On May 31, three YES alumni from the West Bank, Hamzeh Al Hawwash, Maya Sheep, and Nofouz Maswada, held a two-hour English language activity at the Jeel Al-Amal Orphans School in Bethany. The three YES alumni guided 14 sixth-graders through different English vocabulary games. The activity helped young students overcome their anxieties about learning the English language through creative techniques. 

The event started by playing “Simon Says” to introduce the students to the names of different body parts in English, followed by a round of tongue-twister challenges. Afterwards, the students split into two groups to play the “Memory Game” and “Heads Up”. Memory Game is a speed game where the players try to match all the flipped cards in the least amount of time. The cards included pictures and names of different animals in English. For the Heads Up game, the students had to guess the word on the card placed on their forehead based on their partner’s clues before the timer ran out. The YES alumni asked the players to repeat the words written on the cards to memorize the new vocabulary. 

Towards the end of the activity, the students shared their experience with their school principal and talked about the new words they learned. One participant said, “Although I do not have high grades in the English class, I won most of the cards in the Heads-Up game.” Our YES alumni enjoy helping students break out of their comfort zones to learn a new skill!

Hamzeh Al Hawwash (YES 2016–2017, West Bank, placed by AFS-USA in Cleveland, OH)

Maya Sheep (YES 2018–2019, West Bank, placed by AFS-USA in Chesterland, OH) 

Nofouz Maswada (YES 2016–2017, West Bank, placed by PAX in Clarkdale, AZ)