The project seeks to bring young people of various cultures together to build bridges of understanding, reconciliation, and peace. The long term goal of project is to prepare youth to make positive contributions to their future and society through the values of understanding, helping, contributing tolerance, and respectful coexistence. These goals are achieved through education–awareness reaction, youth empowerment and voluntary workcamps.
International Palestinian Youth League (IPYL):IPYL aims to empower Palestinian youth through non-formal educational programs, intercultural learning, training, media literacy and youth leadership activities. Since its inception, IPYL has implemented hundreds of activities, including international voluntary Workcamps, exchanges, cross-cultural study trips, leadership seminars, think tank groups and community meetings. By undertaking these activities, IPYL has developed strong alliances with a wide network of individuals and organizations. IPYL is running this work camp, for the first time, in partnership with the Palestinian Society for Peace and Development (Al-Amari Refugee Camp- in Ramallah city 12 Km north of Jerusalem). For more information about IPYL, please visit - www.ipyl.org
Project Description:
The volunteers will work in different villages in Bethlehem and they will help the municipality of Bethlehem in achieving the projects they are working for. They started to build a kindergarten, a parking, youth houses, gardens, an hospital and so on. So the volunteers will work in this area with the municipality, all the work days will be in this area but different tasks, like painting, farming, cleaning, etc.
Cultural Activities:
The afternoons will be used to give volunteers an intercultural learning experience, with a focus on showing the international volunteers Palestinian culture within the context of the occupation and hopes for the future. This will involve visits to refugee camps in Bethlehem, visiting the associations in the city, tours of place of interest, lectures, and most importantly interaction with the local people. The volunteers will be able to visit the different associations and centers where they can watch Documentaries, about the situation in Palestine and the Middle East. They will also have the opportunity to speak with the Palestinian politicians and Authors to open the space for them to find the answers for all the questions they want to ask. The volunteers will also have the opportunity to visit other cities in the west bank, Ramallah, Hebron, etc.
Why in Bethlehem?
Bethlehem is considered a central hub of Palestinian cultural and tourism industries. The city has significant value for Christians as it is considered the birthplace of Jesus of Nazareth according to the Gospels. Bethlehem is also home to one of largest Palestinian Christian communities in the Middle East. In addition, Bethlehem has three Palestinian Refugee Camps (Dhisha, Al-Azza and Aaida). The construction of the Israeli apartheid wall has had a severely negative impact on Bethlehem; politically, socially, and economically. The wall runs along the northern side of the town's built-up area, within meters of houses in Aaida refugee camp on one side, and Jerusalem on the other. The workcamp will be running in the period of Christmas, and Bethlehem is the best place to celebrate it, so the volunteers will have the opportunity to celebrate Christmas with the Palestinians sharing their solidarity.
NB:
A more detailed program will be sent one month before the camp starts.
« If anyone is interested in doing some real volunteering and not paying stupid amounts of money to do it just visit VAP's website or drop them an e-mail. »
