"The fact that our favorite singers support Palestine shows they have huge hearts."

Sant Boi de LlobregatThe word Palestine It's not a new topic in this classroom. In fact, the students don't ask what's happening in Gaza, but how it's possible that this continues. They know the context of the conflict, and even engage in parallel discussions where they share information and help each other better understand the situation Gazans are going through. "This isn't a political issue, they're killing children and the elderly," they exclaim. In this high school in Sant Boi de Llobregat, the genocide has become a part of the students' conversations, filtered through TikTok, Instagram, and discussions at home and at school. "I found out about it from my family, who are Muslim," explains Chada. "When I learned that they'd been going on like this for over 70 years... I even went to demonstrations with my mother, because it's incomprehensible," she adds.

These are some of the 670 students who will be invited at the big charity concert organized by the international campaign Act x Palestine at the Palau Sant Jordi on Thursday, January 29However, beforehand they receive training from journalists, activists, and content creators who, in addition to raising awareness about the Palestinian cause, talk to them about media bias, Islamophobia, and how to collaborate without needing many resources.

The workshop facilitators' task is to provide tools and organize the most complex concepts so that the young people can develop critical thinking skills. "We try to convey to them that this is a story of employment and displacement that goes back a long way," explains Eloi Gummà, historian and activist. "Many already come well-informed, but they are surprised to learn that this didn't start with the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023," he comments. After the more educational part of the activity, the participants are given a challenge, and they get down to work, because now it's their turn to work.

Collaborate creatively

In fact, they will be attending the event as chroniclers. They are encouraged to produce content in various formats to help spread the word about the cause, whether by creating a podcast, a video for social media, or a blog with concert reviews. Palestine ceases to be just a topic of conversation and becomes the subject of their creative work. As ideas emerge, they realize they have the power to generate change because, as Valeria says, "you can help a lot just by making your friends and family aware of the situation." "The important thing is to make the concert material entertaining so people get hooked and, almost by chance, learn about the issue," Chada suggests to her classmates. Gala, the group's tutor, sees this activity as a very rare opportunity. "Education is a tool for transforming the world," she asserts, and although she believes the conflict in Gaza should be addressed in all schools, "in schools with the greatest challenges, bringing culture and communication is key, because many families can't afford it," she says.

Despite the students' involvement in the activity, it's inevitable that the conversation occasionally veers towards the big event at the Palau Sant Jordi. "We're so excited, we've never been to a concert before," Fatu remarks. "And at the Sant Jordi, we're blown away! We've been thinking for weeks about what to wear!" Valeria adds, laughing. Besides the typical first-time jitters, they also feel a great responsibility, because some of them will be occupying press areas to cover the event like professionals. "We want them to participate by writing articles, interviewing artists... We want them to see that you can do amazing things out of commitment, without money or big record labels," says Gummà.

Committed Role Models

Among the artists performing at the Palau Sant Jordi, two names resonate strongly with the students: Bad Gyal and Morad. They speak of the importance of artists publicly supporting Palestine. Chada celebrates this: "They have a huge impact, and the fact that our favorite singers are performing at the concert voluntarily raises awareness of the issue and makes it clear that, besides being great artists, they have huge hearts."

Thus, culture serves as a megaphone for the Palestinian cause, and also shows teenagers from disadvantaged backgrounds that, in addition to learning about the issue, they can take a stand by speaking out about it.