Program Reviews

My Time at the excellance center and palestine has been a truely precious and unforgetable experience. Firstly the course was not only really fun with great teaching but also provided me with valuable foundation in arabic that I plan to take futher. I have felt extremely welcomed and comfortable in the center and in palestine in general. Palestinian hospitality is truely remarkable and sincere. I felt extremely safe due to the helpfullness of the local people and am extremely thankful for such an incredible experience.

I had the amazing chance to participate on the Human Rights Internship Programme. During this week in Hebron i was able to visit the old town of Hebron, the AL-Ibrahim Mosque and visit a refugee camp. I would say that what i experienced exceeded my expectations. The cuty was very safe and historically rich. Reading on books About Palestine and its history cannot ,match the reality of being here. Also, i had the chance to meet people from all over the world and share valuable experiences with them. I would definitely recommend!!

Hi, my name is Oliver. I am from Slovakia and I am currently studying Middle Eastern studies. I have been at the Excellence Center Palestine for 4 weeks and I participated in the Human rights intership. This program consists of trips, visits, and presentations about Palestine. Namely visits to local families, schools, organizations, refugee camps and villages. You are able to get a sense of the situation in Palestine and of the daily lives and struggles of its people.
As for the Arabic classes, I chose to learn the levantine dialect. My teacher Duha was incredible, she created a positive environment where learning was fun! I thoroughly enjoyed my Arabic classes in which I gained knowledge of conversational Arabic and phrases used in the daily life.
The staff in the centre is very friendly and welcoming. I met many like-minded people and made a lot of friends among volunteers. We visited many places around Palestine together, like Ramallah, Betlehem and Jaffa.
As for the safety concerns, I personally felt very safe in Hebron. Palestinians are probably the most welcoming and nicest people I've ever met. They are happy to see internationals, and appreciate your interest in their country. They often invited me for a coffee or a dinner and some lucky ones even got invited to a wedding!
In general, my stay in Palestine was very enriching. I've met new people, gained sense of Islamic culture, learned Arabic, and most importantly, I'm leaving as wiser, more experienced person with many great memories.

The Excellence Center provides a unique opportunity to connect with the intimate city of Hebron. In my time at the Center I was able to make connections with various NGOs and organizations that worked to both provide assitance in Hebron as well as contribute to my professional experience. The other volunteers at the Center make for a close community that provides comfort and peace, and the locals of Hebron are some of the kindest most wonderful people to meet and I consider myself blessed to have known them.

My name is Gina and I participated in the teaching English program.
I stayed for over 2 months with a host family who were incredibly welcoming and made me feel at ease being a new place.

At the centre I had Arabic lessons which really helped me to be able to communicate in the city and beyond, by the end of my stay I definitely had an understanding of the basics.

I taught intermediate English to a group of young students over the summer and I think this was my favourite experience, I learnt a lot about Palestine through them.

The Excellence Centre also organised many visits to areas of Palestine I wouldn’t have seen if travelling on my own. We had opportunities to meet many different types of people and listen to their stories. The tours around the old town of Hebron and surrounding areas were really interesting and I really value the shared experiences I had.
It was wonderful to meet so many people from all over the world within the centre, there really was a varied group of volunteers, so a real cultural exchange. I made friends and we managed to travel around the country to Bethlehem, Ramallah, Nablus, Jericho and Jenin.
The people of Palestine are incredibly kind and welcoming and there is a real sense of community here. I am sad to be leaving and would love to return soon so I can see the friends I made here.
Thankyou to the Excellence Centre for giving me an experience to remember for a lifetime

I spent a week at the EC where I learned arabic the teacher was friendly and experinced and good funThe centre was helpful and friendly and was there to support me in any way which i appreciated. My host famile were the loveliest kindest people who looked after me took me around the town and fed me constantly. You will enjoy your experience here its unique! I found Hebron very safe i never felt threatened or afraid whatver time of day. In facthe people were respectful and friendly and oten wanted to chat on the street to practice their engish.

My name is Maddy Sala, I am from the UK and I am currently studying History. I have been at the Excellence Center Palestine for 4 weeks on the Volunteer with Palestinian Refugees programme.
I participated in many activities with the Excellence Center, namely a tour of Hebron's Old Town, trips to surrounding cities, Arabic classes, and many more. The Center also organised all my volunteering, setting me up with a class both at the Center itself and in Al Farwwa refugee camp, facilitating my schedule there, picking up extra classes and initially my transport.
I thoroughly enjoyed my Arabic lessons. My teacher, Ghaidaa, was kind, supportive and dedicated. She created a positive environment in class which everyone enjoyed and massively appreciated. She had great teaching methods, giving us some good conversational knowledge which I have successfully used both while teaching and travelling.
I really enjoyed my time with Excellence, the staff are kind and welcoming and every volunteer has been very friendly. People travel together, explore the city and support each other here which, as a woman travelling alone, has been invaluable. While I don't think anyone necessarily came here for social aspect, we have all made some good friends here and live in a constantly warm and inviting atmosphere. I could not be more grateful for the host family I was placed with. They have been nothing but kind, supportive and genuinely loving for my entire month-long stay. Like all people in Hebron, they have consistently offered generosity and hospitality, making my entire experience considerably easier and happier. For me, the host family system has been invaluable and incredibly positive, I cannot overstate how crucial they have been to my time in Palestine. The students I have taught have been welcoming and enthusiastic. They are always eager to learn and love their time with the Excellence Center.
On the weekends, I have been to a few places around Palestine with both my host family and other volunteers. On my first weekend, I was able to visit Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity which was amazing. I visited Ramallah twice, staying overnight the second time, which was both incredibly interesting and fun. I also went to Jerusalem twice, being able to see the Dome of the Rock, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and many more amazing sites. Palestine is a beautiful, interesting and welcoming country that I genuinely believe everyone should visit.
While many people are concerned with safety in Palestine, I felt very safe for the vast majority of my stay. Having a host family who gave me lots of advice and guidance ensured I was constantly safe and socially aware, as well as the ability to always travel with other volunteers. Additionally, the people of Palestine are incredibly helpful and friendly and are always happy to help you, whatever you may need. People will often speak to you in the street and get to know you and are always eager to give directions or assist in any way they can.
I truly enjoyed my time in Palestine and at the Excellence Centre. I feel it has improved me as a person and allowed me to help others. Palestine is beautiful and full of culture, life and genuinely good people. I am very grateful to have been able to visit here and definitely feel I chose the right programme and organisation, I loved teaching the students and spending time working with them. However, I would say that your time spent with the Excellence Centre can be very dependent on your choices rather than the Centre's oppprtunities, especially programmes outside of teaching. While I really enjoyed my time here, I feel there is potentially a lack of organization and support given to interns and volunteers in other programmes who require more than a destination and students in order to carry out their volunteering. Even those who did teaching programmes like myself I feel could have been given more support and training. Luckily, another volunteer (a teacher by profession) was able to give me guidance and teach me how to make lesson plans, prepare for class, etc, but others may not be so lucky and would need more support from the Centre to prepare themselves for the responsibility of leading a class, particularly those teaching outside the Centre such as at Al Farwwa.
In general, I had an amazing time in Palestine. I learnt about the culture, met incredible people and taught wonderful classes full of bright and enthusiastic students. I also cannot overstate the kindness and love of my host family who I will be forever grateful to and plan to keep close contact with after leaving Palestine. While I do feel the Centre can lack organization at times, I am grateful for the opportunity and incredibly glad that I came to a genuinely incredible country.

My name is Maddy Sala, I am from the UK and I am currently studying History. I have been at the Excellence Center Palestine for 4 weeks on the Volunteer with Palestinian Refugees programme.
I participated in many activities with the Excellence Center, namely a tour of Hebron's Old Town, trips to surrounding cities, Arabic classes, and many more. The Center also organised all my volunteering, setting me up with a class both at the Center itself and in Al Farwwa refugee camp, facilitating my schedule there, picking up extra classes and initially my transport.
I thoroughly enjoyed my Arabic lessons. My teacher, Ghaidaa, was kind, supportive and dedicated. She created a positive environment in class which everyone enjoyed and massively appreciated. She had great teaching methods, giving us some good conversational knowledge which I have successfully used both while teaching and travelling.
I really enjoyed my time with Excellence, the staff are kind and welcoming and every volunteer has been very friendly. People travel together, explore the city and support each other here which, as a woman travelling alone, has been invaluable. While I don't think anyone necessarily came here for social aspect, we have all made some good friends here and live in a constantly warm and inviting atmosphere. I could not be more grateful for the host family I was placed with. They have been nothing but kind, supportive and genuinely loving for my entire month-long stay. Like all people in Hebron, they have consistently offered generosity and hospitality, making my entire experience considerably easier and happier. For me, the host family system has been invaluable and incredibly positive, I cannot overstate how crucial they have been to my time in Palestine. The students I have taught have been welcoming and enthusiastic. They are always eager to learn and love their time with the Excellence Center.
On the weekends, I have been to a few places around Palestine with both my host family and other volunteers. On my first weekend, I was able to visit Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity which was amazing. I visited Ramallah twice, staying overnight the second time, which was both incredibly interesting and fun. I also went to Jerusalem twice, being able to see the Dome of the Rock, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and many more amazing sites. Palestine is a beautiful, interesting and welcoming country that I genuinely believe everyone should visit.
While many people are concerned with safety in Palestine, I felt very safe for the vast majority of my stay. Having a host family who gave me lots of advice and guidance ensured I was constantly safe and socially aware, as well as the ability to always travel with other volunteers. Additionally, the people of Palestine are incredibly helpful and friendly and are always happy to help you, whatever you may need. People will often speak to you in the street and get to know you and are always eager to give directions or assist in any way they can.
I truly enjoyed my time in Palestine and at the Excellence Centre. I feel it has improved me as a person and allowed me to help others. Palestine is beautiful and full of culture, life and genuinely good people. I am very grateful to have been able to visit here and definitely feel I chose the right programme and organisation, I loved teaching the students and spending time working with them. However, I would say that your time spent with the Excellence Centre can be very dependent on your choices rather than the Centre's oppprtunities, especially programmes outside of teaching. While I really enjoyed my time here, I feel there is potentially a lack of organization and support given to interns and volunteers in other programmes who require more than a destination and students in order to carry out their volunteering. Even those who did teaching programmes like myself I feel could have been given more support and training.

Coming to the Excellence Center, I was drawn to the center’s mission statement of promoting cultural exchange, advocacy, and educational development through direct engagement with the people of Palestine.Upon my arrival to the center and Palestine, I was welcomed to a week's worth of engaging Arabic lessons taught by local educators in small-form classes. I greatly appreciated the welcoming environment created by my teachers and found the lessons to be especially helpful in my acclimation
to living in Hebron and my Arabic studies.
The quality of your experience with the Excellence Center will be determined by what you make of it, so I suggest entering this place with a plan, or alternatively, an open and eager mind. You will be given the opportunity to create your own lesson plans for dynamic classes of students and teaching environments, put in contact with local activists and working professionals, and you will also have access to a vastly diverse group of alternating international volunteers to befriend and/or work with throughout your time here.
People in Hebron were majorly welcoming and engaging. A day did not pass where I wasn’t offered a cup of tea and coffee, or a nice conversation with a complete stranger. I leave the center and Hebron excited to return some day soon, reinvigorated to continue supporting the Palestinian cause, and to live in Palestine once again.

The EC in Palestine offers a unique opportunity to experience a misunderstood region of the world. The EC is a Great place to experience the Arab world for the first time, and the international presence in the community is invaluable. Not only can internationals overcome the stereotypes and misconceptions about the region, but also the community here greatly appreciates your presence. Not only are you sharing skills like English or practical skills about life outside the area, but also more internationals need to come here in order to understand the truth about Palestine. Hebron is a safe city. The EC offers support through staff and other internationals to give you a safe place to live and a safe place to work. But also, strangers on the street are kind, helpful, and eager to meet and talk with internationals. Don’t be surprised when they invite you to dinner with their family! The Arabic classes and teachers are invaluable, especially if you come with a basic understanding of the language ahead of time. The center is very social, and you are guaranteed to make new friends and connections from all around the world- Canada to Taiwan and everywhere in between. It is most certainly a community center, and it is always very lively. There are some disclaimers though. These internships are better for people who are self driven and want to take initiative. These internships are not for people who expect everything to be done for them- be ready to come and make decisions and e proactive. Sometimes it can feel like there is a lack of structure in day to day processes, and it is because the EC is very flexible and fluid with everything. It can be hard for westerners, who are used to rigid schedules, to overcome the freestyle and relaxed time orientation of Arab culture and the center. Some may also be surprised by the reluctance and scrutiny of the Israeli authorities when it comes to traveling to the West Bank. Sadly, Israel tends to discourage travel here mostly because what people experience here goes against what they want the international community to believe. However, your presence is highly valuable and beneficial to the community here.

In conclusion, the city is safe, the center is a lovely place, you can make an impact of a community in need, and you have so much to learn about life, culture, and language in Palestine.