including antisemitism and Islamophobia. By addressing these challenges, we aim to strengthen understanding and reduce division.
Our educational framework: the PEACE model
Our approach is built on five key steps:
Step 1: Participate: Embracing a win-win approach as our motivation for change
Step 2: Equip: Engaging in social and emotional learning to equip us for dialogue
Step 3: Ask: Engaging in dialogue to provide us with the understanding for critical thinking
Step 4: Create: Using critical thinking to apply human needs theory for conflict resolution and equitable outcomes for all
Step 5: Empower: Promoting active citizenship to effect the change we want to see
Education Initiatives
Through our Youth Education Programme, students aged 14-18 meet Palestinian and Israeli peace builders, who serve as Empathy Leaders and who have signed up to our values of non-violence, equality for all and the rejection of hate. These sessions provide unique opportunities to hear diverse narratives, fostering empathy, knowledge, and the motivation to contribute positively to conflict resolution.
Schools and community groups participating in our Youth Education Programme can engage with the Olive Branch Award, earning recognition for implementing SNS initiatives such as teacher training and additional educational activities. Olive Branch institutions cultivate confidence in addressing sensitive issues, promote community cohesion, and tackle racism effectively.
Our Bridge Builders Programme offers leadership training to individuals aged 16 and above, equipping them to apply the SNS approach within their workplaces, universities, communities, and social circles.
SNS now engages more than
participants per year
Our growth and impact
Since its inception 15 years ago, SNS has grown from a small programme reaching 2,000–3,000 students annually to an organisation with eight team members, engaging over 10,000 participants per year. We have worked with more than 100 Israeli and Palestinian Empathy Leaders and built a diverse network of alumni, trustees, and advisors numbering in the hundreds.
Our curriculum evolves annually through a rigorous review process that incorporates feedback from participants, educators, and advisory board members representing diverse communities. This iterative process ensures that we continue to learn, grow, and refine our mission of fostering dialogue and understanding.
Lessons from Empathy Leaders
The resilience of our Palestinian and Israeli Empathy Leaders has been particularly inspiring. Their ability to listen, understand opposing perspectives, and prioritise resolving conflict over ‘winning’ debates is a testament to their commitment. As one Empathy Leader poignantly remarked, “A conflict that we pass to our children is a conflict we lost.”
Building bridges in the UK
The UK has a vital role to play in supporting ordinary Israelis and Palestinians. By listening to their needs, we can help them work towards a better future. It is essential to resist importing this conflict into British society, which only deepens divisions here while failing to help those directly affected. Additionally, addressing prejudice and fostering understanding of how to tackle antisemitism and Islamophobia is critical to ensuring that discussions about the conflict remain respectful and constructive.
We encourage all communities to embrace bridge-building and hold political leaders accountable to prevent the exploitation of this conflict for divisive ends. Wedge politics and scapegoating minority groups, including Jewish and Muslim communities, have caused significant harm and must be challenged.
For more information about our work, resources, and a short film highlighting our impact, please visit our website.
