We organized the Nablus-chapter of the three previous workcamps this year. Two were organized for the summercamps of IPYL in Bethlehem, members of our Nablus Committee were leading the first workcamp in July and the second in August, and one was organized in cooperation with the Student's Affairs Office of Birzeit University.At the moment we are organizing five days in Nablus for IPYL's Bethlehem workcamp. Our international program consists of voluntary work in cooperation with the Nablus Municipality. We are working to establish a park for the citizens of Nablus. Due to the severe economic situation nowadays and the effects of seven years of the Palestinian Uprising, this aspect of municipal work has been neglected. With the help of volunteers and our participation and organization we are trying to fill this gap. Secondly, in all our programs we included a paragraph in one of the refugee camps in our region. Last year, for example we spend a day working in Balata refugee camp, including a workshop on refugee issues and a tour through the camp. This year we visited Ain Beit Ilma refugee camp. We made a tour through the camp, lead by the refugees themselves, visiting their homes and informing the international participants about the Nakba (1947-1948 Catastrophe) and the refugee issue in general. Also included in this visit was a video presentation about the Intifada (the Palestinian Uprising and the invasion of Lebanon in 1982 and the Sabra and Shatila Massacre).
Also every year, we included a paragraph on Women Affairs. This has been done in cooperation with a Women Center in Nablus. A workshop has been organized with a very interesting discussion afterwards. We also organized a workshop on Islam and Palestinian society, and a lecture on the current peace process and the Palestine Question in general. Following each workshop we encouraged discussion between the local and international participants. For example, this year we organized as an introduction to the Palestine Question a short lecture on the issue, followed by group-discussion which had the task to provide various solutions to the conflict. Also every workcamp we included a visit to the Samaritans, the smallest sect in the world, counting 500.
As entertainment, which is necessary in such an intensive program, we visited the tourist-village of Nablus, Wadi Badan, which is a valley with streams and had our dinner there. We also included in these entertainment-parts, folklore dancing, "debka", and the smoking of our traditional waterpipe "argille". Additionally, we made a tour through the Old City of Nablus, the third oldest city of the world, and visited the Turkish Bath, which is one of the few original operating baths in this region. In addition we educated our international participants about the Old City by visiting the museum, which has been recently established by the French Cultural Center and the citizens of the Old City. Last year, we visited the industrial area of Nablus, in order to show the industrial and economic situation of Nablus as an industrial city.
In order to have a smooth and organized program we established strong relations with the municipality of Nablus, which funded us and supported us with food and accomodation, for each international workcamp we organized. Additionally, we have important relations with the refugee-community and the three camps surrounding Nablus, Askar, Balata, and Ain Beit Ilma. Moreover, since we are part of certain workcamps, we have a historical relationship with the Birzeit University and its Student's Affairs Office. This relationship has been established three years ago, and since then we are included in their program every year. Every year we have full responsibility and organization of the Nablus-chapter of Birzeit's famous workscamps, which have a long established history. Since this year, we also are the organizing committee for the Nablus-chapter of the IPYL workcamps in addition to leading the whole camps in July and August.
Email: nashama@usa.net
Nashama
PO Box 987
Nablus
Palestine
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