Baladna - Association for Arab Youth is a developmental and capacity building agency for Arab-Palestinian youth in Israel. It was established in 2000, and officially registered in 2001. Baladna works with Arab-Palestinian youth towards not being institutionally marginalized and to gain more equality with the Jewish majority in Israel. Resistance to official discrimination aims to deepen connections to Palestinian identity and encourage community development.
The association encourages Arab-Palestinian youth to address discrimination by Israel’s educational and governing institutions. Baladna directly mobilizes young people through educational programs and cultural activities. The association also collaborates with agencies promoting Arab-Palestinian youth and helps build their leadership capabilities.
Baladna’s International Activities:
Baladna has strong relationships with partners in Israel, Palestine and abroad. Baladna has hosted volunteers through the European Commission's European Voluntary Service (EVS) since 2002 and organised several exchanges and seminars, facilitated international exchanges on human rights issues that effect Palestinians in Israel and in Palestine. This enabled intercultural exchange between internationals and Palestinian youth. In addition Baladna hosted STV and LTV for several projects.
In August 2002, Baladna organized the first two-week workcamp at Halleessa, the most underprivileged Arab-Palestinian neighbourhood in Haifa. This work camp aimed at renovating the neighbourhood’s houses, cleaning streets, planting trees and energizing the local community. Arab-Palestinian and Jewish volunteers, as well as volunteers from Japan, the US, Canada, Spain and France, took part in activities such as painting, reading and writing, teaching English, sports, and theatre performances.
Local Community and Project Description:
Wadi Al Nisnas is the oldest and the largest Palestinian Arab neighbourhood in Haifa and considered to be one of the very few remainders and proofs of Arab existence in the city as some 70,000 of its inhabitants were displaced during al Nakba of 48 and only 2,000 of them have managed to stay there since then. The city of Haifa, generally, had lost a lot of its Arab hue since al Nakba; whole Arab neighborhoods were demolished, houses and other private properties were confiscated, even Islamic Waqf properties were confiscated and the sanctity of holy places was violated through the reconstruction of cemeteries into parking lots and public services centers. Nowadays, Haifa’s Arab inhabitants constitute one of the biggest communities in Palestine 48. Some 50,000 Arab inhabitants now reside there. However, these numbers aren’t revealed in official Israeli statistical documents. Haifa’s Arab inhabitants try to protect their existence and well being as Palestinian Arabs, they try as well to revive the ‘Arab’ Haifa and maintain their national Arab Palestinian identity to challenge the Israeli policy to Judaize the city and erase their existence there.
Work:
The volunteer will work mainly at the new Baladna youth centre which is situated at Wadi Al Nisnas neighborhood, the work will consist of renovation, painting, drawing, gardening and decorating the internal and external walls and the surrounding of the centre.
Cultural programme:
Part of the work camp experience includes engaging with international youth as well as with the Arab-Palestinian society. Through projects, discussions and cultural field trips, you will learn about your peers and about Arab-Palestinian culture while contributing to this community.
« When volunteering in Malawi and Tanzania while at school and during my year out I developed a love of East Africa and soon felt itchy to go back. On discovering VAP I found a number of workcamps in Kenya and at far more affordable prices than any 'volunteer abroad' organisations. I chose a 6 week workcamp based at a secondary school in western Kenya... »
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