Photo: Yazeed Tbaishat (YES 2011-2012, hosted by AFS in Atlanta, GA) stood with the newly painted YES handprints mural.

On November 5, 2016, YES alumni and the alumni committee known as the YES Park joined together for the opening of the YESmeen Theater in the YES Park. Before the opening ceremony could take place, the alumni planted flowers and painted a wall alongside members of the local community in order to put the finishing touches on the park.  

The opening was attended by a delegation from U.S. Embassy Amman, AMIDEAST Jordan, Amman Greater Municipality and members from civil society organizations. Alumni, volunteers, guests and locals gave speeches about the importance of this new community space. Additionally, the newly elected YES Alumni President gave a presentation about the YES program and the YES Alumni Association’s activities. 

Another alumnus gave a presentation about the first American Football team in Jordan “Barracudas,” which he established in 2015. The team demonstrated the sport by hosting a game between volunteers from the audience and the local community. 

Following the speeches, everyone headed to the shaded bazaar area that was created by the YES Park team to promote the usage of open and green spaces by the local community. Locals presented their goods and services while YES alumni manned an information booth to answer inquiries and distribute applications for the current recruitment cycle. 

Towards the end of the evening, all the participants headed to a YES mural and left their hand print to signify their support for the project. And to finish things off, YES alumni hosted team-building activities with children from the audience and park visitors. The activities focused on leadership, collaboration and team work. 

To finish the day, all volunteers headed for dinner to celebrate the full day of YES community activities.