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Voluntary Work:
There are a number
of different forms of work that volunteers can participate in,
which will be based at the Social Development Center at Askar
Refugee Camp. We have made the work program to best suit the
needs of the people in Askar, and also to make the best use of
the talents we anticipate people bringing from abroad. The
work will be divided into the following sections.
English Classes
One of the main
areas of interest amongst the youth in camp is to develop
their English skills. For many, it is seen as an important
step with regards to education, future employment
opportunities, and also as a medium through which people in
Palestine can communicate with the wider world. Project
Together will offer two basic levels of English instruction to
children in the camp. We strongly suggest that any volunteers
that are native English speakers bring some material to use in
class, such as children’s books, and basic level English text
and work books. Please keep in mind that the program will be
for young children with very limited previous exposure to
English.
Summer
Camps
There will be two
summer camps that allow the project to branch out from the
center to different aspects of the local community. The main
activities of the summer camps will be folklore, arts and
crafts, reading, sporting, entertainment, and workshops on
children’s issues. International volunteers are needed that
can help supervise and oversee the different activities.
Counseling
and Psychological Support
The Counseling and
Psychological Support Program organizes sessions for both
groups and individuals to provide support and counseling for
the refugee community. The occupation and the frequent
military invasions into the camp have caused tremendous
psychological damage, especially for young children. Project
Together will assist this program in a number of ways,
performing roles that do not require specialist training. This
will include organizing and supervising educational and
recreational activities for children to help them relax. It is
of fundamental importance to give the children some time to
act, think, play and feel like children should. Volunteers
will also help organize training courses to help families deal
with children who have special needs.
Social Voluntary
Work Program
Some of the youth
and children in Askar have received training on how to
organize and run volunteer activities within the camp. The
main aim of this is to get as many members of the local
community involved in socially useful projects, especially in
the fields of environment and health. For example, there are
projects that organize street cleaning campaigns to make the
neighborhoods more sanitary and beautiful. These programs are
important; they build an awareness of the value and importance
of voluntary work, self-help, and community pride. The
international volunteers from Project Together will run such
programs volunteer activities in conjunction with local
volunteers.
Boy
Scouts
The goal of this
program is to encourage and develop a spirit of community
service in young boys in the camp. The scouts are involved in
both social and recreational activities in the camp, which
allow them to grow as people, and also to provide important
services for their local community. These activities have been
well received by the local community, as it provides the
children with productive ways to spend their time, as well as
instilling important virtues like discipline, charity,
community service, and respect for their surroundings.
The international
volunteers will work to help the scouts learn new skills, so
that they can continue activities in the future on their own.
We are especially interested in any and all creative ideas
that volunteers bring.
The
kindergarten
A kindergarten was
established in 2003 and provides educational facilities for
children between the ages of 2 and 5. Supervised by
well-trained specialists, the children have classes and
activities in music, painting, acting, science, Arabic and
English, as well as games and other recreational activities.
To date, more than 150 students have participated in this
program. International volunteers will assist the Palestinian
supervisors in many of the above-mentioned activities.
Sports
We encourage some
of the more athletic volunteers to help supervise sporting
activities at the camp for children aged 10 – 16 years old.
Normally, the children play games such as football,
volleyball, and martial arts. In addition to providing
exercise and recreation, the sports program stresses
cooperation and teamwork, and helps build the children’s
self-confidence. International volunteers will help organize
matches, referee, and also to directly participate.
Folklore
Dance (Dabka)
This program was
established to educate the camp’s children about the
Palestinian traditional folk dance (Dabka). Such programs are
necessary to insure that Palestinian traditions and culture
are protected, and that heritage is passed to the next
generation. Several performances were made during the summer
camps. Local volunteers will provide the training, and all
international volunteers are welcome to join in and learn the
Dabka.
Music
and Arts
This program was
started in 2002, and is supervised by some local volunteers
who give music lessons. Furthermore, a number of training
workshops have been organized to give the children an
opportunity to express and develop their creative talents
through painting. Four galleries were organized to encourage
the children to paint, and to show their work to the camp
community. More than 300 children participated in these
activities. International volunteers will work along side the
local volunteers in order to prepare the galleries at the end
of the work camp.
Studio
This project was first started in
2003 and is supervised by volunteers. It offers a number of
exciting and popular activities for children in the camp, such
as drama lessons. Furthermore, the studio produces different
programs related to issues concerning children and women in
particular. These touch upon important issues such as early
marriage, poverty, unemployment, and gender matters. Many
local people are involved in the production of these
documentaries, and they are show on local TV stations. We hope
to have several international volunteers that can assist in
training young men and women on how to best document stories
from their lives.
Drama
This program
targets children aged 11 to16 years old from both sexes.
Started in 2003, it is an effective tool for encouraging
self-expression and psychological release in which the
supervisors help the children to explore their creativity and
interests. It is also important in dealing with psychological
troubles.
Drama helps build
self-confidence and develops children’s communication to
better enable them to interact with their social environment.
It provides them with a greater feeling of personal security,
reveals a variety of talents and makes them more creative in
their everyday life.
International
volunteers are encouraged to share their skills in the
production of plays with local young boys and girls. Bring
with you short stories that could be performed as plays, and
could be understood by people who have limited English
abilities.
Choral
The choir consists
of 30 girls and is supervised by a musician who provides
training in both voice and music instruments. The girls are
9-13 years old and will participate in different social
parties and ceremonies. Established in 2000, the choir has had
a great impact on both the girls and their families. One or
two international volunteers from Project Together can do
follow-up work with some of the girls to create a show at the
end of the work camp as part of the camp’s closing ceremonies.
Training and
Projects Unit
This unit trains
young people in the administration, social and cultural
activities, and electrical fields through their participation
in workshops and courses. The Training and Projects Unit aims
to produce a new generation of qualified and well-trained
youth provided with the experience to find suitable jobs. Six
hundred youth benefited from this unit's projects. The task of
Project Together volunteers is to give training courses to
refugee youth in writing proposals and CVs, computers skills
and similar fields.
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