MESBAH to Present at the 70th Annual Meeting of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES 2026)

Academic Solidarity with Palestine is proud to announce that MESBAH’s roundtable proposal, “MESBAH: A grassroots mentorship model for educators under fire,” has been accepted for the 70th Annual Meeting of the Comparative and International Education Society in San Francisco, March 28–April 1, 2026.

MESBAH was created by Palestinian and US-based educators in response to the ongoing educide in Gaza, where the destruction of schools, displacement of families, and loss of teachers and students have shattered the formal education system.

At the heart of MESBAH is a pedagogy of sumud (unbreakable steadfastness)—a long-standing Palestinian educational tradition that emerged under earlier periods of dispossession and censorship. Today, this pedagogy is visible in Gaza’s educators who continue teaching in tents and shelters, creating makeshift learning spaces wherever children gather. Their work reflects not only academic commitment, but everyday resistance, dignity, and care.

The initiative highlights the critical role of mentors, who provide both instructional guidance and psychosocial support, including self-care strategies and Psychological First Aid (PFA) for themselves and for the student teachers they accompany through the challenges of crisis settings. MESBAH’s model integrates trauma-sensitive pedagogy, Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), and reflective practice to help both educators and children living through extreme adversity.

At CIES 2026, the team will share early insights from this grassroots work and invite dialogue on how community-led mentorship can sustain learning in the face of crisis.

About MESBAH

MESBAH (مِصْبَاح), meaning lantern, symbolizes the steady light carried by Gaza’s educators in the darkest of times. The initiative provides trauma-informed mentorship, psychosocial support, and pedagogical guidance to the pre-service teachers who are sustaining learning for displaced, trauma-affected children.

About ASwP

Academic Solidarity with Palestine (ASwP) is a volunteer-driven network committed to supporting Palestinian scholars, students, and community educators through partnerships, advocacy, and material solidarity.

For media inquiries or more information about the MESBAH initiative, please contact:
Academic Solidarity with Palestine:
academicsolidaritywithpalestine@proton.me