10/11/2016
No'al - IVA seminar in Tamra!
From the 27th until to 30th of October, Sameh Youth club hosted a delegation of German volunteers for a 4 days seminar organized in cooperation with the Israeli Volunteer Association (IVA – HaAguda Lehitnadvut) .
On the first day, the mayor came to greet the participants, Ahmed Diab gave a presentation of El Birouni elementary school – where the seminar took place – and finally the IVA held a workshop on contradicting narratives around the history of Israel. In the evening, participants were dispatched in host families.
The following day, Mohamed Abo Elhega (Shoko) gave a presentation of Hanoar Haoved Vehalomed (or No'al) and the local Tamra branch, Sameh youth club. The presentation included the political position of No'al regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and domestic politics. This was followed by a conversation with the founder of No'al in Tamra, Kamal Abo Elhega about the situation of Arabs in Israel. In the afternoon, the group left for Akko where they had a presentation of the population distribution in this city. This was followed by a tour in the souk, the bazar and other sightseeing points. After having been hosted in a fully Arab town and visited a mixed city the group headed down to Kibbutz Kfar Massaryk where they were given a tour.
Saturday morning, Shoko lead a visit of Tamra. This included the old surrounding villages, the fields – where the volunteers picked up olives – the hill with its panoramic view on the town and the old part of the village. There, they were invited by the mayor to enjoy a lunch at a communal house. In the afternoon, Suleiman organized a workshop to reflect on one's life and voluntary service. This was followed by a rally to discover Tamra, organized by Pauline and Claire, the international volunteers in Tamra. Participants went in the main street and had to fulfill different tasks that led them to interact with Tamra's inhabitants. In the evening, a dinner was prepared by Suleiman's grandmother.
On the last day, Pauline and Claire presented their voluntary mission in Tamra and the seminar closed on a wrapping up workshop.