Internship In Palestine (Human Rights, Palestinian Refugees, Law)

Having been here for about a month, The Excellence Center has not only helped me learn more about the Palestinian community as a whole, but it has also helped me understand the culture, the customs, and the ways in which the Palestinians
continue to create good among a world of oppression and occupation. I participated in the Human Rights Internship for the month of April, 2024. Throughout my time, I
have not only learned so much in such a short amount of time, but I have found a community in which I feel a great connection to, despite our diverse backgrounds. Asa young American woman, it can be difficult to find community in a country where the customs, cultures, and ways of life are quite unique. However, the staff and faculty at The Excellence Center, as well as other volunteers, have made me feel very safe, comfortable, and eager to learn as much as I could in the short amount of time I was there.

During my time, I had around nine hours of Arabic lessons in which I learned basic phrases to help me get around, order at a restaurant, ask for directions, etc. My Arabic teacher was very welcoming and patient. In addition to the Arabic lessons, I
was able to go on many site visits to places such as local clinics, specialized schools,
refugee camps, as well as other religious and non-religious sites around Hebron, and beyond.

Because my housing accommodation was a short 10 minute walk from the Center, I
felt very safe walking around at night, knowing how close home was. The other
volunteers and I wasted no time in traveling to neighboring cities, such as Nablus,
Ramallah, Bethlehem, and more in order to get as much learning as possible. Among many other things, I love the food, music, and zest of Palestinian culture. Overall,
this experience was rewarding in ways I hadn’t even expected and I would highly recommend this program for anyone who is remotely interested.

The entire organisation is incredibly welcoming and kind. They made me feel right at home. I was a little worried coming here whilst a genocide is going on just 70 km from here. I was scared anything might happen here in the West Bank, but I also felt there would be no time like now to come and show my support to the people of Palestine and learn more about the ongoing occupation. I am very happy I ended up going. I learned a lot and got to network and exchange ideas with locals and local organisations who do impressive things. I met incredible people and felt right at home. I felt safe the entire time I was here.

My program was tailored to my specific interests, questions and specialties, that was great. They were very open for feedback and ideas.

I would recommend the experience to any and all! Age and nationality doesn't matter, you will fit right in.

I came to Palestine for my internship and every day i have learned so many new things. I learned about the Palestinian culture but also how the people live here and how certain things work in Palestine. I don't think i have loved a place so much as Palestine, I had an amazing host family (who I will miss very much), i met amazing people at the centre and i also learned so much about myself. I grew inmensly as a human-being. I loved learning Arabic with my teachers and I for sure became better at it.

I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at the Excellence Centre in Hebron, and I only wish I could stay longer.
People over here are incredibly hospitable, kind and welcoming. I learnt basic Arabic, my teacher was wonderful, and I now am able to engage in a simple conversation with the locals.
I manged to visit some beautiful places in Palestine, refugee camps, and tourist attractions where I was able to engage with local people and learn even more about the country. I felt safe throught my stay here, and with the help from the organisers I found it very easy to travel around on my own.
I highly reccomend the Excellence Centre in Palestine. Come visit, you will not regret it.
I will ceratinly be back next year.
Thank you for everything.

My name is Linda, I’m 19 and I’m from Italy. I study political science and I therefore decided to apply for the Human Rights Internship here at the Excellence Center.
I chose to come to Palestine for many different reasons, but mainly because I was attending a class about this geographical region and I wanted to learn about it directly from the field, rather than just from the books.
I spent 6 weeks at the center and I had an amazing experience: the staff at the center is super friendly and welcoming and everyone is always ready to help you out whenever you need. I had the chance to live with a local family which taught me so much about the culture and the traditions and made me immediately feel like I was one of them. With the center I had the opportunity to take Arabic classes with an amazing teacher and to go on several visits: local families that told me about their life under occupation, refugee camps (where I also had the opportunity to teach English to the kids), Israeli settlements, villages around Hebron, local NGO’s and human rights activists, lawyers…
The center also provided us with some classes in order to give us an historical background of the occupation and prepare us before the visits.
During my time here I also had the opportunity to go on several trips around the West Bank and Israel with some fellow volunteers: I visited Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Nablus, Jericho and the Dead Sea, Jaffa, Haifa and Akka.
Regarding safety and security in Palestine, there was never a time that I felt unsafe in Hebron or while traveling: Palestinians are the nicest and most welcoming people I have ever met.
After spending 6 weeks in Hebron, I can say beyond doubt that I’m going back to my country as a more educated and experienced person. I definitely recommend the center to anyone interested in learning more about Palestine and helping its people: I am already planning on going back next year!

My name is Hibiki Kanda. I have a degree in International Liberal Arts and will be studying for master’s degree in Migration and Development from 25th September.

During my stay in the Excellence centre, I was involved in Volunteering with refugees program and I learnt Arabic, visited sites in Hebron, heared local people’s stories and taught in Al Fawwar camp. I found the Arabic lessons a lot of fun. I wish to continue learning it. I found the environment in the centre excellent. Everybody is very kind and so welcoming. You are at home from day 1.

During my time I visited, Abraham Mosque, Al Fawwar camp, Old town and Human rights defenders. I also visited Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Jericho, Dead Sea and Tel-Aviv during my whole stay in Palestine.

I found living in Hebron quite Amazing. It was far safer than I had originally thought. You can walk around alone without any concern during day or in the evening.

What I most like about Palestine was the people. The Hospitality was amazing. Meeting the people was my favourite experience. The friendliness of everyone in Hebron was just so good. My lasting impression of Hebron and Palestine is how kind everybody is. Would like to come back to meet everyone again.

Overall it was brilliant. Would definitely recommend to my friends.

My name is Fionn McPeake, I am 22 years old, and I am from Ireland. My stay at centre lasted only 10 days, although I wish I could have stayed for longer. I participated in the Human Rights Internship, and it was a fascinating and enriching experience. The program consisted of unforgettable trips, meetings, and discussions in Hebron and beyond, including a tour of the old town and Al Ibrahimi Mosque, and a visit to Al Fawwar refugee camp south of Hebron. Although my stay was short, I was still able to get see the difficulties Palestinian people face everyday as a result of the Israeli occupation. Despite these difficulties, the people here are among the friendliest and most welcoming I have ever come across. They are happy to help you at every turn and go out of their way to make you feel welcome and at home. Safety really is not an issue for visitors, and I felt super comfortable throughout the entire experience.
The Centre also presents a wonderful opportunity to learn Arabic. Due to the amazing teaching at the Centre and the immersion experience of living in Hebron, I was able to achieve a good level of understanding of Levantine Arabic in quite a short time. My teacher, Haya, was so helpful and kind, as are all of the other teachers at the Centre. One of the best parts of the experience here was meeting so many lovely, like-minded volunteers/interns during my stay. With the weekend off, you have the opportunity to travel with friends you make to other beautiful places outside of Hebron – for example, I was able to visit Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Jericho (hot), and even swim in the Dead Sea. Throughout the experience I have also had the chance to try a huge range of Palestinian foods which I look forward to trying to replicate at home in Ireland.
Overall, my stay in Palestine has been hugely enjoyable and incredibly interesting. I have met so many amazing people and learnt so much in such a short time and I am looking forward to coming back for longer. I highly recommend coming to the centre for anyone who is looking to immerse themselves in the wonderful culture Palestine and its people have to offer.

My time with the excellence center and in Palestine has been a truely precious and remarkable experience, along with helpful and fun arabic lessons, activities such as the old town tour really made the experience. The community within the center is friendly and welcoming along with the rest of Palestine. The accomdidating and hospitible nature of the Palestinian people is truely remarkable. I felt extremely safe my stay aswell as comfortable. The food palestine is incredible but the people have been my favourite aspect of the trip. My host family made bfeel part of the family and I feel extremely thankful for my experiance