Volunteer Palestine

In summer 2019 I spent 8 weeks volunteering with the organization, Volunteer Palestine. During this time I was placed at the Aida Youth Center where I was able to work with children, teach English classes to teens, adults, and women, and also assist with their annual summer camp. These experiences taught me more than I could have ever imagined. The camp became my home away from home and it was so hard to leave. By the end of the two months, I wanted to stay for the rest of my life. And that feeling is common among all the volunteers that Volunteer Palestine places. From before we even arrived to Palestine, Volunteer Palestine organized everything for us. From our housing, to trips, to placement, and even assisting us with finding Arabic classes, it was all planned before our arrival, making the transition smooth for us. This allowed us to begin volunteering once we arrived, and our coordinators were able to answer any questions that may have come up.
During those 8 weeks, I made lifelong friends that I still contact every week. I made memories that I will never forget and that I constantly tell people about back home. I’m sure my family here in America is tired of me talking about all my memories in Palestine now that I’ve been back for 5 weeks. As we went on trips and had cultural experiences and activities each
Friday, my knowledge of Palestinian culture, history, and tradition grew. I now make musakhan weekly for my family back home from learning how to make it during one of the cooking classes. My experience with Volunteer Palestine and in the Aida refugee camp was so great, I already started planning my next trip to Palestine, because I can’t imagine going a year without being in Palestine now.

My name is Sarah, I am a current postgraduate student at the University of George Town in USA. I had the opportunity to travel to Bethlehem city, Palestine with Volunteer Palestine last summer for a three months program. This opportunity has given me more than I ever could have hoped for when initially signing up for my VP program. In my three months, I volunteered with young children, increased my Arabic skills, and made friends from all around the world. The volunteer work in VP was not easy, but it was extremely rewarding, fun and an overall learning experience for everyone involved. When attending this trip, I knew I would be giving back to the community; but what I didn’t know, was truly how much the community would give to me. Since my time in Palestine, I have learned new things and been exposed to new situations, people and culture. I can only hope that I will have another opportunity like this one again sometime in my life. If you are interested in travel and volunteer, VP is the organization for you.

The month I spent in Bethlehem while volunteering with Aida Camp was arguably the best month of my life. Not only did I learn about life under occupation in Palestine but I also had a ridiculous amount of fun and made friends for life both with the locals and other visiting volunteers. Working in the camp gave me the opportunity to see first hand the situation of the refugees and to absorb pure Palestinian culture. Despite working hard during the week, I also managed to do a lot of sightseeing and even went on a road trip with some other volunteers. The Palestinian people are the most friendly and hospitable people I have ever met and it was a privilege to be able to spend time with them. I highly recommend this experience to anyone curious about life in Palestine, Palestinian culture and cuisine or simply someone looking to practise or develop their Arabic and have a good time.

I was wondering is it worth to be there? especially that i traveled to different countries but when you think about Palestine you feel it's not safe but when you be there you have totally different feelings. It opened my eyes in many ways and I learned not be an egocentric person but rather to see and empathize with needy people around me. The people there are very hospitable, nice and kind. Delicious food make you eating all the time. The refugee camp is very safe for local and international because the people there are living like one family. the activities in the center where i volunteered in were organized, dedicated, full of knowledge, fun and informative. it was a great experience to be in Palestine, it's an experience to change your life „Volunteer Palestine“ is the right place to start your life changing experience.

I was a volunteer with VolunteerPalestine this past summer in July 2018. I worked with the Aida youth center located in Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem. When I arrived, there was a summer camp held by the youth center for the kids of the camp, this summer camp was held in one of the UNRWA schools of the camp and was a 4 week camp, I was able to participate in the last 2 weeks of the camp. The summer camp was meant to provide an alternative learning environment for the kids of the camp by offering them classes in music, arts and crafts, sports, culture, and photography. I was a teacher assistant for the music class along with one of the teachers (who was from the refugee camp) and another volunteer. We set up the music class for the kids based on age groups, for younger kids (7-10), we prepared them for the musical scale and sang Palestinian songs, whereas for the older kids (10-14) we tried incorporating the music into plays with beats and rhythm. After the summer camp was over, I worked at the Aida youth center, which was established by grassroots organizers from the camp. At the center I would arrive every morning (6 days a week) and conduct english classes for kids who enrolled with the center. There was no specific structure for the center and it was a more relaxed environment than in the summer camp. In general I would work around the center, other than english classes, with logistical stuff and planning some events and activities for the kids. I was able to make many friends, including from the youth center and outside, so normally after work I would meet up with my friends at a cafe or bar.

Overall, working at Aida Youth Center allowed me to critical understand the situation through first hand experiences. It allowed be to see the resilience and resistance of the people of the camp and the Palestinian people in general. Volunteering at Aida Youth Center is a fantastic way to display solidarity with the Palestinian cause and learn more about it.

Reem - Montreal, Canada