ME034 - The Spirit Of The Mystic Walls

Información Detallada

Hosting Organization:
The Youth Development Department – YDD was founded to work with a development prospective, and to work as a professional and technical umbrella for the youth sector in Jerusalem, with a through the existing youth bodies in Jerusalem beside it's activities locally, regionally and internationally

Local Community:
Spafford Children Center is situated on a hilltop in the north east corner of the Old City of Jerusalem over looking the Mount of Olives and with a beautiful view of the Al-Aqsa mosque grounds.

Spafford is a community centre serving one of the poorest and most marginalized communities in Jerusalem. The centre provides a variety of services to a wide spectrum of the society, ranging from nursery and a kindergarten for poor children to leisure, cultural, artistic and sports activities for adolescents, youth and adults. The Center met this challenge by developing a psycho-social- special Education and Cultural department to help the children and mothers cope with the situation. It's programs were gradually expanded and diversified and are still developing and changing to meet new situations as they arise.

Project Description
Operating through turbulent times in this volatile region, the Spafford Children's center has always adapted to changing political situation and needs of the local population.

A cultural department has expanded slowly and is fast assuming the characteristics of a community club for children, teenagers and even mothers. It offers different activities, ranging from art with different media, library, folklore dancing, theatre, music, sports and games, and may help the children and the young people to develop talents and skills.

As a proposed workcamp we aim and plan to start a new type of our activities which is to spread more feelings toward the old city of Jerusalem by:

1. working on cleaning up the historical walls of Jerusalem while Volunteers will have different voluntary tasks to be done during the 2 weeks working camp

2. Cleaning the walls of the old city of Jerusalem in different areas, painting and drawing inside the Spafford center walls.

3. organizing activities for the students will local community, organizing Sport computations and activities, designing a challenge tracks.

Cultural Program:

The afternoons/ evenings are mostly occupied by lectures, parties, documentary films and field visits. Cultural activities will be directed towards learning about the Palestinian History and culture, Beside a cultural trips will be organized during the workcamp to the different historical and important places inside the Old city of Jerusalem, Jerusalem and other areas in the occupied territories such as Ramallah and Bethlehem. Beside, a round tables will be organized by the workcamp organizers and leaders with the local community and the local youth in Jerusalem in order to establish a dialogue to have a better understanding towards the Palestinian daily life and culture

Code: ME034/ 2008

Date: 15/8 – 26/8/2008

Place: Jerusalem

Hosting Organization: Youth Development Department (YDD) in cooperation with Spafford Children Center

Work Type: Construction and painting

Number of Volunteers: 20 Internationals + 7 locals

Participation Fee: 150 Euros

Accommodation: The participants will be hosted inside the Spafford Children Center.