I came back for a second class because I benefited so much from the first one. I am more experienced in the language now and the methods used at TYO are different than other places. At school we just read from the book, a very traditional way of teaching. At TYO, teaching is given in a fun way through activities. We learn vocabulary while playing- learning and playing at the same time.
Read MoreAcross the education field, a major shift in focus is taking place: while the teacher was once viewed as the sole purveyor of all knowledge, with learners sitting passively as empty vessels, we now consider students’ active participation in classroom activities to be of central importance to the learning process. As such, teachers are now increasingly viewed as facilitators of educational experiences, by which which students inquire, experiment, and, ultimately, discover new ideas for themselves.
Read MoreWhen I graduated from university, I wanted to work in Dubai with my brother. I went, but I wasn’t able to stay because I didn’t have good English speaking skills. So now, I work with my father in his restaurant during the week and with an electricity company on the weekends. I am studying English at TYO because I want to try to go abroad again. I love my city and my country, but I need my brother’s help.
Read More“Salut! Vous êtes là pour le cours?” asked me my language teacher in my first French course at the university ten years ago. I must admit, I froze up and looked at her with shy and timorous eyes, while searching deep in my mind and childhood memories for an appropriate answer. I was lost in one of those rare moments when you don't know what to respond or even how to react. Just like me at that time, the incursion into the world of bilingualism for plenty of new language learners may not be a very pleasant experience.
Read MoreI hope to become a writer. I love writing. I started when I was 10 years old by writing about what happened in my day, then about what I was thinking--what I loved. Now, I love to write poetry. When I write poetry, I don't have to think. I just write, and the words become poetic.
Read MoreIt’s another day of English class for the STEP! II students at Tomorrow’s Youth Organization. Four weeks into classes, the atmosphere now is different from that of the first day: less jittery and excited to be sure, but much more comfortable, and therefore even more productive. The past month has been a whirlwind of learning: for four hours, every Monday through Thursday, students of all levels have been engaging with English.
Read MoreI love working with the kids at TYO because they have so much respect for the rules. I want to put these rules in every school in Palestine. For example, the kids only eat healthy foods, and they always clean their hands before and after eating. We have an expression in Arabic that says that teaching little kids is like carving into a stone, because once they learn the rules, they never forget them.
Read MoreWaed Bsharat is from a village called Tammun. She recently graduated with a degree in business administration from Al Quds Open University in Tubas. She heard about Tomorrow’s Youth Organization from a friend, who said that TYO was a fun and interesting place to volunteer. Waed always volunteered at the university because it was required, but had never volunteered because she wanted to do something for herself.
Read MoreLanguage is powerful. We use language to tell a story, make a point, entertain, argue, and express ourselves. Here at Tomorrow’s Youth Organization (TYO), we use language to build a bridge. A two-way bridge with people coming and going on both sides.
Learning a new language can be challenging on a number of levels. For me, the most difficult part of this process is the feeling that you cannot truly express yourself in a language that is not your own.
Read MoreThe Summer 2016 Academic Support program is in full swing, filling the Center with the sounds of laughter and children. Although some of the participants in the current session were newly enrolled youth, many were students who had chosen to re-enroll in the TYO program. What encouraged these children and their families to re-enroll? To find out, we spoke with one of the children who participated in both the Spring and Summer sessions this year.
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