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Eoin from Ireland worked in Sharek as a
volunteer
from September to December 2007
I
worked as a volunteer with Sharek Youth Forum in Ramallah from September
until December 2007. I arrived to Palestine looking for work experience
in a development organisation and I heard about Sharek through a friend
who was working there.
My work
in Sharek was wide-ranging and very engaging. I mostly worked with the
Dynamic Human Rights Unit (DHRU) where my main task was to conduct
research about the human rights situation of refugee youth in the West
Bank and Gaza Strip.
I was
lucky to get a lot of field-work experience, visiting all the refugee
camps in the West Bank to interview residents, talk to the UNRWA camp
managers, and to speak with representatives from health clinics, sports
organisations and theatre groups. In the Sharek office I was researching
general information about refugees in the occupied Palestinian
territories through local international organisations such as BADIL and
UNRWA. We (the DHRU) are planning to publish our findings in early 2008.
I was
also involved in proposal writing and report writing for the various
departments in Sharek which has been excellent experience. As a native
English speaker I was also able to assist with editing of documents,
publications and newsletters. I was also given the chance to go out and
photograph and document the different refugee camps of the West Bank for
the Sharek website.
The
atmosphere of Sharek Youth Forum is a great working environment and
keeping in line with Sharek’s motto of “by youth, for youth and through
youth” all the staff in the office are under the age of thirty. They are
always open to hearing new ideas and where feasible, will support the
implementation of any projects you can bring to the table.
Overall
though, it has been a great experience and I have gained a lot of
practical work experience in a youth development organisation which will
stand to me when I return to study Development in the future. |
