Mr. Go -To

There are seldom times in our lives when we actually see how things are done behind the scenes. We rarely see how groups of people work together to tie up the world's loose ends. At TYO, however, I have found a unique situation where one man works quietly and humbly to fulfill any-and-all tasks that are asked of him. This man is not your celebrity-status employee. He is not the one receiving the employee of the month award even though he probably would if such an award existed. However, his labor is omnipresent.

Coming from a sports background, this individual is not a starter on the team but he is one of the first ones that substitutes in. He is one of the hardest workers on the team. He is the player who takes the charge in basketball, who makes the extra slide tackle in soccer and who dives headfirst no-matter-what in baseball. He leaves a full effort on the field (read: the TYO Center) everyday.

His name is Yasir and he is the TYO Facility Coordinator. Yasir joined the Nablus Center in March 2008. Before coming to TYO, he worked in various hospitality positions in Amman, Jordan and the West Bank. A resident of Beit Eiba village, Yasir has a 30-minute twice-daily trek to TYO. He has four children: two boys and two girls but the rest of his immediate family still lives in Amman.

On a regular day, Yasir unlocks the gate, prepares the classes and readies the building for over 500 children, teenagers, volunteers, interns and supervisors. Soon after, he is moving, cleaning, arranging and running errands. This includes, but is not limited to, moving chairs, cleaning rooms, making desks and hustling to the open-air market to obtain fruits for the younger children in the CORE program.

Despite my short time here, Yasir has been open and I cherish the moments we spend getting to know each other. He is a kind, compassionate and humble man and I look forward to seeing him each day and learning more about him.

- Mark

Mark is a summer intern at TYO Nablus.