The West Bank YES Alumni Steering Committee had a busy month in February. They worked alongside Rana Kamal, an English teacher at Kufor Aqab Elementary School for Boys, to conduct an English-language workshop. With several meetings throughout the month and hours of hard work, the YES Steering Committee planned two workshops to help 25 fifth-graders to practice speaking English through creative new techniques. 

They held the first session on Sunday, February 17, starting with icebreakers to create bonds between the 11 YES alumni and the children. The YES alumni had several games and activities to motivate the children to communicate and express themselves in English. 

During the second part of the session, the children were introduced to the basics of conversing in English, including day-to-day social interaction scenarios, involving dialogue between the alumni and the students. Afterwards, the alumni demonstrated the fundamentals of public speaking through short presentations about different topics followed by discussions. Students were tasked with preparing a short presentation about their dream job for the next class. 

The YES alumni volunteers revisited the Kufor Aqab elementary school again the following Sunday, February 24th, to continue tutoring the kids. The students were waiting impatiently all week for the alumni to return and greeted them enthusiastically upon their arrival. The students saw it as a great opportunity to speak their minds and benefit from the YES alumni’s presence. 

After a brief, engaging activity, the second session commenced with a review and evaluation of the students’ work. Afterwards, each student was asked to present in English what they prepared, starting with a short introduction about themselves and their dream job. Alumni, as well as students, took part in giving the presenter feedback. 

Overall, it was both an entertaining and beneficial experience for everyone who was involved in the two sessions of the workshop. The students learned a lot about holding a conversation in English, whereas the YES alumni gained some insight about teaching. In the end, the fifth-graders weren't the only ones to learn something new.