” I am involved in the volunteer programme at the Excellence Centre in Hebron. I chose to volunteer in Palestine because I teach History in my secondary school and part of the syllabus looks at the history of Palestine. I am only in Hebron for a week due to family commitments but plan to make the fullest use of my time here by teaching English to children and adults, helping with teacher training, learning Arabic, meeting Palestinians and traveling in the area.
I hope that through the above work I will have contributed to the center. This experience will have benefitted me at several levels: (1) in learning about a culture, its people and their language, and as a result growing as a person; (2) in helping my own students better appreciate what they learn at school; (3) in establishing contacts with a view to planning a school trip in the area; (4) in continuing to volunteer in Palestine in the future; (5) in trying to break down stereotypes, particularly in the West. I believe that any contribution we make not helps others but also helps ourselves – volunteering is the best medicine for feeling inadequate and ineffectual.”
