The YES alumni in Jordan believe that books are a great way to reach someone’s mind and unlock new ways of thinking about the world. So, they wrapped up 2021 with a book drive to spread knowledge and encourage others to read more in 2022!

To get the ball rolling, the YES alumni announced the book drive on social media and asked for book donations. In the end, the YES alumni collected 2,200 books! The books included a wide variety of topics, both fiction and non-fiction. The alumni then worked on holding the book drive in two different governorates: Zarqaa’ and Ma’an. To make this happen, the YES Alumni Board reached out to youth centers and charities to find local spaces for the book distribution.  

On December 24, the first book drive was held in Zarqaa’, with 12 alumni volunteering to run the book distribution. After meeting at a nearby youth center, where they sorted through the books, the alumni took the books to a charity’s facility, set up the book drive distribution, and helped as people browsed and selected books to take home! A few days later on December 26, the second book drive took place in Ma’an. Instead of holding the book drive at one location, YES alumna Razan Tubairi and a group of English Access Microscholarship alumni sorted the books and then distributed them to different organizations and institutions, including UNHCR and other local charities. 

The YES alumni are excited to promote reading in 2022 and start the year off with some awesome goals!

Razan Tubairi (YES 2014–2015, Jordan, placed by ACES in Canton, SD)