What does it mean to truly belong to a group, a community or a culture? In the West Bank, YES alumni coordinator Ahmed Touqan (YES 2011-2012, West Bank, hosted in Raleigh, NC) organized an event to explore that very topic.

On October 30, 20 youth and 12 YES alumni, came together at the AMIDEAST office in Ramallah for a full day of training called, “The Idea of Belonging.” Stephanie Fox, the Middle East Director for One Solution Global, trained the participants to explore the ideas and feelings associated with 'belonging.' Where does it come from? Are there certain circumstances that trigger those feelings? Is it possible to feel comfortable in a place where you think you don’t belong?

As human beings, we go through life feeling a range of emotions: sadness, happiness, joy, sorrow, belonging, and isolation. We do many things to try and experience the “good” feelings and avoid the “bad” feelings. We move to new places, we change our friends or our partners, and we buy the latest fashions and follow pop culture, for example. 

Stephanie challenged the participants to explore these questions and to consider the role of their own minds in generating their feelings. In her experience, when people see the role of their minds, new possibilities and freedom arises. 

“The Idea of Belonging” created an interactive setting for each segment of the training so that each participant had to add their own input. Three participants who were not able to attend in person were able to join online, and the setting created ways for them to interact with the full group as well. Certain activities required participants to work in groups or pairs so they could talk more deeply about personal experiences in which they felt “alienated” or that they didn’t belong.

After a packed day together, the participants agreed that the training was beneficial and gave them many new things to think about. Stephanie and the participants decided to have a follow up event after five months to see how the training affected their lives and way of thinking.