Resource
Ecumenical Accompanier role description
See if Ecumenical Accompaniment in Israel and Palestine is right for you.
Apply to be an Ecumenical Accompanier (EA)
We have a rigorous selection process and recruit people well in advance of their service to give time for several months of preparation and training. We expect EAs to be flexible, hard-working, physically and emotionally robust, open to hearing from different perspectives, and able to represent the programme in a professional manner. To get an idea of what's involved, read a few field reports written by EAs over on our blog.
“It is an experience that will stay with me for the rest of my life. I hope I will become an advocate worthy of the many Palestinians and Israelis I met during my term."
- Veronica, EA from the UK, 2015
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Ecumenical Accompanier recruitment for 2020 is now closed. Our next round of recruitment, for EAs to serve in 2021, will take place in spring 2020. If you have been shortlisted for interview in summer 2019, please download the the reference form you require here.
Please note that we recruit EAs for the Britain and Ireland part of EAPPI only. Advocacy is a key part of an EA's service and one of the selection criteria is that candidates must be able to demonstrate their 'involvement with church/ecumenical and/or peace networks in Britain or Ireland'. Applicants from other countries should apply to their own country programme via the EAPPI International website
For queries about the application process please email EAPPIrecruitment@quaker.org.uk.
Share the stories
Please read and share the eyewitness accounts EAs from Britain and Ireland have written on our Eyewitness blog. Can you also share with your friends and networks our EAPPI resources on issues such as education, access to worship and checkpoints?
You can also ask us for some EAPPI leaflets to share with your local church, school, workplace, or community.
Invite an Ecumenical Accompanier to speak
EAs returning to their home communities are more than happy to share their stories by speaking to different audiences. If you would like to invite an EA to speak to your community group, please contact us at eappi@quaker.org.uk.
Write to your elected representatives
Contact your elected representative to ask them to act. Pressure from constituents via emails, phone calls and meetings is one of the most important and effective ways we can help influence government policy. To highlight a particular issue, you can send them an Eyewitness blog post.
To be effective when writing or speaking to an elected representative:
- keep your points short and specific
- ask for their view or response
- always ask them to raise the issue with the relevant minister.
Find your elected representatives here:
- For MPs, MSPs, AMs and MLAs: www.writetothem.com
- For TDs: www.whoismytd.com
- For MEPs: www.europarl.ie/en/your_meps.html
Support Israeli peace groups
Discover ways you can support Israeli peace activists and groups by visiting their websites. For example:
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"Ending the occupation is better for Israel. If you care deeply about Israel, you'll care about its soul, and its soul is being eaten away by the occupation."
- Gila Svirsky, Israeli peace campaigner
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Visit Israel and occupied Palestine
Explore the situation first-hand by meeting people affected by the conflict and looking at aspects of life in Israel and occupied Palestine. Tours are run by a number of different groups including those listed below:
- Israeli Committee against House Demolitions (ICAHD)
- Zaytoun
- Quaker Voluntary Action (QVA)
- The Alternative Tourism Group based in the West Bank has practical information about travelling independently.