Program Reviews

I had the incredible opportunity to volunteer in Hebron, Palestine, for two weeks in November/December 2024, and it was an experience I will never forget. My time there was a perfect blend of meaningful work, cultural immersion, and personal growth, and I can't recommend it enough to anyone considering a similar opportunity.

I stayed in a comfortable, well-organized apartment just a short walk from the Excellence Center, which made it really easy to get to work each day. The apartment was perfect—quiet, clean, and in a great location. It allowed me to rest after busy days, and I truly felt at home. The Excellence Center itself is an inspiring place, offering a mix of educational programs and community engagement. My main role was teaching English to students at the center as well as at the nearby Al-Fawwar refugee camp. The students were motivated, eager to learn, and the experience of teaching them was both rewarding and humbling. There was also a great community of local teachers at the center, many of whom taught both English and Arabic. They were warm, supportive, and made me feel part of the team right away.

In addition to the teaching, the Excellence Center organized several cultural explorations, which were an eye-opening experience. These guided tours took me around Hebron and the surrounding areas, offering valuable insights into Palestinian society and life. We visited important sites in the city, explored the contrasts of the old and new parts of Hebron, and delved into the complex history and politics of the region. I also had the chance to visit Jerusalem and Bethlehem, and throughout my time in Palestine, I always felt safe. The people are incredibly friendly and welcoming, and the atmosphere is one of openness and hospitality. Everyone I met, whether in Hebron or in other parts of the West Bank, was eager to share their stories and culture, which made my experience even richer.

While the situation in the region is complex and it's important to stay informed about the current political climate, I personally felt well-prepared and safe throughout my time in Palestine. My advice to anyone considering a visit would be to do some research and stay up-to-date on the situation—it’s important to be informed and prepared, but if you do that, you will have an amazing experience.

Hebron itself is a city that’s both fascinating and deeply moving, with its rich religious and political history. Visiting the city, I found that it gave me a deeper understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the challenges faced by Palestinians on a daily basis. It’s not just a city you visit, it’s a place that challenges you to reflect and understand.

Finally, I must mention how affordable everything was in comparison to what I’m used to in Western Europe. From accommodation to food, the costs were much lower, making the whole experience even more accessible.

Overall, my time volunteering in Hebron was a truly unforgettable experience. The people, the work, and the cultural immersion were all fantastic. I would highly recommend this experience to anyone looking to make a positive impact, gain new perspectives, and immerse themselves in a different culture. The Excellence Center and the community there made this an enriching and worthwhile experience, and I can’t wait to go back one day.

I have spent two weeks at Excellent Centre for Palestine and during that time I have done an incredible amount.

Osama and Marwa were incredible hosts, making me feel very much part of the family. I enjoyed many teas and dinners with them. They and all the team at the centre are also very knowledgeable about Palestinian culture and history and always willing to answer questions and share information.

We met with many interesting local people via the centre, including business owners, human rights activists and local Palestinian citizens, who all openly shared their experiences and stories.

My Arabic speaking has come on a very long way, from knowing some basic greetings to now being able to have good conversations with locals and teachers. My arabic teacher was engaging, a great teacher and also fun to be with.

I worked with different groups of children in refugee camps and at the centre, who were all lovely to work with.

It has been an inspiring and educational experience which has taught me a lot about Palestine and also myself! I will definitely be back to visit everybody again in the future.

I would like to highly recommend the Excellence Center in Europe to anyone looking to teach English or learn more about the immigrant experience in Germany. The Center afforded me the opportunity to meet with and teach a diverse set of students that reside in Halle, but come from all over the world. Even with my limited teaching experience, the support offered by the center allowed for fun, engaging, and worthwhile classroom sessions for the students and myself. A definate highlight of my stay was the daily breakfast, which made the Excellence Center feel like a true family. I can't wait to come back for another 2 weeks.

If you have fears or worries or concerns; trust me, I know, that was me. But my positive experience with the center began before I arrived- the staff at the center were always responsive and understanding of the questions I had via WhatsApp and it was reassuring to go over everything with them before I even arrived. Their flexibility and willingness to accommodate was a sign of things to come and a reoccurring theme of my experience in Hebron.

With regards to the center itself and your daily routine, its always fun. There is something new to do everyday and if something strikes your fancy, those at the center are always willing to try and fit it in. The Arabic lessons themselves were great, and again, always flexible. You know how you learn and should have input in your own teaching, and the Arabic teachers are here are always responsive to that. Want to focus on grammar? No problem. Maybe you're more interested in particular vocab? No stress. I even got sick at one point and we moved my lessons around.

If you're interested in visiting Palestine and the center, do it. You won't regret it.

I’ve had an absolutely incredible time at the Excellence Centre in Europe! Throughout my time in Halle, I’ve had so many incredible opportunities and such a huge variety of invaluable experiences. After initially enjoying the sociability of the shared accommodation, I have more recently had the opportunity to stay with a wonderful host family for my final two weeks, through which I think my spoken German has improved considerably! Combining German lessons with teaching English has also been incredibly rewarding, while also leaving me with lots of free time to explore, both locally and further afield (the public transport is excellent!!!). Weekend trips to Berlin and Dresden were particular highlights, and with Leipzig just a 20 minute train journey away, I’ve had lots of opportunities to explore the region’s various Christmas markets and football stadia! As a keen musician, it was also amazing to spend long enough here to persuade the organist of the Marktkirche (Market church) to entrust me with the key to Handel’s original organ- not a bad place to do some practice! Overall, I’ve had an absolutely fantastic time and am so grateful to Rafat, Muaz, Dusan, Enrico and everyone at the Excellence Centre for their warm welcome and incredible generosity, not to mention fantastic food both every morning at breakfast and in the evenings when we all gather to say goodbye to departing volunteers!

My experience has been absolutely amazing. I didn’t just learn a lot about Germany, but also about the experiences of refugees here, which gave me such an important perspective. Big thanks to Muaz—he’s an awesome teacher and mentor, and he really helped me improve my German.

Life in Halle was great. There’s so much to do, and the schedule gives you plenty of time to enjoy it all. Weekends are free, and I highly recommend traveling whenever you can—it’s encouraged and totally worth it!

One of the best parts was meeting so many new people and making great friends along the way. It’s such a unique experience to connect and bond with people from all over the world, and those relationships make the whole experience even more special.

The accommodation was comfortable overall, though it could be a bit better when it comes to space. That said, it was still a nice place to live.

Teaching English was a bit tricky at first since there wasn’t much guidance on how to go about it. It took me a little time to find my rhythm, but once I did, it became a really rewarding part of the experience.

All in all, this was an incredible journey, and I’d recommend it to anyone looking to grow, learn, and connect with amazing people.

My experience has been absolutely amazing. I didn’t just learn a lot about Germany, but also about the experiences of refugees here, which gave me such an important perspective. Big thanks to Muaz—he’s an awesome teacher and mentor, and he really helped me improve my German.

Life in Halle was great. There’s so much to do, and the schedule gives you plenty of time to enjoy it all. Weekends are free, and I highly recommend traveling whenever you can—it’s encouraged and totally worth it!

One of the best parts was meeting so many new people and making great friends along the way. It’s such a unique experience to connect and bond with people from all over the world, and those relationships make the whole experience even more special.

The accommodation was comfortable overall, though it could be a bit better when it comes to space. That said, it was still a nice place to live.

Teaching English was a bit tricky at first since there wasn’t much guidance on how to go about it. It took me a little time to find my rhythm, but once I did, it became a really rewarding part of the experience.

All in all, this was an incredible journey, and I’d recommend it to anyone looking to grow, learn, and connect with amazing people.

My name is Allie Kay, I am from the United States and I chose to come to the Excellence Center for a month to engage in their journalism program and Arabic classes. I had a wonderful time at the center and learned a lot! Osama took me and other volunteers on interesting touring activities such as visiting the Ibrahimi mosque, the Hirbawi keffiyeh factory, the Hebron glass blowing factory, and showed us the market in the old city of Hebron where H1 meets H2. After a couple tries we were able to pass through the checkpoint to Shuhada street, which is an Israeli-only street in the heart of Hebron, and had a wonderful meeting with a Palestinian family living under the boot of occupation. Osama also took us a little bit outside of Hebron to visit the Al Fawwar Refugee Camp. Because I came for the journalism program, the Excellence Center introduced me to many male and female Palestinian photojournalists! I was so inspired by their work and look forward to continuing to network and foster professional connections with everyone I have met.

After a month of volunteering and studying in the West Bank, my lasting impression of the Palestinian people is that they are kind, hospitable, helpful, and courageous to continue to live and love others the way they do.

My overall experience at the Excellence Center was so wonderful that I can’t wait to come back next year! Marwa and Osama feel like my family now, and I am excited to try to come back and do some ride along work with the photojournalists I have been introduced to. Palestine was all I thought about for the year and some change before I came to volunteer, and now Palestine fills my heart as well as my mind. I highly recommend coming to the Excellence Center for anyone that is interested in getting out of their bubble on the imperial core, and experiencing firsthand the absolute kindness that embodies Palestine as a whole. I know that once I get home I will spend this next year telling everyone I can about the hospitality of Palestinians and will be gathering a group of friends to come back with me to experience the absolute magic of Palestine.

My experience at the Palestinian Excellence center has been nothing short of extraordinary. This is my first time in Palestine and I have been deeply moved by the warmth and hospitality of the people here who have made me feel like a part of their family.

The Centre offers an extensive array of opportunities catered to provide support and development to various communities living in Hebron as well as the opportunity to learn Arabic and teach English.

I had enrolled to the 6-hour Arabic Lessons and I have been absolutely blown away by the quality of the teaching. The teaching has been thoughtfully tailored, conducive to ensure I make significant progress in a short period of time. The teachers were highly skilled, patient and understanding to my needs. A special thanks to Jomana, Safa and Duha.

In addition to this, the course provided me with invaluable insights into life in Palestine allowing me to connect with locals, hear their personal stories and develop a profound appreciation for the resilience and strength of the community here.

In terms of safety, I felt incredibly secure throughout my entire stay at the Palestinian territories. At no point did i feel threatened or uneasy, on the contrary I felt warmth and peace.

Thank you so much Marwa, Osama , Khaitm for all the love, generosity and hospitality you have shown me and for all the delicious food that you had cooked for me.

I can not recommend this remarkable institution for anyone seeking enriching experiences and meaningful connections.

This experience was definitely more than I expected i.e. the hospitality from the organization and from the local community, the sites that we visited, the volunteer work in the refugee camps, the Arabic teachers and lessons, the food and drinks, the knowledge gained from the time spent here. I would highly recommend to anyone who is looking to volunteer or seeking the truth to apply to this program. In terms of safety, it is quite safe here, with regards to the community, it is very open here, everyone including kids are more than often outdoors. with regards to the Israeli soldiers, with my encounters, more than often they are respectful and simply doing their jobs to ensure safety of both the Israeli's, Palestinians and Foreigners.