Description

The project seeks to bring people of various cultures together to build bridges of understanding, reconciliation, and peace. The long term goal of the project is to prepare youth to make positive contributions to their future and society through the values of understanding, helping, contributing tolerance, and respectful coexistence. These goals are achieved through education, awareness, youth empowerment and international volunteer projects.

The volunteers will work in different villages in Bethlehem and they will help the municipality of Bethlehem in achieving the projects they're working on.
They have started to build a kindergarten, a parking, youth houses, gardens, a hospital and so on. The volunteers will work in this area along with the people from the municipality, taking up different tasks every day, such as painting, farming, cleaning, etc.

The volunteer project will be running at Christmas time in Bethlehem, the best place to celebrate Christmas in. The volunteers will have the opportunity to celebrate Christmas with the Palestinians, sharing their celebration and solidarity.

Location: Bethlehem is considered a central hub of Palestinian cultural and tourism industries. The city has significant value for Christians as it is considered the birthplace of Jesus of Nazareth according to the Gospels. Bethlehem is also home to one of the largest Palestinian Christian communities in the Middle East. In addition, Bethlehem has three Palestinian Refugee Camps (Dhisha, Al-Azza and Aaida). The construction of the Israeli apartheid wall has had a severely negative impact on Bethlehem politically, socially, and economically. The wall runs along the northern side of the town's built-up area, within meters of houses in 'A'ida refugee camp on the one side, and Jerusalem on the other.

Highlights

Cultural activities:

The afternoons will be used to give volunteers an intercultural learning experience, with a focus on showing them the Palestinian culture within the context of the occupation and hopes for the future. This will involve visits to refugee camps in Bethlehem, tours of places of interest, lectures, meeting Palestinian politicians and authors and most importantly, interaction with the local people. The volunteers will be able to visit the different associations and centers in the city where they can watch documentaries about the situation in Palestine and the Middle East. The volunteers will also have the opportunity to visit other cities in the West Bank, like Ramallah, Hebron, etc.

Languages

• English

Cost in US$:

290 USD

Cost Includes:

• Food
• Housing
• Written materials abroad
• Written materials pre-departure

Experience Required

no

Volunteer Types

Typical Volunteer

Motivated to work voluntarily within an international team, tolerant, open-minded and cooperative person with adventurous spirit.

Age Range

18 and over

This Program is open to

American and Canadian Participants.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Group living

Participants Travel

Independently

Typically Participants Work

in Groups

Application Process Involves

• Online Application plus Application Assessment

CADIP - Canadian Alliance for Development Initiatives and Projects's Mission Statement

CADIP promotes peace, cooperation, tolerance and understanding in international, multi-ethnic, multi-cultural surroundings. The organization also promotes patterns and examples of civil activities focused on serving others, on building social ties and strengthening communities, on supporting civil society development. Aims and general objectives: * To promote volunteering as an expression of civic contribution * To strengthen the international contacts among young people * To build tolerance and understanding in multicultural and multi-ethnic surroundings *To promote multiunderstanding among youth all over the world * To facilitate the individual growth of the volunteers through the acquisition of work, life and learning skills * To work for the recognition and promotion of non-formal learning * To support the community initiatives and assist in community development.