The YES program in Libya currently has over 40 alumni—and its community is still growing! After returning home to Libya, it can sometimes be challenging for the YES alumni to find volunteer opportunities and ways to implement community service projects. While the YES alumni have found different strategies to give back to their communities, they’ve felt that something was still missing. Trusting their intuition, the idea for the YES Alumni Association in Libya (YAAL) was born! 

YES alumna Waad Al Hares, one of the founders of YAAL, believes that the YES alumni’s experiences in the United States have created a special bond between them that needs to be represented in a unified way. YAAL is meant to represent the YES alumni’s diverse range of experiences and gather their skills to promote cultural exchange for future generations of YES students. 

After a challenging process involving paperwork and bureaucratic hurdles,  the YES alumni registered YAAL as an association with the Commission of Civil Society Organizations at the end of 2021. There are 11 founding members of YAAL including YES alumnus Mohamed Elmarzugi, who hopes that the establishment of YAAL will energize other alumni to join the association and become active members. 

Looking to the future, Mohamed hopes that YAAL that will serve as an umbrella to unite the YES alumni. With the establishment of YAAL, its founders also plan to implement projects that empower youth, enhance civic engagement, and celebrate Libyan culture. Waad shares, “As passionate and dedicated YES alumni, we have always strived to make a positive impact on our society and to encourage the youth to unlock their fullest potential, and YAAL will empower us to do just that.”

Founding members of YAAL:

Mahmoud Alazramli (YES 2014–2015, Libya, placed by PAX in Camby, IN)

Nada Alousta (YES 2016-2017, Libya, placed by PAX in Brookville, IN)

Anas El immari (YES 2016-2017, Libya, placed by AYA/AIFS in Sierra Vista, AZ)

Waad Al Hares (YES 2017-2018, Libya, placed by AYUSA in Forest Grove, OR)

Shihab Elhafi (YES 2017-2018, Libya, placed by YFU USA in Farmington Hills, MI)

Mohamed Elmarzugi (YES 2018-2019, Libya, placed by AFS in Sheboygan, WI)

Taha Ferfir (YES 2018-2019, Libya, placed by AYUSA in San Antonio, TX)

Malik Ghirri (YES 2018-2019, Libya, placed by AYA/AIFS in Cuba, NY)

Sanad Saad (YES 2018-2019, Libya, placed by AFS in Greensburg, PA)

Abdalla Alfaqeeh (YES 2019-2020, Libya, placed by AYUSA in McMinnville, OR)

Luqman Bakeer (YES 2019-2020, Libya, placed by PAX in Franklin, IN)