What a Wonderful World: The Core Children Are Back!

The work and pace of life here at TYO hasn’t slowed much since the spring session ended in the middle of April. Maybe the teachers, administrators, fresh-faced interns and volunteers had the chance to take in a deep breath for a few days, but then it was right back to all the planning, recruiting, and trouble-shooting necessary for the summer’s exciting programming.

And so, the building continued to bustle with meetings, curriculum writing, MEPI trainings, leadership seminars, and the energy of business getting done. Nonetheless, throughout, there was something missing that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Something that made everything seem just a step out of rhythm. Then, this morning, I remembered. The children!

At long last, the Core children have returned. Once again, these four to five year-olds, the shy and scared, outgoing and introverted, the smiling and the anxious paraded into TYO, doing their best to make sense of all the new stimuli, the new children, the new noises. As Adam summed up last spring, it is pure joy.

Their first steps are nervous, as if testing the ground. Then they grow more confident, they make friends, they start to sing with their voices and their eyes and right at the moment, all the preparation and writing and logistics find their relevance.

The Core program, offering psychosocial education for these young children from all across Nablus and its assortment of refugee camps, inspires a unique and undiminished happiness each and every time the kids arrive. It’s felt like a long wait, but finally, the Core children are back. I hope these photos can help paint a better picture.