From March 29–31, two Gazan YES alumni, Sarah Almzainy and Yahya Ashour, organized and led a six-hour training on “soft skills” in collaboration with Dana Al Kahlout and Atta Khaled, two Gazan alumni from the English Access Microscholarship Program (Access). Soft skills are interpersonal skills that help edify relationships both in professional and personal settings. So, the YES and Access alumni thought that a series of trainings about soft skills could help their fellow peers gain greater competencies on this topic.

On March 29, Atta led a four-hour session for ten Access alumni about the importance of communication for personal and professional relationships. He explained various social cues and how they impact overall communication with others whether it be at home or in the office. On March 30, Yahya led a two-hour interactive session for ten more Access alumni. The session focused on leadership, teamwork, and time management. Yahya spoke about the main characteristics of leadership, the importance of teamwork, and how to manage time among various responsibilities like work, school, and relationships with family and friends. To conclude the series, on March 31, Sarah and Yahya reviewed the material covered over the past two days.

The students were happy to receive this training to help improve their soft skills and utilize them more efficiently in their personal and professional lives.

Yahya Ashour (YES 2014–2015, Gaza, placed by YFU in Fostoria, OH)

Sarah Almzainy (YES 2015-2016, Gaza, placed by AYA in Evansville, IN)