Solutions Not Sides
Solutions Not Sides is a British charity registered in 2019 which says that it 'aims to tackle Antisemitism, Islamophobia and polarisation around the issue of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the UK.'[1] Various sources list the activities associated with SNS as begnining in 2009 or 2010 as an area of activity and later a project of OneVoice Europe a London based company created in 2002 and registered as a charity in 2006. The activity was which was subsequently rebranded as Solutions Not Sides.
OneVoice Europe has an affiliate international office in New York, and together the two offices raise funds for OneVoice Israel (OVI) and Darkenu, and OneVoice Palestine (OVP) and Zimam.[2]
Solutions Not Sides started life as a programme of activities undertaken by an organisation called OneVoice Europe. This was registered as a charity and a company in 2006 and in around 2010 began to do work in schools.
It was only in 2016 that the 'flagship European programme has also taken on its own unique identity and brand: 'Solutions Not Sides'.[2]
The trajectory of SNS can be tracked via the names of the Facebook page associated with it. OneVoice Europe created a Facebook page on 10 August 2011 under the name 'OneVoice Europe Israel-Palestine Forum', the name was then changed to 'The Solutions Not Sides Education Program' on 15 December 2015 and finally changed to 'Solutions Not Sides' on 17 February 2016.[3]
This illustrates the growing apparent separation between the two though in reality SNS remained part of OneVoice Europe until 2019. Solutions Not Sides was registered with the Charity Commission on 30 May 2019.[4] However the two organisations remain significantly intertwined. The founder and Executive Director of SNS Sharon Booth has been a director of OneVoice Europe since 2018; The company Secretary (2008-2018) and now Director (since 2018) John Lyndon is on the Advisory board of SNS (representing another group ALLMEP). the Israel and Palestine partners of SNS are also the key recipients of funds from OneVoice Europe.
Origins
On the website for the Union of Jewish Students (UJS), Solutions Not Sides is listed under the heading 'Useful Websites' and is described by UJS as 'an educational programme that exists to provide humanising encounters, diverse narratives and critical-thinking tools in order to empower young people with the knowledge, empathy and skills to promote dialogue and conflict resolution, and to challenge prejudice in the UK.'[5]
OneVoice Europe
Activities
Publications
SNS has published two learning resources. One is the Solutions Not Sides Teachers' Handbook and the other is Check Your Facts - Facts, Opinions & 'Fake News'.
Team
Staff
- Sharon Booth, Founder and Executive Director, 'has an MA from Cambridge University in Theology and Religious Studies.' According to a 2021 biograqphical note:
- Following her graduation, she taught English at Amideast in Tunisia and then went on to work in Amman, Jordan as a Productions Manager for a publishing company with programmes for young people aiming to promote reading in the Arab World. In Sharon's final year in Jordan, she was employed as PA to the Defence Attaché at the British Embassy, then returned to the UK and began work in Israeli-Palestinian conflict resolution, founding the Solutions Not Sides Education Programme in 2010. Sharon speaks Arabic and French and has studied ancient Hebrew. In January 2016, she was awarded a master’s degree with distinction from King's College London, specialising in nationalism and religion.[6]
Older versions of the note give a different version of the foundation of Solutions Not Sides, saying she became the 'Director of the Solutions Not Sides Education Programme in the Israeli/Palestinan conflict in 2009 at OneVoice Europe'[7]
- Jess Brandler Managing Director, overseeing all aspects of SNS’ work, as well as working closely with speakers from Palestine and Israel to train, prepare, and support them for work with SNS. She has spent considerable time in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank. She's been at SNS since 2015 and worked with founder and Director, Sharon, to considerably grow the organisation to what it is today, expanding into dozens of cities and towns across the UK. She graduated from Cambridge University in Politics, Psychology and Sociology, specialising in conflict development, and the role of religion in politics. Following her graduation, she was awarded a fellowship at the Central European University in Budapest, where she completed her MA in International Relations and European Studies. During this time, she wrote papers and ran seminars on Palestine and Israel, and volunteered with The Human Rights Initiative (HRSI). After graduating in Budapest, she moved back to London, where she worked with an education sector in universities and schools as Business, Sales and marketing Manager of the company Yearbook Machine. She previously volunteered with the charity Football Beyond Borders, and she is fast on the road to becoming a speaker of Arabic.
- Mohammed Ali Amla Director of Bridge Building, leading on youth empowerment, strategic partnership development and community collaborations. He is an experienced networker who is responsible for developing new partnerships for SNS across civil society, the education sector, academia, local authorities and communities. He has over 20 years’ experience working with communities, the public and private sector. He has worked as a researcher, educator, practitioner, activist and executive coach to empower communities to create social innovation and change. His specialisations are in creating safe spaces for difficult dialogue, leadership development, think spaces, strategic development, knowledge exchange and delivering inclusion and diversity training. He is regularly invited as a guest lecturer on peace leadership, active citizenship, cohesion, interfaith, religion, Islamophobia, the far right, media and community empowerment. Ali is an alumni of the IVLP, Clore Fellow, and the founder of Christian Muslim Encounters, which aims to foster good relations and build bridges across communities, academia, policy and civil society. He is currently writing a book on interfaith.
- Laurence Conneely is Solutions Not Sides Media & Communications Manager, overseeing . He graduated from the School of Oriental and African Studies, MSc Violence, Conflict & Development programme, focusing on South East Asia. Prior to this, he graduated from Kings College London with a BA in Development Geography with a focus on India and on land use and control. Before joining the Solutions Not Sides team, he volunteered and subsequently worked for Link Ethiopia, a small not-for-profit specialising in educational development, and pioneering the delivery of profound grassroots educational change across developing communities in Ethiopia and connecting communities around the world.
- Poppy Soetens-Hall Programmes and Events Manager. She graduated with a BA in Arabic from The School of Oriental and African Studies, where she also studied Hebrew. During her degree she spent a year studying at An-Najah University in Nablus, Palestine. After this, she spent five months living and working in Ramallah in various women's rights organisations. Poppy attended the 2017 SNS Student Leadership Programme before joining SNS full time.
Advisory Board
Sadia Akram - Forum for Discussion on Israel and Palestine | Ashfaque Chowdhury – Association of Muslim Schools UK | Fiona Cumberland - Director at Kreab | Josh Dubell - Jewish Community Worker currently with UJIA | Peggy Forell – Advocality | Alex Goldberg – Jewish Chaplain, University of Surrey | Ed Kessler – The Woolf Institute, Cambridge | Sahdia Khan - former Director of the Encompass Trust and currently a secondary school teacher | Paula Lent – Art Masters Design Solutions Ltd. | John Lyndon - Executive Director of ALLMEP | David Mason - Muswell Hill Orthodox Synagogue | Jonny Newton - Community Security Trust | Hagai M. Segal - Lecturer and advisory on Middle-Eastern affairs, geopolitics and extremism | Nathan Servi - Head of Education, Maccabi GB; Head of Streetwise and Stand Up! | Sajeela Shah – Teacher at Bingley Grammar School | Bruce Thompson – the Methodist Church, Lincolnshire[8]
Trustees
- Name Role Date of appointment Other trusteeships
- Greg Rack Trustee 12 October 2018 None on record
- Rachel Sharon Lewis Chair 12 October 2018 None on record
- Rafia Shaheen Trustee 12 October 2018 None on record [9]
Funding
In its 2021 report Solutions Not Sides reported that :
- Prior to September 2019, the activities of Solutions Not Sides were undertaken within OneVoice Europe - a registered charity and company limited by guarantee. Solutions Not Sides was registered as a separate charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) in May 2019. Under the terms of a transfer deed, the activities and net assets of Solutions Not Sides were transferred from OneVoice Europe to the new Solutions Not Sides CIO on 31 August 2019.[10]
In 2016 Onevoice Europe disclosed that 'OVE's office overheads snd administration costs are kept low thanks to subsidised office space provided by an OVE supporter'.[2]
In 2017 OneVoice Europe stated that 'Much of this growth [in the SNS programme] has been thanks to the support of the UK Department of Communities and Local Government, who provided a significant grant toward the programme, and allowed the team to grow to four fulltime staff, each capable of delivering sessions simultaneously.'[11]
2020
- Received £60,000 from The Pears Family Charitable Foundation. [12]
2019
- Received £50,000 from The Pears Family Charitable Foundation.[13]
2017-18
- 2017-2018 OneVoice Europe received £100,000 from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government for the 'Solutions not Sides Education Programme', said to be 'To ensure that young people are more aware of the nuances behind the conflict in Israel and Palestine and to help build understanding between communities.'[14]
2017
European donors
2016
- 2016-2017 Solutions Not Sides received £50,000 from the Department for Communities and Local Government for the purpose 'To ensure that young people are more aware of the nuances behind the conflict in Israel and Palestine and will help build understanding between communities.' The organisation name of the grant recipient was One Voice Europe - Solutions Not Sides Education Program.[16]
Known funding
| Donor | 2007/8 | 2008/9 | 2009/10 | 2010/11 | 2011/2 | 2012/3 | 2013/4 | 2014/5 | 2015/6 | 2016/7 | 2017/8 | 2018/9 | 2019/20 | 2020/1 | 2021/2 | 2022/3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catkin Pussywillow Charitable Trust | 22,730 | 20,000 | 20,000 | 25,000 | 5,000 | 5,000 | 97,730 | ||||||||||
| David and Ruth Lewis Family Charitable Trust (Listed as OneVoice in 2007-2018 and SNS in 2022 and 2023) | 12,500 | 32,500 | 20,000 | 20,000 | 32,500 | 30,000 | 30,000 | 136,400 | 60,000 | 70,000 | 443,900 | ||||||
| Gerald and Gail Ronson Family Foundation | 1,000 | 1,000 | |||||||||||||||
| Lara Atkin Charitable Foundation | 15,000 | 15,000 | 30,000 | ||||||||||||||
| Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (From 2016-2020 listed as OneVoice and in 2022 listed as SNS) | 50,000 | 100,000 | 50,000 | 50,000 | 100,000 | 350,000 | |||||||||||
| The Pears Family Charitable Foundation - all listed as SNS | 20,000 | 30,000 | 50,000 | 60,000 | 80,000 | 120,000 | 360,000 | ||||||||||
| Total known donors | 13,500 | 32,500 | 20,000 | 20,000 | 45,000 | 20,000 | 32,500 | 30,000 | 100,000 | 266,400 | 100,000 | 125,000 | 95,000 | 280,000 | 70,000 | 1,184,900 |
Resources
Articles
- Alex Turrall ‘Sides Not Solutions’: Zionist Propaganda in UK Schools Ebb, 06-02-2024
Annual Reports and Accounts
OneVoice Europe
March 2014 | March 2015 | March 2016 | March 2017 | March 2018 | March 2019 | March 2020 | March 2021 | March 2022
Solutions Not Sides
August 2020 | August 2021 | August 2022
Contact
- Address:The Vineyards, 36 Gloucester Avenue, London NW1 7BB
- Phone: 02075845941
- Email: team@solutionsnotsides.co.uk
- Website: www.solutionsnotsides.co.uk
Notes
- ↑ Solutions Not Sides Homepage. Retrieved from the Internet Archive of 27 May 2021 on 27 May 2021.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 ONEVOICE EUROPE, UNAUDITED TRUSTEES' REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2016. Registered number 05773900 Charity number: 1114114
- ↑ Solutions Not Sides. Solutions Not Sides Facebook Page. "Facebook". Accessed via Archive.today on 26/5/21.
- ↑ Charity Commission. Solutions Not Sides Charity number: 1183651. "Charity Commission". Accessed via Archive.today on 26/5/21.
- ↑ Union of Jewish Students. Useful Websites - Solutions Not Sides. "UJS". Accessed via Archive.today on 27/5/21.
- ↑ Solutions Not Sides Team. retrieved from the Internet Archive of 26 may 2021 on 27 May 2021.
- ↑ Solutions Not Sides About. Retrieved from the Internet Archive of 2 May 2016 on 27 May 2021.
- ↑ Solutions Not Sides Team. Accessed 26 May 2021.
- ↑ Charity Commission, Solutions Not Sides Trustees. Accessed 26 May 2021.
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20231213142654/https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search?p_p_id=uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet&p_p_lifecycle=2&p_p_state=maximized&p_p_mode=view&p_p_resource_id=%2Faccounts-resource&p_p_cacheability=cacheLevelPage&_uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet_objectiveId=A11995071&_uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet_priv_r_p_mvcRenderCommandName=%2Faccounts-and-annual-returns&_uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet_priv_r_p_organisationNumber=5130520 p.29
- ↑ ONEVOICE EUROPE, UNAUDITED TRUSTEES' REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2017. Registered number: 05773900 Charity number: 1114114
- ↑ Charity Commission. The Pears Family Charitable Foundation Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2020. "Charity Commission". Retrieved via Archive.tody on 26/5/21.
- ↑ Charity Commission. The Pears Family Charitable Foundation Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2019. "Charity Commission". Retrieved via Archive.tody on 26/5/21.
- ↑ Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government. Annual Report and Accounts 2017-18. "HM Government". Retrieved from the Internet Archive of 25 July 2019.
- ↑ https://archive.ph/k6eFU
- ↑ Department for Communities and Local Government. Annual Report and Accounts 2016-17. "HM Government". Retrieved from the Internet Archive of 25 July 2019.
