Volunteer in a Journalism Program in Palestine: The Excellence Center is proud to offer to you our Journalism and Media Internship Program, based at our headquarters in Hebron (الخليل), West Bank.
This program is especially suitable for students, graduates and travelers looking for volunteer opportunities in media in the West Bank, journalism internship programs, journalism volunteer programs abroad or for communications, journalism and media internships in Palestine.
Or if you are a university student seeking a summer media and journalism program to complement your studies during your summer break, this is the program for you. We also invite anyone with an interest in the political situation between Palestine and Israel to join us for this program.
Journalism and Media Projects
When you join this program, you have the opportunity to run projects based around the various components of journalism and media: reporting news, writing articles, finding and fact-checking new sources, all utilizing various media forms. Additionally, we encourage you all to share your knowledge and experience of journalism and life in general!
We make this journalism and media focused project very flexible because we understand that our international participants have diverse needs and circumstances. It is available to you as a short term or long term project all year round. Whilst this program is often popular with gap year and university students seeking Summer volunteering opportunities in Media and Journalism in Israel and Palestine, we welcome volunteers to the Excellence Center at any time of the year.
As with all our programs, volunteers of the Journalism in Palestine Project receive 3 hours of complimentary Arabic Classes each week, taught one-to-one or in small groups of 2-3 students. We also provide accommodation for all our participants. Whether you’re looking for a summer volunteer project or interested in traveling over your winter break, you are always welcome.
Summer Media and Journalism Program
Participating in our Volunteer in a Journalism Program in Palestine over the summer months can be a fantastic opportunity for university students interested in gaining practical, real-word and in-person experience in Palestine, Israel, and the Middle East. Taking up this opportunity will allow you participate in a media and journalism volunteer program or a media and journalism internship in the West Bank.
While we operate our Volunteer in a Journalism Program in Palestine year-round, we also have dedicated summer volunteer programs specifically designed for students looking for opportunities to volunteer abroad in the fields of journalism, media and/or communications, while also gaining university credit. The Excellence Center is able to grant academic credit to our already enrolled university students thanks to collaboration with the Palestinian Ministry of Education.
We invite you to join this program to make the most of this excellent chance travel throughout the summer, obtain practical experience in a related profession, and work towards your degree all at the same time.
Opportunity to Meet and Integrate with Palestinians
As with all our voluntary programs at the Excellence Centre in Palestine, we provide participants with an enriching, entertaining, and dynamic stay in the city of Hebron, West Bank. Furthermore, volunteers in Palestine will have the opportunity to be able to converse with the young the old and various members of the wider community.
If you desire to volunteer in a media project in Palestine, to find out more about Palestinian culture, work directly with Palestinians in the community and/or gain a deep understanding of daily life and experience life in the West Bank, this program is a great opportunity for you.
Additionally, The Journalism and Media Volunteer Program is an excellent opportunity to promote dialogue. Not only are interns given a gateway into communicating with local citizens, but also through this program, you can help give children and young people the tools to communicate with the global community. This is particularly valuable for many young Palestinians, to feel like they are valued and that their voice is being heard.
As an intern in the Journalism and Media Program in Palestine, you will gain valuable experience through teaching Palestinian children, school students and young refugees about the power of media and journalism. This program is a great way for you to meet and integrate with Palestinians in the local community around the West Bank, to learn about their stories, to amplify their voices and to give them ways to report on their daily life and circumstances in the Israel/Palestine region. You will also have the chance to inspire them with your knowledge and experience in journalism and media.
Fantastic Opportunity for You to Visit Other Palestinian Cities
During your participation in this program, you will be based at our headquarters in Hebron, West Bank. However, this program presents a fantastic opportunity for you to visit other cities, work with the local youth from there and to report on their current political situation. For example these other cities include, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Jenin, Nablus, Tel Aviv and Haifa.
By taking up this amazing volunteering opportunity, you will plan and execute classes, seminars, workshops, and activities focused on teaching journalism skills. You have the opportunity to run workshops for the whole Palestinian community, from university and school students, to local inhabitants and members of local refugee camps. Through these workshops, we aim to show the power of digital media, and aid the community, especially students so that they can use the tools at their fingertips – internet, social media, smartphones – to share their story with a global audience.
When you Arrive to Hebron, Palestine
Before deciding a schedule, volunteers will be welcomed to the Center and given an orientation about Hebron and Palestinian culture, including both Arabic classes and an introduction to Palestinian culture.
In order for you to be as involved as possible in the Palestinian community and culture, the Center will provide you with accommodation with a Palestinian host family who will help you in your acclimatization and with any issues that might arise. Male volunteers may instead stay at the Excellence Center dorm.
After the introductory week, as mentioned before, you will then get to decide what kind of activities to develop and present to your students. Based on your individual knowledge and topic interest/field of specialty and your level of experience and skills in Journalism. You will be given a lot of control over this process.
Flexible Volunteering Program
Participants in the Journalism Program in Palestine are welcome to choose what kind of activities they would like to organize during the program, their target group (university students, school students, women, community members) and ages of participants.
Some people’s skills are better working with school students, others have skills to train university students or community members and we are aware of that.
Activities You Can Organize During Your Volunteering Period
There are many activities suitable for schools, universities and community centers, that we wish to carry out at as part of this program, however the main ones are:
Lectures and workshops about the new world, which may include:
- Introduction to journalistic terminology and information (e.g. what’s a news agency? How do they work and which are the most important ones?)
- The roles people cover in a newsroom and their responsibilities
- Workshops about writing articles in a journalistic style
- Workshops about designing and organizing a newspaper
- Taking photos and producing short films
Visits to local radios, newsrooms, and TV broadcaster
- Organizing a contest where students will be divided into groups to complete the above workshops and do research and interview in the afternoon. Then they will produce of short documentary on an issue of their choice.
These are the primary activities amongst others please note we strongly welcome your suggestions.
Reviews From Former Participants and Community Awards
We continue to strive towards “excellence”: In 2021 we were rated one of the top three programs worldwide in offering volunteer opportunities. We received the community choice awards by Go Overseas in the categories “best language school”, and voted best on “fun” and “instruction.”
In 2019, we received our first “Go Overseas Community Choice Awards” to acknowledge the Excellence Center’s impact on the community of travelers around the world.
The Excellence Center in Hebron has now over 12 years of experience, and prides itself on the positive feedback received from over 800 international interns and volunteers to the Center.
Reviews of our all our Volunteer and Internship Programs, including Media and Journalism, can be found through the following links:
- +550 Reviews and ratings (96%) on gooverseas.com
- +120 Reviews and ratings (95%) on goabroad.com
- Participants’ video testimonials
Arabic Lessons for Volunteers of the Journalism Program
All our international volunteers and interns in Palestine will be rewarded with 3 hours of Arabic classes a week or 12 hours a month with an experienced and knowledgable Palestinian teacher. With this foundation, all volunteers will have plenty of chances to interact with locals to learn and practice the language.
No matter what your Arabic level is, from total beginner to advanced, we make our Arabic lessons suitable for you. On top of that, as a volunteer or intern, you can freely choose what kind of Arabic you would like to learn.
Arabic Dialects to Learn
All of our participants at our base in Hebron will receive a choice of Arabic dialects to study during their time in the West Bank. As part of your volunteer placement, we offer a choice of:
- Shami or Levantine Arabic (Amiyya dialect)
- Colloquial Palestinian Arabic
- Modern Standard Arabic (MSA)
- a mixed Program: (Modern Standard Arabic & Shami Arabic)
Help is always on offer if you need advice choosing a dialect.
Homestay During Your Time in Hebron
The Excellence Center aims to achieve social discourse through cultural immersion. The Center provides the Volunteer in Journalism Program’s participants homestays in Hebron, West Bank as follows:
- Female participants have the opportunity to live with a designated Palestinian host family in the local Hebron area
- Male participants are able to stay in male dorms provided at the Excellence Center, Hebron, West Bank, Palestine
Private rooms can also be arranged, although these naturally come with an additional fee.
What Does a Typical Day Look Like…?
Your work commitment will be approximately 30-40 hours each week between the hours 9am until 5pm, Saturday to Thursday, with two days off – Friday and another day of your choice.
Normally, international volunteers start the day with a breakfast at the Excellence Center together with teachers, volunteers from other programs and directors, giving you the chance to meet and network with others. You will also have the opportunity to go on sightseeing trips in Hebron coordinated by the Excellence Center.
You may arrange to have your lunch whenever you have a break in your schedule, and it is easy to find supermarkets, cafes, restaurants, shawarma and falafel near to The Excellence Center. You will generally have your evenings free, although the Center will organize occasional optional activities as well. During the evenings, our volunteers often arrange to go to a cafe to study or socialize, have dinner at a restaurant together, spend time with their host family (only for female volunteers), or go to a local gym.
In addition to your work in the classroom, you will have your own Arabic class schedule, you will prepare lesson plans for the workshops you will oversee and you will break for sightseeing excursions in and around Hebron.
Program Opportunities
Volunteers in program also receive many benefits such as:
- An orientation about Palestinian culture and Hebron specifically
- Arabic language classes (12 hours a month or 3 hours a week)
- Visits to various sites in the city of Hebron (including refugee camps, the old city, different factories, etc.)
- Presentations on Palestinian society and daily life
- Accommodation with either a Palestinian host family (for women) or in our male dorm
- Eating and enjoying local Palestinian foods and desserts
- Attending cultural nights featuring entertainment and activities, organized by us
- Palestinian hospitality and a pleasant climate
- Living and gaining impressions from one of the most politically divisive and ambivalent regions of the Middle East
- The opportunity to visit unique tourist attractions with a native perspective – including Bethlehem, Ramallah, Nablus, Hebron, Tulkarem, Qalqilyah, Jenin and the Dead Sea in Jericho
- Visiting nearby cities both nationally and internationally such as Akko, Herzliya, Beersheva, Eilat, Tiberias, Netanya, Safed, Haifa, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Masada, Amman, Aqaba, Wadi Rum, and Nazareth
- A certificate upon completion
General Overview
The table below provides you with some general information about the Volunteer in Journalism Program in Palestine
| Location of Volunteer Program | Hebron, West Bank, Palestine |
| Program Language | English |
| Volunteering Duration | 1 -13 Weeks |
| Starting/ Ending Dates | Volunteers can freely choose their starting and ending dates. We offer volunteer programs in Palestine year-round (Summer, Winter, Autumn, and Spring) |
| Monthly Costs | 750€ a month 250 € a week |
| Homestay in Hebron | Palestinian host family (female participants) Male dorm Private (Additional fees apply) |
| Fields of Volunteering | Media Journalism Reporting Communication Opening Dialogue and Social Media |
| Educational Degree | Not Required |
| University Credit | Available |
| Application Deadline | No Deadline |
| Reviews of our Volunteers | Reviews On Gooverseas.com Reviews On Goabroad.com Participants video testimonials |
Who Can Join Our Volunteer Program in Palestine?
This incredible volunteer opportunity is open to anyone with an interest and/or competency in journalism or media; for pre-college students, current university students, for graduates with a degree in Journalism, English, or relevant work; or for internationals looking for experience in Journalism or Media. If you are searching for journalism internships in the West Bank or an internship in communication and media program, we invite you to join this program.
We believe our programs offer a great chance for you to gain a formative experience in your chosen fields, and as such, we try to open them to as broad a pool of applicants as possible. For all applicants to the Journalism and Media Volunteer Program in Palestine, we only ask that you are:
- Age: 18+
- Able to communicate in English
- Patient and enthusiastic
- Happy working with an international team (family)
- Eager to learn
What you don’t need?
- Ability to speak Arabic
- Travel or work experience
- To be a native speaker
- A degree in journalism
Where Do Volunteers in Our Programs Come From?
Almost everywhere! Here in the Excellence Center we pride ourselves on our international openness towards people of all nations, religions and cultures. For us, there is no ‘foreigner’, simply people with unique cultural perspectives, from whom we are delighted to learn and share our time and experiences with.
The largest proportion of our volunteers in Palestine are from: the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Canada, France, Spain, Belgium, and Switzerland.
Moreover, students from: Brazil, Mexico, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Australia, Japan, South Africa, Singapore, South Korea, China, and New Zealand have all taken to studying Arabic in Hebron, West Bank.
Is your country not on the list? Then now is your chance to become a trail blazer and become the first representative of your nation, and join our ever expanding international community.
Application Period and Program Dates
The Excellence Center is looking for international volunteers and interns all year-round, there is no fixed application period. Program dates are flexible and you are welcome to stay from anywhere between 1 and 13 weeks.
Program Fees
Since the Excellence Center does not receive any funds from any governmental or non-governmental organizations, the Excellence Center charges a fee of 750€ Euro a month or 250€ a week, depending on your length of stay.
Included in these costs are:
- Community breakfast at the Center each morning
- The accommodation
- In-country and pre-departure support
- Arabic classes (3 hours a week)
- Certificate of completion
- Some visits to different sights and locations in the city of Hebron. Examples include: the old city of Hebron, glass and ceramic factories, local companies, refugee camps, and public parks as well as local universities such as the Palestine Polytechnic University and Hebron University
Other Volunteering Opportunities
If a volunteering in journalism and media abroad program is not what you are looking for, we operate a broad variety of volunteer programs at the Excellence Center. Alternatively, you can combine this program with another of our programs if you wish, in order to gain more experience and broaden your understanding across multiple issues. For example, you can choose to participate in the Volunteer in a Journalism Program in Palestine for two weeks and then volunteer with the Human Rights Program the following week.
Whatever your preference, you can choose a volunteer program or programs where you can thrive and make a significant contribution, regardless of your hobbies or areas of expertise in the arts, sports, refugee care, laws and justice, education, environmental and humanitarian issues, or just fostering professional growth.
Our wide array of short-term volunteer programs in Palestine include:
| Internship in Palestine Program (1-3 months) | Palestinian Laws & Legal Practices Internship |
| The Palestine and Israel in Context internship Program | Human Rights Program in West Bank |
| Women’s Rights in Palestine internship Program | Medicine & Healthcare in the West Bank |
| Teach English in the West Bank internship | Volunteer & Study Arabic in Palestine |
| Volunteering with Palestinian Children in the West Bank | Volunteer in Local Schools in Palestine |
| Teach for Palestine Program (2-3 Months) | Volunteer in a Journalism Program in Palestine |
Safety of Our Volunteers and Interns
The region of Palestine has not been stable for the last few decades, there is always unrest and war, sometimes it becomes more volatile and at other times it’s calmer. Nonetheless, each year millions of tourists visit Palestine and the West Bank including Hebron, Ramallah, Bethlehem, Jenin, Tulkarem, Nablus and many other cities without any safety issues. Palestinians in general are welcoming and hospitable people. They recognize that the politics of a country and its people may differ.
Since it was formed in 2011, the Excellence Center has welcomed over 1000 international visitors. These visitors lived and worked in Hebron for a few weeks or months. Overall they did not face any threat nor were they unsafe in Hebron or the West Bank. Maybe add statistics like out of 1000 visitors 9x% were fine/unharmed
Moreover, the Excellence Center is situated in an area of Hebron which is under the Palestinian authority and in the heart of the city. Our Palestinian host families and the male dorms are located near the Excellence Center too.
How to Get a VISA for Palestine
Most of our international participants get a tourist visa that is valid for three months (90 days) upon arrival, when they either fly into Israeli airports (Tel Aviv or Eilat) or cross from Jordan to the West Bank. Generally, no prior visa is needed for Americans, Canadians, Australians, Brits and most Europeans in order to enter Palestine but please refer to the visa exemption agreement for further information.
There is unfortunately no way to directly apply for a VISA to participate in the Journalism and Media Program at the Excellence Center before flying to Palestine. The VISA you receive upon arrival is sufficient for participation in the Excellence Center’s programs. It is also valid for both Israel and Palestine and enables you to travel freely in the Israel and Palestinian territories for up to 3 months (90 days) from the VISA start date.
Flying Into Palestine
Unfortunately, there are no airports in Palestine; as such it is currently impossible to fly directly into the West Bank. Palestinians use either the airports in Jordan or Egypt to travel abroad. However, international volunteers and interns can fly to Israeli airports and then cross to Palestine. We believe the easiest ways to get to the Excellence Center in Hebron, Palestine are:
- To fly to Ben Gurion, Tel Aviv Airport (Israel). It takes about two and a half hours from the airport to the Excellence Center in Hebron via shared Taxi.
- You can fly to Eilat airport and then travel by booking a shuttle or taking a bus to Jerusalem and then to Hebron. The whole trip can last between 6-7 hours.
- You can also fly to Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan and then cross to Palestine, but this route takes more time and is more expensive.
Traveling to and from Hebron, West Bank
We know that many participants of the Journalism and Media Program in Palestine, especially those traveling in the Israel/ Palestine region for the first time, naturally have queries on issues such as:
- How to get to Hebron, West Bank,
- How to make your way to the Excellence Center once arriving
- Transportation in the area; which taxi you should take
- How to cross the checkpoints in the West Bank.
Hopefully all the necessary information about how to get to Hebron, Palestine and the Excellence Center and some useful contact information is provided in these four articles:
- How to fly to Palestine
- How to get to Hebron, Palestine
- Planning your trip to Palestine
- How to get from the Ben Gurion Airport (Israel) to Hebron
For any further questions, you are always welcome to contact us.
Tel Aviv Airport Pickups
The Excellence Center staff can organize a taxi to pick you up at Ben Gurion Airport and take you straight to Hebron and the Center. This is the easiest and fastest way (about an hour, 60 km/37 miles) to get to us.
Additional fees apply and the trip costs about 160 Euro. Please let us know if you are interested in this option.
Steps to Apply to the Journalism and Media Program:
Please email the Center’s co-founder Rafat Shantir at Rafat@excellencenter.org requesting an application, listing “Journalism and Media Program” as your desired program in the subject line.
Once you receive the application, please fill it out and email back to Rafat@excellencenter.org
In the meantime, you can contact us via email: Rafat@excellencenter.org , Whatsapp or phone: +972 599-479880. If you have any questions or would you like to know more information about us or our programs please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Program Summary
This program gives you the chance to learn first-hand about Palestinian daily life and culture while engaging with members of the community to run projects based in the fields of journalism, media and/or communications. Whether you are looking for volunteer opportunities or an internship abroad in Palestine, we invite you to take up this exciting opportunity and join us. If you are a current university student looking for an internship program to provide you with credit for your studies, then our summer program is a wonderful opportunity for you. If you are not a current university student, you may join our program at any time of the year you wish.
During your time with us, you will have the opportunity to arrange classes, seminars, workshops and other activities to meet with the local community to share your knowledge and experience in journalism and to teach relevant skills.
Not only that, but you will have the chance to go on sightseeing trips around Hebron (arranged by us), try traditional Palestinian foods and drinks, try shisha (if you wish), to meet Palestinians and hear their stories, meet other likeminded international volunteers and interns and also to travel on your days off. We provide accommodation for you during your program, men generally stay in our male dorm and women generally stay with a Palestinian host family.
During your program, you will also have three hours of Arabic classes per week and two days off per week. On the days that you come to the Center, you will still have some free time to use as you wish – whether studying Arabic, exploring Hebron, going to restaurants and cafes, socializing, going to the gym, or something else.
On your days off it is easy to travel to other nearby cities such as Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Ramallah, Jericho, Nablus, Tulkarem and more. Traveling to these other cities is a valuable experience and will also give you the chance to meet Palestinians from outside of Hebron as well as to compare and contrast life in other cities to Hebron as well as to your home country.
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How To Get Further Information
For more information, please visit our website: https://excellencenter.org/
Whatsapp:+972599479880
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/excellence.center
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
