This December, Inspire Dreams ran after-school follow-up workshops in the Dheisheh and Jalazon refugee camps reaching 80 students this winter. The program targeted the students who completed the "I Have a Dream" summer camp in 2008, but was open to new students as well.
This December, Inspire Dreams ran after-school follow-up workshops in the Dheisheh and Jalazon refugee camps reaching 80 students this winter. The program targeted the students who completed the "I Have a Dream" summer camp in 2008, but was open to new students as well.The students were excited to return to the program and work with the team. They completed several workshops, including:
Photography Workshops:
Teaching the students the basic essentials of photography, including how to use a camera, how to take pictures, the difference in colors, depth, lighting (including the effect of sunlight), lines, composition and the rule of thirds. The workshop concluded with discussions of the importance of photography in self-expression--especially in the context of the refugee camps. The students were given disposable cameras to photograph their daily life. For many, this was the first camera they owned. Once the photos are developed, we will post some highlights to this website. The workshop was organized by Paul Hendrix, of the cinematographic institute in Amsterdam.
Acting Workshops:
The students learned the basics of acting, and split into groups to develop a plot and divide tasks in acting out a scene. Some of the themes of scenes acted out and developed by the students included: a family scene addressing forced early marriage, a checkpoint scene, a market scene, and a classroom scene. The workshop was organized by local Palestinian actors.
Leadership and Teamwork Through Basketball:
PeacePlayers International hosted a workshop focused on teamwork and leadership skills through various basketball drills and activities. As always, the students found the workshop to be one of their favorites. The workshop was conducted by PeacePlayers Middle East Program Director Julie Younes.
Indian Dance Workshop:
While initially greeted by smirks from the students (especially the male students), the youth loved learning new modern Indian dance moves, learning the basics of expressions through dance (insluding love, humor, tragedy).
Child Human Rights Workshop:
The students explored and learned about the basic human rights that each of them should be able to enjoy, such as the right to survival, development, protection against abuse and exploitation, and to participate in family, cultural and social life. The workshop was developed by Majd Beltaji of the Palestinian Center for Peace and Democracy.
Civic Engagement Workshop:
The students discussed the importance of civic engagement, and decorated white hats for a local orphanage as a gift to the orphans. The goal of the workshop was to allow the students to see themselves not as victims, but as people capable of helping others. The idea of the workshop was developed with assistance from Parissa Jahromi, a doctoral student in Psychological Studies in Education at Stanford University.
Please stay tuned for more updates from the winter, including photographs and videos which shall be uploaded soon.
Feel free to check out a volunteer's reflection of one of the days in Jalazon: Inspiring Dreams in Jalazone
