Stephen R Stern

Stephen R. Stern Co-Founder and Director of the Friends of Taghyeer Movement. Friends of Taghyeer is the US-based partner organization supporting and advising the Taghyeer (Change) Palestinian National Nonviolence Movement. Stephen is a Founding Board member of Mosaic Theater and chair of its Public Programming committee and its Voices from a Changing Middle East advisory committee. Stephen has for the past twenty years created public conversations and programs on communities and cultures in conflict, many focused on Israel and Palestine in the DC area and internationally. Stephen was the director and co-creator a Waziristan to Washington: A Muslim at the Crossroads – a one-person play written with and performed by Akbar Ahmed – about Ambassador Ahmed’s life and times. Previously Stephen spent 11 years at the World Bank, working on community participation, environment and social development in its Asia Regions, and served as a core team member for Bank President James Wolfensohn’s global culture and sustainable development initiative. Stephen was a founding partner and actor with the internationally acclaimed Otrabanda Theater Company with which he performed original and adapted theater works in Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, and in 35 states in the US.

Palestinian nonviolent identity in action - for self-development, social dchange and full freedom and rights -- is the key to transforming the conflict with Israel Change starts from within, but must encounter and work with others to better the world

Communities and Cultures in Conflict, Facilitation of Public Conversation: the arts, conflict transformation, Social Development Program Design