'YES Camp' in Bethlehem: a third year of success

Christian and Muslim youths play, learn and pray

By Monnitte V. Monana

The author is from Banate, Iloilo, and Meliza Panes who is featured in the story and took the photos is from Passi, Iloilo. They are both members of the Teresian Association.

BETHLEHEM (Holy Land) (October, 2008). - A mixed group of 41 young Christians and Muslims enthusiastically participated in the five-day Youth Encounter Summer (YES) 2008 organized by the Pontifical Mission Library-Bethlehem (PML-Bethlehem)  in cooperation with the Teresian Association (TA) in the Holy Land. With the theme Unity in Diversity, the camp focused on activities and dynamics to awaken a sense of social awareness and responsibility among the participants, no matter how different they might be.

Monnitte V. Monana, PML director and over-all organizer, together with Meliza Panes of the TA and two other local staff, Hala Batarseh and Iyad Ali, facilitated this year’s third summer youth camp which was held from 2 to 6 July last year at Betharram Seminary, Bethlehem.

The learning process was made possible through modular sessions that allowed the youth to do things together in an atmosphere of trust, respect, and acceptance of what is different and unique in others, while promoting the value of tolerance, and learning to appreciate plurality and diversity by taking concrete actions.

Furthermore, the activities were complemented by the exposure/immersion experiences wherein a day was dedicated for planting trees in a public park in Bethlehem, followed by a significant visit to the Home of the Elderly run by the Antonian Society and a ‘walk and see’ experience in some of the busy streets of Bethlehem.

These experiences, new and unique for all the participants, increased and awakened their sense of service, social commitment and sensitivity to the needs of those who are economically and/or socially deprived in society, and helped them become more aware of their social responsibility to keep the environment clean and take care of it.

On the first day of the camp, Monnitte Monana warmly welcomed the participants and stressed the need to use their potential and giftedness in building community, to unite in their efforts to make a change as well as create an environment where everyone feels accepted despite the cultural and religious differences, which in effect challenged them to start in their here and now.

‘Responsibility is a task of everyone regardless of age, gender, profession and economic status in society wherever we are – whether at home, school, village and country in general’, said one of the invited speakers, Dr Jeanne Kattan, Head of the English Department at Bethlehem University, a Palestinian who has taught at the university for more than 30 years, who spoke on commitment and responsibility.

This sense of social commitment was further complemented by a video presentation and group dynamics as well as participation, introduced by Nina Gedeon. The session allowed the participants to get in touch with different situations wherein they learned how to conserve a limited supply of water especially in the Palestinian context – at home, in schools, in their neighborhood, and in the villages. Eventually, the presentation helped the participants to think of the many ways of water management and help in its conservation.

The experience of planting trees delighted and challenged the participants to consciously take care of the environment and promote ‘green and clean’ activities. Divided into groups of four, participants and staff went together to the Mary Doty Park in Bethlehem on the second day of the camp, and each group took charge of planting trees and some flowering plants in the park. For many, the experience was unique and while having a great time planting trees they felt pride for having helped to counteract climate change even in their own simple way.

Participants and staff went to the Antonian Society and spent some time with the elderly there by simply talking, listening, entertaining, assisting them in their needs and even feeding them during meal-time. This moved and touched many of them as they became more aware of their social and moral obligations toward the sick and the elderly, and how to treat kindly those who are physically fragile in their family.

‘My heart was moved and wanted to put compassion where there is misery, love where there is hatred, and tenderness where there is insensitivity’, said Jihan Gedeon, one of the participants.

Many heads turned as a group of YES participants, each accompanied by a staff member, were walking on some of the major and busy streets of Bethlehem under the scorching sun. It was a ‘walk with a cause’. This was meant to make them become more aware and notice how clean and orderly their surroundings and cities were or were not. It enabled them to feel more responsible for their own surroundings and to keep them clean and orderly.

In spite of their different beliefs and ways of praying and calling on God, participants became one and prayed as one at the beginning of each day. The ways of praying were varied in order to accommodate all of the participants without them feeling offended or isolated, but rather allowing the atmosphere of respect and tolerance during those moments of prayer.

On one occasion the whole experience of the day was recapped by drawing out reactions and insights from the different groups of participants. The comments were translated into a prayer. Then, written in pieces of papers that were linked to make a chain, they were tied to a bunch of balloons and let go, off into the air.

Through ‘role playing’, participants also familiarized themselves with the various social problems affecting people. Later on they were invited to engage in some concrete actions to resolve the social problems in Palestinian society.

‘It was wonderful! It was the best camp that I ever went to. I learned a lot of things, and had a great time especially when we went to the Mary Doty Park and planted trees’, Said Izzat Salameh at the end.

‘This year’s camp was special and unique in ways of presenting new things which were more exciting than the previous years”, Said Hala Batarseh, who had participated in previous experiences.

For Samar Sabat, a staff member, ‘Spending time with children is the most exciting thing in facilitating camps’.

Jihan Gedeon said that through the camp ‘I have met lots of new friends who have made my life different and full of happiness and peace’.