On February 24, YES alumna Tala Shurrab led an online session called “Stress Reduction and Building Resilience” for 11 YES alumni and four English Access Microscholarship program alumni. The goal of this session was to help the alumni cope with different types of stressors they might face in their lives, especially the anxiety caused during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Tala started the session with an overview of various psychological terms like stress, positive stress, resilience, and stress control. Tala says resilience is, "not only a mere outcome, but it is a process that helps us thrive in the face of adversity." Afterwards, she explained the various factors related to stress control, and how personal motivation can help overcome stress to develop greater resilience. Tala also talked about the importance of avoiding burnout by taking breaks and trying different activities.

During the session, Tala listened to the various experiences that the alumni had with life stressors, and she gave them the chance to talk about the emotions they felt in these situations. At the end, Tala answered the attendees’ questions and she listened to their feedback. Lina Abuzubaida told Tala, “Thank you for offering us a safe space today; I thought I was the only one going through that much stress lately. I felt stuck before but now this workshop helped a lot." 

YES alumni value the opportunity to connect through their shared experiences and see how they can grow together. 

Tala Shurrab (YES 2014–2015, Gaza, placed with PAX in Richland, MO)

Lina Abuzubaida (YES 2016–2017, Gaza, placed with AFS-USA in Sitka, AK)