Photos, clockwise from top left: US consulate representative contribute to the discussion during the training session; the  full Steering Committee group; Dalya El-Showmaly (YES 2014-2015, hosted by CCI Greenheart in Everett, WA) and Johnny Elias (YES 2011-2012, hosted by PAX in Orange, MA) create a Lego representation of their position in society; trainer Saed Karazon standing to the right of Izzeddin Isaed (YES 2013-2014, hosted by American Councils in Wausau, WI) as he directs him during his presentation.

The YES Alumni network in the West Bank is a community that works together collaboratively in order to come up with ideas for community service projects and events as a way of giving back to their society. This is why the Steering Committee is such an essential aspect of the network. Recently, elections were held to decide who should represent the alumni in their Steering Committee.

On November 24th, the Steering Committee Kick-off Workshop began in Jericho, West Bank. The workshop provided the vision and the tools for the Steering Committee members to start doing their new jobs. 

Photo: Alumni coordinator Ahmed Touqan (YES 2011-2012) leading the first day sessions and distributing new roles. Pictures of steering committee members show them deciding between which role to take.

The first day of the workshop was led by new alumni coordinator, Ahmed Touqan (YES 2011 - 2012, hosted by YFU in Raleigh, NC). Ahmed started by giving an interactive presentation about what is the YES steering committee and the responsibilities it holds. He also reminded the members of the network’s mission and vision statements. Ahmed then described the different roles that are going to be assigned to the members in the committee. The roles were distributed in a democratic manner and include vice president, social media reporters, educational advisor, health advisor, environmental advisor, social advisor, advisor for underprivileged areas, and advisor for people with special needs. Handouts explaining the roles, responsibilities, means of communication, and mission and vision statements were distributed to the Steering Committee members.

Then it was time to brainstorm. The members were distributed into teams where each team came up with two detailed community service ideas to be implemented in the next six months. Each team presented their ideas  so the group could discuss, edit, and refine their ideas. 

Photos: Steering Committee members plan, present and listen to each other’s project ideas.

The following day, the Steering Committee members participated in a training on “Design Thinking and Skills Building” by social activist Saed Karazoun. He trained the alumni on how to use social media for advocacy purposes, skills building, target audience, prototyping, and more. The alumni got to experience the training right away as each session had some form of interactive exercises, including building a Lego representation of one’s self, to representing an advocacy model in teams. Representatives from the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem attended part of the session and made valuable remarks while participating in the session.

The YES Alumni network in the West Bank is now even more motivated and excited about the new ideas that were developed, and the skills that were gained. By the end of the day, participants enjoyed a Thanksgiving dinner.

Photo: Turkey made in honor of the American tradition, Thanksgiving.