Program Reviews

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.

I had a fantastic experience working in Palestine with the Excellence Centre. The Centre itself gave me the tools I needed to maximise the value of my internship here in the West Bank, while the environment surrounded by a diverse group of peers allowed me the chance to relax and form valuable connections. Working with a diverse group of journalists, lawyers, and human rights defenders over the last month has provided an unparalleled insight into life in the West Bank, while living in Hebron has introduced me to more friends than I count.

Thank you so much to the Excellence Centre for my time here - the experience has been invaluable!

My time in the Human Rights Internship was very valuable to me, as I feel that I connected with many people that I would not have met otherwise. It allowed me to engage in many activities and with many people from Al-khalil. I enjoyed the arabic classes as well. I was here for 3 weeks, and saw many parts of the city and other cities inside and outside the west bank. The people I met in al-khalil, including my wonderful host family, were extremely kind and welcoming. In terms of safety, I felt safer walking on the street here than I do at home.

My time at the excellence center was very enriching. I learned a lot and formed really valuable connections with the people I met here. I loved my Arabic teacher and she did a really great job of teaching in a way that would most benefit my communication ability during my trip. I’m keeping all of my notes to be able to continue to study Arabic when I return home. Living with a host family was also super beneficial in helping me learn Arabic as I was immersed in the language and was able to hear the things I was taught in class used in a natural setting everyday.
There was a great community within the center and I made connections with other teachers and made lifelong friends with the other volunteers I met here.
There were a number of excellent excursions organized by the center that were enlightening for me and allowed me to meet with leaders on the ground and see how organizations are working to improve life for Palestinians. As a law student it was also very interesting to have multiple meetings with different Palestinian lawyers and have interesting discussions comparing legal proceedings in Palestine and my home country.
The best part of my stay was my wonderful host family, they made me feel right at home and included me in all family activities. The food here was also amazing and I tried so many new dishes that I had never heard of before coming here. It is hard to overstate the hospitalty of Palestinians. Everyone I met was welcoming and happy to share their homes and stories. I had such a wonderful experience and I am already counting down the days until I can return.

Hello, my name is Irene from Spain. I am a graduate in Political Science and presently pursuing my Masters in Human Rights and International Law. This summer, I had the privilege to take the Summer Intensive Arabic course at the Excellence Center (EC) in Palestine.

During my five-week stay, my days typically started with Arabic lessons in the mornings. The lessons were well structured. I had been studying Fusha for four years before, so starting Amyia was a challenge, but here I have been able to communicate within a short period of time. I found the teaching method to be immersive, and I have learned many phrases and idioms that have greatly helped in grasping the nuances of the language. By the end of my course, I was able to converse about many topics in Amyia – a significant improvement from where I began.

Beyond the lessons, the EC organized visits to various places which further enriched my
understanding of the Palestinian culture and history. Being part of these visits allowed me to witness firsthand the socio-political context in which the language evolved.
The Center buzzed with a very positive energy. The staff and teachers were always eager to help, ensuring that I had everything I needed for a comfortable learning experience. The international volunteers and students added to the diversity of the Center, allowing for a rich and multicultural environment.

I visited several cities in Palestine, such as Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Jericho, Nablus, Tiberia, Haifa, Yaffa, and Acre. Each place, with its unique history and charm. However, living in Hebron and staying with a host family was the highlight. Their warmth, hospitality, and the day-to-day interactions helped me understand the Palestinian way of life from a grassroots level.

Regarding safety and security, I felt safe throughout my stay. The local people are extremely protective and ensure that visitors feel welcome.

It’s hard to pick favorites from such a wholesome experience. But the food, the people, and their spirit stood out. Palestinian hospitality is so inspiring and heartwarming. Their resilience, amidst all adversities, was truly a lesson for all of us. One of my favorite memories was being invited for lunch by a family whom I met on the way from Jerusalem to Hebron. The day I went to their house, we picked fresh vegetables from their garden and eggs from their chickens. We cooked on their terrace under the vines and talked for hours and ate a delicious fresh meal.

As I look back, my time in Palestine and at the Excellence Center was transformative. The region, often reduced to its political struggles in the media, is so much more. It’s a land of history, culture, hope, and dreams. The Palestinian spirit, their zest for life, and their warm hearts have made a lasting impression on me.

Would I recommend the Excellence Center and this experience to others? Without a doubt. If you’re keen on understanding Palestine beyond the headlines, there’s no better way. Come with an open heart, and you’ll leave with a soul enriched.
While the Centre is doing a commendable job, having more interactive cultural sessions
alongside the Arabic lessons would further enhance the learning experience.

At the Center, I took Arabic classes and taught English to the students.
Some of the activities I did at the Excellence Center were my going on a tour to the
Old City, meeting with various Palestinian families and discussing with them about
their experiences under the occupation, visiting a refugee camp, and accompanying an
all-women’s health clinic to assist expecting mothers at a remote village. I took Arabic courses with Ghaida and the sessions were wonderful. She is a phenomenal teacher, and made our lessons very relevant to what we needed in order to get by in Hebron. She also assisted me with my writing and gave me extra lessons when I asked in order to improve my calligraphy. I believe that the staff at the Center are phenomenal and they addressed my needs and always found various ways to keep me engaged. Breakfast was provided every day and they helped to create a friendly, family atmosphere within the Center. Overall, my experience at the Excellence Center was amazing, and I would definitely
recommend it to everyone. It gave us a true glimpse of a wonderful community and
people and the people wereallowed them to narrate their life story, as opposed to me
imposing anything on them. I quite enjoyed myself and would love to come back and
visit again. I am super grateful for everything.

I had a great time here at the EC Halle. I really wanted to improve the colloquial arabic language that I already knew. And I did. It is not always easy to find courses of levantine arabic, but I found it here and I do not regret. I got a very good teacher using very inventive and diversified tools in all of his lessons. The level as well was very good and adapted to me and I did a lot of progresses. This all in a very nice atmosphere during the classes and at the Center in general. I recommend it for sure for anyone wanting to learn good and well. The city too is not too big and not too small, we could go out easily to get together with the other students, and we could meet many arabic speakers on the streets to speak to them and practice what we had learned during the lessons.