TYO's New Volunteer Committees

Our volunteers are always enthusiastic about their work at TYO, but this session, they wanted to represent TYO's Youth Service Learning Program, outside the walls of our center. We often participate in events and festivals at local universities, speaking to students about TYO's programs and recruiting new potential volunteers and translators. We often see former and current volunteers at these events and they enjoy speaking to their peers about their experiences and work with us. This session however, the volunteers wanted to push for more. Last Thursday, we created a trio of committees, all volunteer-led, providing a vehicle for youth to play a more active and substantive role in the community.

The Media Committee is composed of six students who will encourage volunteerism in the community - not just at TYO. They are responsible for reaching out to local media outlets such as radio shows and television stations. One main target, Najah FM, a successful radio station run by students from An-Najah University, will be a main source of reaching out to students. They will also use modern social media, like Facebook and Twitter to spread TYO's message of volunteerism all throughout Nablus. The committee will also make connections in the community and lead small workshops to discuss TYO's programs.

The Culture Committee is composed of five students who document all events and activities run by the Youth Service Learning Program. Throughout the session, the Culture Committee will fill the role of historians, taking pictures of our programs and compiling a portfolio of pictures to share with future prospective volunteers. The committee will also draft and create a newsletter at the end of the programming. And these newsletters will be distributed to university students from Nablus.

The Social Committee is responsible for event planning. Composed of five students, the committee will register TYO at local festivals and parties in their universities. Using one-pagers, videos, photos and other media created by the Culture Committee, and with the help of the Media Committee, the Social Committee plans and coordinates these events. The committee will also plan various Culture Days as a way to encourage cultural exchange with local Palestinian students and international interns at TYO.

TYO will celebrate International Volunteer Day, on December 5th, with a ceremony and distribution of certificates to our volunteers for their commitment to TYO and the community.  We know our volunteers will leverage their commitment and enthusiasm to making all three of these new committees incredibly successful!

-Ahmad

Ahmad is the Volunteer Coordinator