By Ribhe Younis, YES 2013-2014, Israel (Arab Communities), hosted by YFU in Carrollton, TX 

On April 25th, YES alumni from the Arab Communities in Israel and from the West Bank, visited Albasma School for Special Education (Autism) in Beit Hanina, Jerusalem to celebrate Global Youth Service Day. We spent the day doing fun activities with the students, while completing our larger goal of raising public awareness about Autism. In addition to that, the project also built a base for future joint activities and projects between YES alumni across the borders.

The day began with one of the school’s instructors giving a short briefing about Autism, the students’ needs and suitable ways of dealing with Autistic children. Shortly afterwards, we split into small groups, and began engaging in fun activities with the children. Throughout the day, we played with the children, painted pictures, planted trees and made soap. A cheerful clown even made a special appearance to perform a show and various musical activities for all of us.

It felt great to see how much the children and the staff members at the school appreciated our contributions and enjoyed the activities. We were also happy to have the opportunity to learn more Autism, and were pleased to contribute to the community, especially with our fellow YES alumni from the West Bank.