On July 31, YES alumni in the West Bank organized a painting activity in partnership with the Arab Innovation Network (AIN). AIN is a non-profit organization that focuses on youth-driven innovation in the Arab world. Twenty-six YES alumni and 25 AIN volunteers worked together on cleaning and painting Al-Montazah Street in Nablus.

Al-Montazah Street is well-loved by the city's residents, as the scenic street is covered in trees and ends at a public park. Volunteer groups typically paint the street sidewalk, but due to COVID-19 restrictions, the street hadn't been repainted in a while. Thus, YES alumnus Nidal Mutaweodeh decided that the YES alumni should add their signature touch to the street. 

The YES alumni arrived in the morning to start cleaning the sidewalk and scratch off old paint from the walls. Afterwards, alumni repainted the walls and trees in white. AIN volunteers drew traditional embroidery patterns and wrote the names of the different Palestinian cities on the walls. Meanwhile, alumni added more colors to the sidewalk with the help of AIN artists. 

Although the alumni grew tired after their hard work, the result was worth it. Towards the end, the YES alumni and AIN volunteers enjoyed lunch while listening to music. After lunch, Nidal led the YES alumni and AIN group in a trivia competition. The YES alumni won and it was the perfect way to end to the day.

YES alumna Yasmin Khalil shares, “Having the YES alumni community together is something very special. The activity in Nablus was a very interesting and fun experience. Painting with fellow YES alumni is always fun and I’m glad I’m part of this community.”

Yasmin Khalil (YES 2016-2017, West Bank, placed by PAX in Hopkins, MI)

Nidal Mutaweodeh (YES 2017-2018, West Bank, placed by YFU in Charleston, WV)