Hi there! 

While, it's been a while since we’ve written here, we’ve been busy with our cousin project, Mindfulness in Arabic, MiA in short. 

We’re excited to let you know that there has been a lot of movement and activity around the project: Bringing Trauma-informed Culturally-sensitive Mindfulness in Arabic to refugees and displaced peoples. 

Our first module has officially been launched (after two rounds of feedback) and we’re in the process of organizing several pilot programs in Europe, Israel/Palestine and Turkey.

Some recent feedback we’ve received from a Jordan psychologist and group facilitator working with refugee women in Cyprus: 

"Just to  share feedback with you and pls feel free to pass this on, I used the guided meditation with my group today, and It really moved them, the smiles and sense of aliveness I saw in their eyes, when they came back from their internal space, was beautiful for me and them to experience... I have been with this group for 6 months, so they already were comfortable with going inwards ...but I have struggled to find guided meditations in Arabic...

They asked if they could take it home as it would really help them if they could do it everyday....I told them hopefully soon and shared MiA’s vision with them. They really appreciated it. 

Sending a big bow to MiA’s efforts and looking forward to more in the new year :)"

 Our next step is to launch our Training of Trainers - the first training for Arabic facilitators of Mindfulness. As we proceed with this we are happily inviting partnership and collaboration for this creation, write to us for more information! info@mindfulnessinarabic.org 

In September we also launched our Trauma-Informed Webinar Series, with a join conversation between ToWo/MiA Founder and Director Juditta Ben-David MA SEP and David Treleaven PhD. This series is a grassroots fundraising effort to support MiA’s  ongoing programming and creation. 

We’d love to hear from you! So please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions. MiA is a volunteer based organization (we have amazing people from all over the globe) and we would love your support. We’re always looking for volunteers to support us with Arabic narration, graphic design, fundraising, translation and more. 

Info@mindfulnessinarabic.org

Mindfulness in Arabic! Has launched !! Our Indeigogo campaign - Check it out !

Trauma Robs you of the Present- 
Mindfulness Trauma Refugees and the point of mother tongue

ToWo group and GHS are working passionately towards launching Mindfulness in Arabic (MiA), an online project consisting of a full 8 week mindfulness course in the Arabic language that will be made available freely.

The violent situation in the Middle East and the outpouring of displaced people and refugees from Syria and other Arabic-speaking countries are a strong call to create Mindfulness meditations in Arabic. Refugee Aid workers in Turkey, Palestinian women in the West Bank, Druze women in the Galilee, German refugee counselors, and social workers in Israel have all insisted that Mindfulness practices like this are imperative in Arabic.

A volunteer-based group comprised of women from different faiths, ToWo works in coed groups with Syrians and other refugees. The project is based on the basic premise that trauma robs us of the present moment, and healing occurs in the present body-mind. The first meditations are already being shared with the social workers working with wounded Syrians in a hospital setting.

We are proposing a project consisting of a full 8 week course. The materials will be offered on the internet freely, and will be supported online by a member of our group. We see great potential in being able not only to translate these meditations to Arabic, but also to find the right way to make them handy and useful for those that would like to take the practice on the go!

The crowdfunding campaign for this unique project is was recently launched - please check it out!

It is an innovative trauma informed and culturally sensitive Mindfulness design.

We have already collected a wonderful team of volunteers and are lucky enough to have the support of leading members of the mindfulness community. Among them: Tara Brach, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Joseph Goldstein, Jack Kornfield, Shinzen Young, Rick Hanson, Tovana- Insight Meditation society, Israel, Muda Center IDC, and the Bangor University Mindfulness dept, UK.

Any support, donation, and sharing will be truly appreciated!

Join the dream, help us manifest, right here:

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/mindfulness-in-arabic-project-meditation#/

Joining the Red Cross and the Health department- training Arabic speaking Social workers- Trauma and Resiliency- for wounded Syrians

ToWo group have been invited to train Arabic speaking Social workers, in Nahariya and Tzfat hospitals

Trauma and the Mind, Mindfulness, MBSE - mindfulness based somatic therapy for trauma and resiliency. 4 full days over a month. Ms. Juditta Ben-David MA SEP, Ms. Dunia Brodi MA, and Ms. Jumana MD, mental health professionals and trauma specialists, are training the social workers in Hebrew and Arabic. All the participants are counselors that work with the wounded Syrians, in various departments of the hospital.
It's been a delightful interactive eye and heart opening series till now. Working with women and men from the Muslim and Druze community and their specific cultural conditioning regarding the body and yet approaching it in self reflection, patience and deep listening, has been a challenge worthwhile. We believe it is an act of healing for the Social workers as well as to the Syrians that they will treat. We have a couple more days to go. 

** Your support for this project would be highly appreciated.** Donations can be given via PayPal and Bank ** for more detail please write: towogroup@gmail.com

The feedback from the group is amazing
The group has been sharing of vicarious trauma as well as about the stress of the work, which can be at times emotionally conflictual.
It's a novel idea for them, SE MBSE CRM - psychophysical techniques and Mindfulness, yet backed by so much research and theory - they are joining us in curiosity, role play, personal experiences, and lots of questions.
Towogroup@gmail.com

Syrians have been arriving for the last 5 years to the Israeli Hospitals in the north, since the beginning of this long ongoing war- for medical help through the connection with the Red Cross.
Quite a few good thousands have received valuable treatment, families, children, women and men.
Their stories and their wounds are severe, and the staff had very little experience and/or knowledge of the emotional-body-mind side of trauma work, for the Syrians as well as for themselves.

Our materials have been translated to Arabic, so that the tools can be shared easily.

** Your support for this project would be highly appreciated.** Donations can be given via PayPal and Bank ** for more detail please write: towogroup@gmail.com

Mindfulness in Arabic- A new and Unique project !!!

Check out our new page for the upcoming Mindfulness in Arabic campaign
http://mindfulnessinarabic.blogspot.co.il/

We've gathered a good group of translators and web designers, a nice group of volunteers to support the project.

The violent situation in the Middle East as well as the ongoing refugee wave, displaced people outpouring from Syria and the Arabic countries, is a strong call to create Mindfulness meditations in Arabic.

ToWo is a group composed of volunteers. Most of us are professional women, from all faiths, who train and facilitate cross-cultural women's groups, bilingually. We work in coed groups with Syrians and other refugees. Our premise is that trauma robs us of the present moment, and healing occurs in the present body-mind.

Refugee Aid workers in Turkey, Palestinian women in the West Bank, Druze women in the Galilee, German refugee counselors, and social workers in Israel have all insisted that Mindfulness practices like this are imperative in Arabic.  

We are proposing a project consisting of at least 3 Mindfulness meditations in Arabic, up to a full 8 week course. The materials will be offered on the internet freeland will be supported online by a member of our group. We see great potential in being able not only to translate these meditations to Arabic, but also to find the right way to make them handy and useful for those that would like to take the practice on the go !

Beautiful Women gathered to share our Womanhood

Beautiful Women gathered to share our Womanhood

Jewish Muslim Christian, Israeli Palestinian

Building our relationship through our Commonalities 

Sharing our pain and our knowledge

Drinking in a new perspective - of our Healthy Possibilities

--------------------------

What a delightful conference !

Here are a few pictures

Back to Istanbul- ** for relief workers **- working with the Syrian refugees **

JuDitta Ben David (ToWo) was invited again, to join TRI in Turkey, as a colleague and expert in the field of trauma treatment and resiliency building.
She will support in facilitating the Turkish training for Syrian refugee relief workers, therapists, counselors, social workers, and ngo aid.
This is the second time Juditta will arrive in Turkey for this cause, in 2015, to share the practice.
We do need your help !
Please donate ( at the PayPal button on the right)

Turkey has known many upheavals; As we know there are now close to 2 million Syrian refugees in Turkey. Most of them living in tent cities on the border. Arabic Kurdish and Yazidis. In order to continue to receive the basic support, of food health and schools, they cannot leave these tent cities. This situation is a breeding place for many severe problems, and leaves too many in survival mode. The therapists, counselors, and aid workers need all the support they can.
These trips and the work there are not paid for.
The training is given generously to the relief workers, training and accommodation are covered for; Yet the facilitators need to find ways to cover their own expenses. 
The cause is a good one, and definitely one requested and needed by the field. Last time we trained some 30 people, which found it very helpful and practical.
We need to raise funds to at least cover expenses of Juditta's travel, and accommodation there.
We're looking at an expense of 250 $ for the flight
and 300 $ for the accommodation
That is a modest request by all means.
Please Donate here with PayPal --- on the right corner of this post
or send us an email and we shall get back to you asap
Thanks !!

the team and participants from our last visit there

Working with displaced people, women men and kids, in such aggressive and war afflicted regions, where trauma and trauma symptoms are prevalent, and with so much uncertainty as to their future, is a tough call. 
These tools of emotional first aid are like fresh water to them.
~~~ Your donation as small or as large can be of immediate help ~~~ 

THANKS !!!

towogroup@gmail.com

8 sessions of Tools for Trauma, first aid SE_EFA, Multi-Cultural women groups Galilee

8 sessions of Tools for Trauma, first aid SE_EFA, Multi-Cultural women groups.
From the Galilee Healing Sisterhood of ToWo group; supported by the Mateh Asher council.
Led by Juditta Ben-David and Nidham Haiagny
8 Mondays beginning the 13th of April
Matna"s Naaman, near Akko.
Info: towogroup@gmail.com
Registration : nilia@matteasher.org.il