On March 26, 16 YES alumni from the West Bank and Gaza participated in a six-hour webinar on “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens.” The alumni are at a critical age, from 16 to 19 years old, and this course helped them gain new tools to develop their academic and professional lives. In addition to the regular pressures to perform well academically, the obstacles of the COVID-19 pandemic have increased the stakes for teens. Many alumni have been feeling especially anxious about the future.

To help alleviate this stress, AMIDEAST West Bank and Gaza partnered with a renowned Lebanese training company called Starmanship & Associates to lead a professional development webinar. The trainer from Starmanship & Associates used the framework from "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens" by FranklinCovey, a leadership services organization that provides training curriculum. The webinar presented these seven key habits:

Habit 1: Be Proactive: Take responsibility for your life.

Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind. Define your mission and goals in life.

Habit 3: Put First Things First: Prioritize and do the most important things first.

Habit 4: Think Win-Win: Have an everyone-can-win attitude.

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood: Listen to people sincerely.

Habit 6: Synergize: Work together to achieve more. 

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw: Renew yourself regularly.

The main objectives of the webinar were to help the YES alumni focus on what matters most to them and how to attain those goals through hard work, consistency, and perseverance.

The alumni praised the training and they felt that they would recommend it to their peers. YES alumna Mays Yaseen from the West Bank said, “This webinar helps teenagers invest their time and effort into something useful and know the key to success.” Meanwhile, YES alumnus Majd Alafrange from Gaza added, “The uplifting spirit during the webinar helped us share the positive vibes, and I look forward to experiencing another training again.” Even during these difficult times, YES alumni still seek opportunities to help fulfill their goals and accomplish work that is meaningful to them and their community. 

Mays Yaseen (2019-2020, West Bank, placed with AFS-USA in Oak Park, IL)

Majd Alafrange (2019-2020, Gaza, placed with AYA in Belmont, NY)