During the latter period of his studies, he served as J-SOC campaigns director.

Earlier this week Marc spent a day at the Israeli Peace Education Centre of Givat Haviva near Hadera where he heard about the different projects bringing Jewish and Arab Israelis together for dialogue.

He also undertook a short tour of a nearby Arab village divided by the 1949 border known as the Green Line.

Recently graduated in politics, the 20-year-old has spent the last month in Israel as one of the leaders keeping a watchful eye on 40 British teens on Israel tour with FZY.

The majority of the group (FZY 8) is from London but some fellow northerners from Manchester, Liverpool and three fellow Glaswegians are also aboard to keep him company.

Marc, the son of Nicola and Derek Livingston, graduated with a degree in politics but will be back on the learning benches at Manchester University for the coming academic year when he undertakes law conversion.

"I found the co-existence seminar to be very interesting - but then again I am interested in anything to do with politics, especially Israel-Palestine and Israel-Arab," he said.

"The issues were presented in such a way that even without basic knowledge it was easy for the teens to understand and comprehend.

"They have been saying that it was so totally different from anything else they had done on tour and it had given them a different - more positive - picture than the news back home."

PEACEFUL: Marc Livingston (left) and a few FZY 8 participants during the co-existence seminar at the Givat Haviva Jewish-Arab Centre for Peace. From left: Adina Bernstein, Isobel Rosenblatt (Liverpool), Adam Gottlieb, Jack Lee, Simon Falk (Manchester) and Jenna Grabiner, Gabrielle Gordon and Rebecca Shenkin (Glasgow)

Meanwhile, a photograph of Habonim Dror members taken at Givat Haviva in 2000 caught the eye of Mancunian youth leader Ilan Scorah during a visit last week.

The framed photograph is one of many adorning the office wall of Jewish Telegraph Israel correspondent Lydia Aisenberg.

Lydia, a lecturer and special study tour guide for more than 20 years, concentrates on the Wadi Ara region, working with overseas groups.

"That's my brother Ben," Ilan, who has been in Israel with 45 Habonim teenagers from Manchester and Leeds, said.

The photo was taken while Ben was on a nine-month leadership course with Habonim.

Others in that group were Mancunian Caroline Beck, who now lives in Tel Aviv, and Anton Marks, who founded and settled the irbutz (town kibbutz) in Migdal HaEmek, with fellow Leodensian James Rosenhead.

Ilan, a Leeds University philosophy graduate, is the son of Jo and David Scorah of Bowdon.

On his return to the UK, he will take up the position of southern fieldworker for Habonim.

Ben, who now lives in New York, is embarking on a new venture - opening up his own bar in Manhattan.