Program Reviews

Merhaba! My name is Oliver from the USA. I took part in the volunteer with refugees program for two weeks. Being immersed in the Palestinian culture and seeing the country is just an additional perk to the overall program. I had the opportunity to help the Palestinian refugees to learn English, and it was a great experience. The Go Palestine's staff is amazing, they will be there anytime you ask for a help, they will make your experience more enjoyable. They were awesome.

I also experienced visiting refugee camps in Hebron and Bethlehem every Monday, and it was an eye-opening to me. During the two weeks, I was able to help to teach conversational English to school students aged 12–17 years old, I had amazing and funny moments with them during the classes. Finally, I want to say that, the Go Palestine volunteer program is an excellent opportunity for anyone looking to volunteer and make a meaningful impact on the community in Palestine. Will come again Inshallah!

My name is Ruquyya. I was born and raised in Britain and am married with 4 daughters. A colleague from my workplace came to Palestine and advised me to visit.

After extensive searches online and Skype calls and email exchanges, I felt that Palestine Go was the best fit for me and gave me the confidence to visit alone as a single Muslim female traveling alone with my daughter. We booked our tickets and arranged our stay for 1 week as we were still slightly apprehensive about coming to a foreign place alone.

Upon arrival we were greeted by the owners and instantly all of our apprehension disappeared. Everyone was so welcoming that we felt like we had stepped into a home away from home. A host family had been arranged for us and the hospitality of the host family and the people from the center has been second to none. Instantly my daughter and I agreed that we should have come for longer .

A typical day for us here would start with a freshly made breakfast to sit and share with the other volunteers accompanied by enriching conversations. We would converse in English and Arabic and we felt like we were learning something new constantly. After breakfast we would have activities to do that were planned and given to us in advance. This structured timetable made us feel at ease and never uncomfortable. Although we were only here for a week, our timetable included an whole days excursion to an ancient city full of history alongside a guided tour of the holy resting place of the Patriarchs.

We also taught conversational English to students and were given individual Arabic classes matched to our abilities. The conversational English classes were an eye opener and we learnt so much from the students during the sessions, that I would always be sad when they finished.

The classes, my lessons, the center , the excursions and living with a Host family gave me a unique insight into the Palestinian culture that I would not have received had I come alone as a tourist and stayed in a hotel. The hospitality of Palestinian people is second to none and I cannot count how many cups of coffee, offers of meals and invitations to visit people's houses I have received. I have eaten at least 3 times at random strangers houses in the week I was here and had to turn down so many invitations, with promises of the next time I visit.

Just to give an example of the hospitality, I caught a taxi to go to Bethlehem from Hebron and the driver upon learning we were visitors, took us home to meet his wife and brought her along with us for the journey to make us more comfortable. He also made us promise that next time we came Hebron ,we would stay at his house. Another person we met at the old city took us home after hearing we were foreigners to meet his wife, she then prepared an evening meal for us to eat together.

At no time during my stay in Hebron or whilst traveling alone, using the local sharing taxis did I feel unsafe. The people welcome you in with their whole hearts and the center guides you all the time with regards to safety, even on our Free days and evenings.

The only regret I have is that my stay is too short and I will definitely return in the future and encourage others to visit. It’s a true life changing experience.

I’m Maariyah – a 25 year old Doctor from the UK. I visited Hebron and participated in the Go Palestine ‘Teach English’ Programme for a mere one week. This included teaching English to students, mothers and local workers in Hebron. The lessons were great as they are one on one and so I could tailor it to the level of the individual student with some beginners and some advanced speakers. It also allowed me to get to know my students on a personal level and many of them have invited me to return and stay/eat at their house!
Aside from teaching, I have had the opportunity to learn the Palestinian dialect of Arabic. In my one week here I have had two lessons and am pleased to say I can hold a very basic conversation now!
The center had also organised tours of the old city, allowing us to visit the Ibrahim Mosque and a tour of the local village of Al-Dahiriya. These trips have given me a deeper understanding of the current political climate as well as Palestinian hospitality and culture.
I have learnt that Palestinian hospitality is like no other. The team at the center are incredibly welcoming, treating us as their own family! Having breakfast together every morning was one of the highlights of my trip. Palestine felt incredibly safe to me, and Palestinians will go out of their way to help you to feel comfortable, safe and at home.
I recommend this programme to all that wish to visit Hebron.

I volunteered to teach English at the Go Palestine centre for a month from December 2022 to January 2023, and my experience was overwhelmingly positive.

My time at the centre was spent teaching English twice a day, with each class about 90 minutes long, and taking Arabic classes twice a week. Fridays and Saturdays are the weekend, and there is always something to do, whether it's visiting a different Palestinian city, or a social engagement with someone in Hebron, who will be very happy to show you around.

On Mondays, the centre will travel to a location of historical or political importance in or near Hebron. These were often refugee camps or Hebron's famous old city. These visits will show you the uniqueness of Palestine's situation, and allow Palestinians to tell their stories.

The Palestinians I met were all extremely friendly, and very happy to invite me over for dinner, go bowling, show me the old city, or any number of activities. I was worried that Palestine would be too traditional for me, but this was not the case. Everyone I met was accommodating towards our cultural differences, including on matters of religion.

importantly, my experience of Hebron was also completely safe. I never once felt in any danger, contrary to what I had heard prior to my visit.

I would absolutely recommend people interested in the program to take part, and see Palestine for yourself!

I am currently studying for my Master's in Conflict Transformation and originally planned to return to Israel-Plaestine through GoPalestine in Summer of 2020. However, I reconnected with GoPalestine this fall and just completed my two weeks with the program, focusing on Palestinian media. I arrived at the center and was placed with a host family. While I’ve only been in Hebron for two weeks, GoPalestine immersed me in the city and unique one-on-one conversations with professionals in the media field. Even my professional meetings have included a deep sense of hospitality. I have felt incredibly welcomed to the city in every interaction with the center, my host family, and the people of the city.
Throughout my internship, I met with media professionals in the local radio stations and worked with students at the center. Before arriving to Palestine, I researched some broader topics about Palestinian media and media functioning within the context of conflict. Most of my questions to the media professionals included questions about occupation, conflict, and pressures from government. I was able to form a better understanding for the specific impact on media in Palestine and walk away with better questions.
The Palestinian culture in Hebron is incredibly generous, welcoming, and grounded in relationship. I never felt unsafe and especially directed all cultural questions to my instructors at GoPalestine. If anyone is interested in learning more about the Palestinian story, situation, and history, GoPalestine will meet you where you are and your interests. I am leaving with a better understanding of the situation and language, as well as many new friends and family in Hebron.
Two weeks is too short a stay to Hebron. In two weeks you can feel at home. You can grow your family and relationship with the world. I will say a temporary goodbye to Hebron in three days, but will carry conversations, connections, and concepts with me as I continue to research, learn, and travel.

I highly recommend the Go Palestine Arabic Language Online Program. My teacher is a wonderful teacher, she speaks English very well and she also brings great enthusiasm to her work. She has a good understanding of where the gaps are in my knowledge of the Arabic language.

This enables her to select and prepare the material for each lesson carefully. The first lesson is free, but I immediately signed up for the next one. I really appreciate the format through Zoom, very flexible and compatible with my own work.

I really don't know from where to begin. I spent the most wonderful month in Palestine and it was the best experience of all. My name is Ashley from Britain. I came to Palestine to participate in the teaching in Palestine Program, where I was able to teach many Palestinians of all ages, as I taught school students and university students. My students were very friendly and very eager to learn :))

One of the best thing I had there was staying with a lovely Palestinian family, I felt home with them and learned a lot about the culture and their daily life as Palestinians. It was defenitly an eye opening for me as I found everything here different from what we usually see in the media. Palestine is completely safe, and I never once felt unsafe.

The center also organised day trips to refugees camps in Hebron and Bethlehem, where I had the chance to know about refugees' living conditions and listened to many stories. I also had the opportunity to learn the Arabic language with my amazing teacher Mohammad, who has a distinctive and wonderful style, and I really improved my Arabic. "Momtaz" was my favourt word btw as my teacher used to say it to me every time I say or write something correctly.

My volunteer journey was an amazing experience that will remain in my memory forever thanks to all the people at Go Palestine who helped me and was there when I needed them. I highly recommend traveling to Palestine and joining the Go Palestine's fabulous programs. Don't think twice :)

My name is Allie, and I am a graduate student studying Media Studies in the United States. My time working with the Palestine Center in Hebron has been exceptional. For three months, I have worked at the center. Because of my extended trip, I was able to participate in several of the Palestinian Center’s programs, including the Media Program, the Conflict Resolution Program, and the Palestinian Refugee Program. I am very thankful to be able to gain a more holistic view of the reality in Palestine through each of these programs. For the programs, we met with experts in each field and conducted field visits to relevant organizations in and around the city of Hebron. We work for five days each week at the center and have two days off per week. Though the week is scheduled ahead of time, it is common for plans to fall through or need to be rearranged, so I encourage all potential volunteers to be flexible! I have learned to embrace a “go with the flow” attitude here.

I took weekly Arabic lessons and taught English a few times each week. My students were engaged and quick to learn and always came to class excited. My Arabic teacher was highly educated and spoke fluent English and we became very good friends!

I was invited to speak at a university in Bethlehem at a media conference. I attended cultural symposiums and movie screenings all over the West Bank. I ate amazing food (my favorite Palestinian dish is maklouba) and gorged myself on kunafa (the best dessert in the world). I learned so much about Palestinian culture and was able to talk at length to my students, professors, and others about culture exchange.

I want to emphasize how safe Hebron is. I never once felt fearful or threatened and as a woman, I was comfortable walking around the city by myself, even at night. Though you often hear of clashes in the news, I never felt threatened as a tourist in Hebron nor anywhere else in Palestine. Furthermore, Palestinians are extremely welcoming and love to meet tourists. I have been invited to many peoples’ homes for dinner, which has allowed me to integrate more deeply into Palestinian culture and lifestyle.

Everyone who works at the center is incredibly kind and welcoming. Meeting volunteers from all over the world was exciting. We frequently had group dinners at the center and became so close that we celebrated my birthday together as well. I am so sad to be leaving the center but entirely sure that I will come back soon to see my Palestinian friends here! I highly recommend volunteering at the Palestinian Center in Hebron!

My experience with the Palestine center was one of the most fulfilling experiences I have done in my many years of travelling. Whilst, I was here I was able to help teach school children in a refugee camp essential English skill that could really change the course of their future.

The center was also great in preparing visits in our free time to see other cities in Palestine and they exhibited a real interest in ensuring everyone who stays with them has a robust experience with regards to the culture and the amazing food that exists in the country. I, like many, had some trepidation before travelling to Palestine and Hebron. However, after arriving at the center, my thoughts on safety could not have been further from the truth. The people in Hebron are so accommodating and kind, as well as the center putting a great emphasis on the safety of those who stay at the center.

I regularly would go out in the city at night and not have any fear of my safety given how amazing the hospitality and virtue of the Palestinian people was. I would highly recommend anyone who has ever thought about visiting Palestine and the West Bank to definitely consider the center as it was one of the best decisions I have made in my life and made for a fulfilling and eye opening experience

Hi, my name is Marco, I'm 21 years old, I'm an History student at the Florence university in Italy and I'm about to graduate.
My experience in Hebron, in particular at the Palestinian Center, was very very beautiful, we do a lot of things, from visit the local Expo to visit the entire old city with all of this important sites like the Ibrahimi Mosque or the market.
We met a lot of human rights associations and so we met a great amount of beautiful people, workers, students, employee.
We make a lot of friends in Hebron, from the Cultural Symposium to simple shop's owner.
The main tasks that we have in the center is to teach English to other people's and try to learn arabic trough lesson and very good teacher's.
We also went to Aida camp( suburbs of Bethlehem now) and little village called Fawwar (after 1948 used to be a tent camp) in south of Hebron.
There was a very strong but important experience. I recommend to all the people.
I liked a lot the palestinian culture, the food and traditional clothes above all.
I'm felt very safe in Palestine and in Hebron too, when we go around with the people of the center or with the friends that we make, we felt like at home, i think that the major danger came from the occupants,they carry a lot of weapons, they do a lot of control and check so this make me felt unsecure.
I recommend this type of journey, of experience ,at the people from all over the world, here In Palestine and in with the people of Palestinian center too.
Is a very good way to try the palestinian life, culture, way of life.
Is a perfect experience to learn about a far culture(for me that I'm italian) like this.