7th, June 2012
See more photos of the program.
Eleven youth volunteers from the Kentucky YMCA Youth Association, together with the JAI international volunteers, had a program with the JAI including voluntary work at different EJ YMCA programs and centers, guided tours and visits into various Palestinian sites and cities, professional presentations on conflict-related issues, meetings with Palestinian youth, families, farmers, refugees; between the 1st and 6th of June 2012.
The group had another self-organized visits and meetings inside Israel, while the program in Palestine came after last year' visit and program with the JAI by a delegation from the Kentucky YMCA.
On Friday the 1st of June, the group arrived from Jerusalem to the YMCA in Beit Sahour, met the JAI staff and international volunteers, where briefed about the EJ YMCA and JAI work and activities. They then had a guided tour in the Bethlehem area to witness the affects of Israeli settlements and separation 
apartheid wall inside the West Bank, Palestinian land confiscation by the Israeli occupation, and the Israeli settlers’ bypass roads (bypassing Palestinian towns and villages). They visited a Palestinian farmer, one of the JAI Olive Tree Campaign beneficiaries, met his family and had lunch with them, listened to their land’ story and how most of the family olive trees where destroyed and land confiscated by the Israeli occupation forces for the construction of the wall.
In the afternoon, a visit was organized for them at Lajee center inside Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem, where they were briefed about the Palestinian refugees’ life inside the camp, listened to some personal stories and had a guided tour inside the camp. Following was attending an ecumenical service, as part of the World Council of Churches World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel, on the land of Cremisan monastery in Beit Jala that is under thread of confiscation by the Israelis.
On Saturday the 2nd of June, they did some great voluntary work during the day at the YMCA Beit Sahour yard, where they have removed big rocks and dry grass, for the land to be planted later with trees.
On Sunday the 3rd of June, the group headed to Hebron, were a meeting was arranged with the Hebron Rehabilitation Committee Public Relations officer, who presented to them the situation in Hebron old city, including: closures, settlements, attacks…etc, after which he guided them in a tour inside the old city, including the Ibrahimi mosque (tombs of the Patriarchs), and they had the chance to walk on their own through the Shuhada (martyrs) street that is forbidden for Palestinians. Lunch was organized at a Palestinians family in the old city who suffer from isolation and ongoing attacks by the Israeli military.
After lunch and a short tour inside the Hebron old city market, the group headed to the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem, where they had a guided tour inside the Church, to witness its’ various sections and history. Dinner was arranged in the Bethlehem old city being a very traditional Palestinian Falafel, Hummus, Foul and other salads.
After dinner, the group had a devotion and reflections’ session at the YMCA Shepherds Grotto in Beit Sahour, with Palestinian youth, member of the JAI youth group; after which they met together for hours and chatted about the Palestinian youth life, perspectives, and stories.
Later in the night, two movies were screened to the group; one is the JAI entitled "The Uprooted" of Palestinian farmers’ stories, and the other, "The East Side Story", about the East Jerusalem Palestinian citizens’ life under occupation.
Monday the 4th of June, started with a coordinated presentation at Badil Center for refugee rights and residency, where they were briefed about the ongoing displacement of Palestinians by the Israeli occupation since 1948, the Zionist movement strategy and the Palestinians’ right of return.
Following was a voluntary work at the YMCA Community and Sports center in Beit Sahour, where they made various attractive and happy drawing on the walls of the children summer camp students’ meeting room.
In the later afternoon, they were briefed on the Boycott-Divestment-Sanctions campaign: why launched, its effectiveness and impact with some suggested actions for the group to do back home. Following was a briefing on the Kairos Palestine document and initiative: its importance, reactions, and how could the groups use and spread it back in Kentucky and the USA.
In the evening, dinner was organized at Ush Ghrab Public Park in Beit Sahour that used to be an Israeli military camp before 2006, and still under thread of re-confiscation, while some Israeli military with a watch tower are still present nearby until today.
On Tuesday the 5th of June, they headed to Jericho, where they walked up the Mount of Temptation, visited the monastery, and then into the more than 10,000 years Jericho old city museum after watching a short movie about it, prepared by the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism.
Lunch was at the EJ YMCA Vocational Training Center, followed by a voluntary work of fixing and paining the center' carpentry workshop, together with some students.
Later in the evening, a band was organized to perform some Palestinian Folklore Dance (Dabka) show, which they interacted to, and had the chance to learn some steps and dance together with the band members.
On Wednesday the 6th of June, the program was with the YMCA Women Training Program Bedouin beneficiaries, where they met the family and helped them in some work, cooked and ate together.
A feedback and reflection session was held with the JAI staff in the afternoon before the group left, where they expressed how rich the experience was, informative and effective the visits and meetings were on them, and many were very interested to come back.