How To Engage In Palestine?: Since June 2011, Engage in Palestine has been one of the most influential organizations in Hebron, West Bank. It is well known for its work in the development field, offering high quality education to students and interns from all over the world. While also working towards helping the local Palestinian community by connecting them with volunteers who wish to contribute to the development and the sustainability of the Palestinian livelihood.
The Following Article Answers Frequently Asked Questions Such As:
- What are the most common visiting purposes?
- Are there Arabic programs in the West Bank, Palestine?
- What are the most signed up-for volunteer programs?
- Who comes to volunteer and intern in Palestine?
We Welcome Participants From All Over The World
Engage in Palestine welcomes a large number of volunteers, students and interns from overseas and beyond. These people come from diverse backgrounds, are from a range of nationalities, speak different languages, have an age range of between 18 and 75 years and come from a variety of religious (and non-religious) backgrounds. Since our center was founded over 12 years ago, we have hosted more than 1000 participants, including students, graduates, professionals and retirees who come from numerous countries all over the world.
Our visitors have come from countries such as the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden, among others.
Why Do People Come To Engage In Palestine?
Engage in Palestine is a destination for people from all around the world for many reasons and purposes such as:
- Arabic Language Students
There are many opportunities to learn Arabic in Palestine, whether you wish to study Arabic at a university or language school or learn more informally. The Arabic language is one of the most sought after languages for many reasons. If you are able to speak Arabic, it means that you will be able to communicate with approximately 425 million other Arabic speakers.
At Engage in Palestine, we offer a wide range of Arabic language courses starting from beginner to advanced or fluent, for all ages and all throughout the year. Our center can cater to all levels of knowledge and will tailor the lessons to meet the students’ requirements, e.g. focusing on Fus’ha, Modern Standard Arabic or the local dialect. We also offer special small-ground summer intensive Arabic courses, ideal for students or anyone with a summer break.
- Volunteer Work In Palestine
We offer flexible short term volunteering opportunities in which volunteers will have the opportunity to work with Palestinian children, Palestinian refugees, young adults, university students and families, helping them practice conversational English, organizing workshops and teaching within Hebron’s vibrant community. Whether you wish to volunteer in summer during your break or any other time of the year, we offer many fields for volunteer work in Palestine.
In addition, our volunteers make important contributions to the Palestinian community in Hebron by working with the men, women, and children of the West Bank whilst also challenging themselves as individuals, learning more about life in Palestine and discovering a new culture.
- Internships In The West Bank
Internship opportunities are another reason why some people travel to and engage in Palestine. Our center fosters this cultural experience by organizing visits for interns to different institutions, including both Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and governmental organizations, factories and refugee camps in Hebron, West Bank, Palestine, allowing them to receive a firsthand experience of daily life.
This exciting experience is delivered through internships in a number of fields we offer through our center. We offer summer internships in Palestine, particularly ideal for current university or college students, as well as internships throughout the rest of the year.
- Religious Reasons
Palestine is one of the holiest lands in the world and encompasses some of the most important sites for the three Abrahamic religions (Islam, Judaism, and Christianity), so a lot of people wish to immerse themselves in such a rich experience. Some choose to make a pilgrimage or simply visit some of the holy places, while others are keen to learn Classical Arabic (Qur’anic Arabic) and pursue their Islamic Studies.
- Social Studies And Anthropology
Palestine is very rich in culture which makes it attractive for anthropologists and culture researchers. Most people who are looking for an immersion experience would sign up for one of our volunteer or Arabic immersion courses.
Learning a spoken Arabic dialect is particularly useful for anyone wishing to conduct field research interviewing locals. While learning Fus’ha or literary Arabic is very useful to conduct research about Arabic literature.
- Political Studies
Individuals studying political science, law or any related field such as the legal system in the West Bank, Palestinian laws or the political and legal situation in the West Bank often sign up for one of our programs which involve working with NGOs and/or governmental institutions.
- Humanities
People who are interested in studying human rights and women’s rights and/or those wishing to work with families and women from the community, conducting social studies research find that the West Bank, Palestine is a great place to visit to study, work and carry out research.
What Are The Most Popular Programs?
We are approached every year by people from everywhere in the world for different purposes and various goals they want to achieve. To cater to this, our courses have been tailor made to fit and serve everyones’ needs.
These Arabic programs in the West Bank, Palestine are:
1. Study Arabic In The West Bank Programs
Here you may find the most signed up Arabic courses in Palestine:
Study Arabic In Palestine (1-13 Weeks)
At our center we offer our short term Arabic immersion classes year-round (spring, summer, autumn and winter). The program is designed for people who want to learn and practice Arabic with local Palestinians and improve/perfect their conversational Arabic skills with native speakers.
Our Arabic classes are small and more personalized and participants can take part while also enjoying and living the daily life in Palestine.
Individual Arabic Courses
Our Arabic programs offer the opportunity to stay with a Palestinian host family (for female students) for additional language learning and full immersion in Palestinian culture. The 1-13 Weeks intensive and non-intensive private Arabic lessons are available in several Arabic dialects; taught one-to-one by an Engage in Palestine native-Arabic teacher. As an Arabic student, you will have the opportunity to customize your Arabic course according to your needs and wishes.
Study Arabic Online
We provide intensive and non-intensive online Arabic language courses for international students seeking to improve their Arabic language skills. The Study Arabic Online program is open to anyone wishing to further their proficiency, or those seeking to begin learning Arabic.
Applicants can choose one of our offered dialects such as: Levantine Ammiya (Dialect) program, Colloquial & Qur’anic Arabic, Colloquial Palestinian Arabic, Syrian Colloquial Arabic, Modern Standard and Classical Arabic, daily Arabic conversations lessons, Shami Arabic dialect program, or the Study Classical Arabic (Fus’ha) program.
The Full List Of The Dialects We Offer In Our Immersive Arabic Courses:
- Modern Standard Arabic (MSA)
- Classical Arabic (Fus’ha Arabic – formal literary Arabic)
- Colloquial Arabic
- The Palestinian spoken dialect
- Shami or Levantine Arabic (Ammiya dialect)
- A mixed program (MSA, Levantine Arabic, and Colloquial Palestinian Arabic
2. Internships In Palestine
There many options for those who are looking for a short term internship opportunity in the West Bank, Palestine:
Internship In Palestine (1-3 Months)
The Internship in Palestine program will allow internationals to integrate with the Palestinian society, learn about human rights, refugee situations and politics in Hebron. Visits are organized for interns to different institutions (including both Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and governmental organizations), factories, and refugee camps in Hebron, West Bank, Palestine. Interns are able to experience firsthand daily life in Palestine.
Teach English And Study Arabic (2-3 Months)
The Teach English and Study Arabic in Palestine project provides you with the opportunity to live in Hebron, Palestine, meet a lot of people, help Palestinian refugees, volunteer to teach English to Palestinians, and study Levantine Arabic during the internship program. If you wish to teach English in Palestine or another Arab country in the Middle East in your future career, this program is particularly beneficial for you. This is because it will not only give you teaching experience with native-Arabic speakers, but will also broaden your knowledge about Arab cultures and daily life.
Teach For Palestine Program
Is a teaching internship program designed for graduate English students and certified English teachers. It enables you to share your pedagogical expertise with local inhabitants of Hebron, Palestinian children, youth and Palestinian refugees in the surrounding area.
This internship project is ideal for you if you are considering continuing your TEFL or English teaching career in Palestine or elsewhere in the Middle East. It will give you a taste to see if Palestine or the Middle East is the right region for you, as well as give you valuable experience teaching native-Arabic students, while you also learn about Palestinian and Arab cultures and history.
Palestinian Laws & Legal Practices Internship
This internship program is ideal for students and scholars of law, social sciences, academics, human rights, and anyone who is interested in the Palestinian legal systems operating in the West Bank, Palestine. Interns can join our family from 1-13 weeks, year-round. The Palestinian Laws Program aims to provide a full understanding of legislations applying to the West Bank and Gaza.
During the internship programs, interns will visit local Palestinian lawyers, law faculties, courts, human rights organizations, legal religious institutions as well as legal clinics to witness the enactment of laws, decision making processes, court rulings, legal negotiations, mediations and the variety of social spaces they concern.
Engage in Palestine’s internship in Palestinian Law and Legal Practices is designed to create dialogue between participants and Palestinian legal experts, as well as introduce participants to one of the most complex legal systems offering them an opportunity to learn about Palestinian Law, Humanitarian Law, and the issues surrounding Palestine and Israel.
The Palestine And Israel In Context Internship Program
The Palestine and Israel in Context Internship Program is for students at the undergraduate and graduate level, professionals, retirees and anybody interested in the political history and present of Palestine and Israel.
Who Is It For?
This internship program targets students of the humanities and social sciences, who are looking for ways to better understand the Israeli/Palestinian Issue first-hand. By taking part in this program, students of the humanities and social sciences will be able to better understand and grasp the effects of the conflict first hand, and witness the genuine opinions of everyday people apart from political headlines. We welcome all majors such as political sciences, international relations, non-profit management, as well as other disciplines of the humanities’ department.
Further, the Palestine and Israel in Context Internship Program is ideal for individuals studying political sciences, Middle Eastern studies, Palestine and Israel, Arabic studies and Islamic Studies and are looking to frame that experience within a cultural context. Interns will receive the opportunity to explore the occupation in the West Bank as well as meet Palestinian civilians, local actors and families who are subject to the Israeli military law.
More About This Internship
Interns will be provided with an Arabic Course tailored to the intern’s individual level (three hours per week). Every-day Arabic learners will be able to practice their Arabic skills when talking with locals, taking transportation, ordering from a restaurant, etc.).
Hence, with the immersion of the surroundings, participants have plenty of chances to enhance their Arabic skills. If students are looking for a language experience combined with cultural immersion and political research, consider our Palestine and Israel in Context program which gives you an in-depth perspective on the Palestinian/Israeli case!
Write Articles About Palestine
This internship program is aimed at people who are interested in journalism, writing reports, anchoring or recording with the purpose of telling stories about Palestinian citizens. We encourage reporting of our center to be fair and unbiased; to tell the stories of the people who live in Hebron and the work we do at our center.
3. Volunteer Work
Here are our short term volunteer programs in the West Bank which serve many sectors such as health, environment, human rights and more.
Our short-term volunteer programs in Palestine include:
Volunteer And Study Arabic (1-13 Weeks)
Volunteers will have the opportunity to work with Palestinian children, refugees, young adults, university students and families, helping them practice conversational English, organizing workshops and teaching within Hebron’s vibrant community.
Journalism And Media
We are proud to offer our Journalism and Media Internship Program, based at our headquarters in Hebron, West Bank. In this program, we educate students, undergraduates, travelers and anyone interested in the political situation in Israel and Palestine to conduct projects involving journalism and media: reporting news, writing articles, finding and fact checking sources, and utilizing various media forms.
Palestinian Local Schools
Volunteers in Palestine will get the opportunity to visit and teach English to students in Palestinian local schools in the local villages as well as the refugee camps around Hebron. This is a great opportunity to engage with the young people of Palestine and learn more about the education system in the West Bank.
Information Technology
This is a unique program for those with computer and technical skills who are also willing to share knowledge with our Palestinian children, refugees, students and community members in Hebron while also learning about Palestinian culture and life.
Environment And Conservation
In this volunteer program volunteers join us at Engage in Palestine to teach Palestinian youth about Environment & Conservation, teaching them the consequence of their practices how can it actually affect the surrounding environment. Volunteers can share their knowledge to help develop more environmentally friendly and sustainable practices.
Palestinian Community Development
This program is great for those who are interested in Palestinian community development organizations in the area of Palestine and Israel, to help the Palestinian children, youth, community members and Palestinian refugees in the refugee camps in and around Hebron and the West Bank. Volunteers can help to build and strengthen community links.
Music And Art
This program is designed to help members of the Palestinian community who have a passion for arts and music to learn and to embrace their passion by connecting them with volunteers who are willing to teach them music, singing and various forms of art. Engaging in activities involving music and art is a great way for people to express themselves and relieve stress.
Sports Volunteering Program
Volunteers will be developing their own project and organizing activities centered around raising awareness about sports-related topics such as nutrition, proper training techniques, etc. This program provides a unique chance to engage with our Palestinian youth and to enhance your skills by real on-field experience.
Healthcare And Medicine
Our volunteer program pairs volunteers with local professionals, doctors, and nursing students to facilitate shared learning by working under their supervision of other local professionals. This exchange also provides valuable information about the healthcare system in Palestine, how Palestinians work in local hospitals and what students study in medical and healthcare specializations in Palestinian universities and colleges. Moreover, the program is available for healthcare professionals from different levels of education starting with pre-medical, pre-nursing students along with certified medical professionals.
Applicants must be: healthcare students, Nursing students, public health workers, students currently studying medicine, qualified health professionals, doctors or nutritionists.
Human Rights
The Human Rights Volunteer Internship Program is designed to teach applicants knowledge about human rights. Students will undertake visits to human rights organizations and are offered the ability to practice what they have learned in an encouraging and natural way. Alongside these visits there will also be meetings with human rights activists, workers, law teachers, students, and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs).
Women’s Rights
The Women’s Rights Volunteer Program is for students who are interested in social studies, especially the subject of women’s empowerment. Throughout the program, students will gain more insights into women’s rights in Palestine, specifically in the city of Hebron where our center is located.
Participants of the volunteer project will be provided with many opportunities to meet Palestinian women, visit women’s rights organizations in Hebron, West Bank, and engage in educational and cultural activities during their time in Palestine.
Final Remarks
There many other reasons why people should visit this amazing land with its amazing culture. Whether you are planning to go to Palestine for fun, for learning the language or any other subjects or even religious reasons, our team at the Engage in Palestine will help you in every step of the way.
Before and during your stay, we can answer all your questions, whether it’s regarding your stay, how to travel to and from Hebron, the cost of living, and any other logistics questions. Our team will gladly help, guide and advise you throughout the entire process.
We will be more than thrilled to be part of, and guide you through your learning journey.
Find Us Online
Whatsapp:+972 599 479 880
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/excellence.center
The Excellence Center’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ExcellenceCenter
Excellence Center’s Facebook account: https://www.facebook.com/RafatECHebron
Watch us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsQSLdFZWZcBm6Uj0XMYuKg
Visit and Explore Palestine: https://www.facebook.com/ExplorePalestine
