Program Reviews

this is my second time visiting the excellence center, and it will not be my last. the first time i worked with the center I worked as an English teacher. I got to learn a lot about the education system and spend time with the local Palestinian kids and learn about their personalities and studying habits. my second time hear i participated in the human rights program. I missed teaching the kids, but with this program i got to learn a lot the history and day to day life of Palestinians. I got to hear stories and see for myself the struggles of the Palestinians suppression and occupation. I was able to visit multiple camps and family homes and learn about their future goals and optimism for a Palestine with no apartheid. The human rights program is a great way to make connections to local people and network with other volunteers to create plans to help the community. I loved my experience here and will be back very soon.

If you want to volunteer, learn new languages and make new friends, come visit the excellence centre! People here are amazing, friendly and really supportive. It’s the best when you are interested in volunteering with refugees, you’ll learn a lot and gain amazing experiences from the program. Also, the volunteering hours are flexible so you will also get much time to travel around! I would have chosen to stay more than two weeks for a more complete and immersive experience, but my volunteering experience this time is definitely one of the best experiences in my life!

We met many volunteers from different backgrounds and had German class together. I am a totally beginner of German and the lessons aroused my interests in it. Also, we would have breakfast together almost every morning and it is a good chance to know more about each other. People here are friendly and helpful so they made the experience even nicer. It would be perfect if there are more volunteering opportunities for us. I strongly recommend future volunteers can plan to stay at least 3 weeks here to have more volunteering opportunities. Overall, the experience is unique and meaningful to me.

It was a very good stay even though I was only there for one week. the experience enriched my cultural understanding and kick-started my journey to learn Arabic. Also, it gave me a unique opportunity to come in contact with new people in a short period of time. It’s an extremely open and easy going atmosphere, so you quickly get to know people. The teaching part is the easiest part but also very fun. I would definitely recommend the Excellence Center to anyone who has an interest in cultures or languages. Looking back I’m sad I was only able to be there for one week.

Hello my name is Lord, and this is my third time coming back to Halle to work with the Excellence Center! I love the community of people here and the work they do. I come back to Germany using the German I learned from my teacher Muaz, and my German has significantly improved each time I have returned! The city is beautiful and I love coming to Germany but it wouldn't be the same without the wonderful connections that I've made here. Thanks to the environment Rafat provides, the lessons from my great teacher Muaz and hanging out with my best friend Ali, my experience in Halle and the Excellence Center is unforgettable and it keeps me coming back!

I was a bit nervous when I got to Hebron, but the volunteers and staff of the Excellence Center made me feel welcome and safe. The Arabic classes were helpful for me in basic communication and have inspired me to improve my Arabic. The environment in the center felt like home. The staff took us to different places, villages, and organizations to see how the community works together. I was surprised to meet a man who worked with and saw Banksy. The director of this organization was able to find places that needed help and I'm grateful that I was able to work and help with the Green Land health development organization and the Palestine Medical Relief Society(PMRS). I had fun and felt safe with the guys I lived with at the apartment and we had a pretty good time. The food was great and I still haven't had even of their delicious food. I have made some friendships here that I feel like that will last forever. My overall experience here was indescribable.

I recently had the pleasure of volunteering at The Excellent Center in Halle, Germany, and I cannot speak highly enough about my experience. From the moment I walked through the doors, I was greeted with warmth and the feeling of being part of something amazing.

Their commitment to excellence is evident in every aspect of the center, and their dedication to making you feel like family is beyond anything I could have imagined.

The staff's remarkable dedication to their craft and commitment to excellence is truly admirable, making my time here an uplifting experience.

With a focus on empowerment and positive change, the center's educational initiatives spark curiosity and inspire individuals to embrace their potential for growth and development.

Overall, my experience at The Excellent Center was nothing short of exceptional. I highly recommend this center to anyone seeking a truly enriching experience. Thank you to the entire team for your outstanding service and dedication! You have made a lasting impact on me, and I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of such a wonderful community.

As a palestinian who grew up in Germany I visited my family in the west bank many times, but my time in the center was a totaly new experience. I got to see the more troubling and politicized sides of the country, which left me with a realistic and in depth understanding of what it means to live under occupation. The impressions I got here definetely heavily impacted my political and moral thinking and shaped me for everything thats still to come in my life.
The arabic lessons with my teacher saja were always very fun, but also productive and professional. In general all of the teaching staff is amazing and always enables and helps you to move forward in your arabic journey.
But the best thing about my stay were the people. I stayed 3 and a half months and I met dozens of amazing and interesting people that made the time in Khalil unforgettable. I made good friends from all over the globe.
I would encourage everybody thats interested in the Arabic language but also in the troubling circumstances of the Palestinian people to visit the center in Khalil and broaden your horizon.

Anyone "thinking" about joining the Excellence Center Europe family should "Just Do It" (in the words of Nike!)

My experience at The Excellence Center has been absolutely amazing! It started a little rough with a lack of communication. So much so, I was concerned about the legitimacy of the program! However, from the day I boarded the plane until the day I departed, I wondered "Why was I so nervous/scared/filled with anxiety?" From that day forward, communication was explicit! Dušan contacted me while I was still in the states; he met me at the train station...he immediately took me out to eat with group; he took me to my host family home, the host family was incredible! (By the way, whenever Martin and Robert visit the states, I got you!) Everything good I thought would happen was 10 times better!

Learning and teaching: Arabic was the language I chose to study while teaching English. *The decision to learn Arabic in a German speaking city was definitely a learning curve independent of all other learning taking place.* My Arabic teachers, Moaz and Ali, are AMAZING! Moaz seems more comfortable exploring and teaching history and he's VERY GOOD at it! He shares his experiences with descriptive visuals to describe the narrative in detail, giving the audience the illusion as if we're experiencing events in real time.... Ali is a really good teacher! He's passionate about teaching, patient, kind and overall a very nice guy! I didn't know ANY Arabic! However, I left with a strong foundation in reading and writing Arabic, (before now, I thought was impossible) in which I can continue building. Besides, anyone who can effectively teach Arabic to an American English speaker with a deep southern accent and not loose their cool has so much respect from me! These young men provided lessons beyond the pencil, paper and walls of the classroom. I pray God continually bless them beyond measure!

I am so blessed to have cross paths with this community of people! I came as a teacher, ready to provide service; having no idea of the transformation taking place in my own life. Today, I'm leaving having gain so much more than EVER anticipated; not only as a student of arabic, yet a student of history, humanity, perseverance, and resilience.

If you are looking for an opportunity to get out of your comfort zone, The Excellence Center Europe is the perfect solution.

Thank you EC Europe for life's lessons that undoubtably provides perspective for what's truly important. I pray we meet again, soon!
❤️🤍💙~Marcia

The ten weeks I spent at the Excellence Center in Europe this summer was really one of the best experiences of my life. I truly have never had a better summer. I took part in the Volunteer in Media & Journalism Program because I am a current student of journalism and German, and there isn't a better program out there that offers both valuable experience in media and language lessons as part of the same contract.
As someone who has always been kind of slow to open up to strangers, I was worried about coming here and feeling lonely or not making friends, but the emphasis the Center puts on building community and making everyone feel welcome and comfortable quickly made those worries go away. I have met people here that I am sure I will be friends with for the rest of my life, and I have gotten to know so many people from around the world that I never would've gotten the chance to meet otherwise.
The work I did here in media and journalism was fulfilling for me, both professionally and personally, and the freedom I was given to do the kind of writing and work I wanted to do was wonderful and empowering. I feel like I was able to grow so much here as a writer, worker, and friend.
Even if you have never left your home country before or think you might not be able to fit in here easily, I wholeheartedly encourage you to take the leap and come to the Excellence Center. It will unquestionably be one of the most memorable experiences of your life, and I promise you won't regret it.
I plan to return to visit the little family we have here as soon as possible, and I will miss the Center and the staff immensely.