When it comes to traveling abroad for study, work, or volunteer purposes, there are countless options available for potential destinations. Every region of the world offers its own unique experiences, and inevitably provides individuals with internal growth and a more holistic global understanding. However, some areas may hold greater advantages than others, allowing for a higher margin of impact that can be made on local communities. The Middle East, in particular, offers unique volunteering opportunities that are unmatched by other regions of the world, and has proven itself as a destination for ambitious and altruistic global citizens.
One of the most significant benefits of volunteering in the Middle East is the opportunity to develop a new cultural perspective. Regardless of where you choose to volunteer abroad, you will undoubtedly gain a new understanding of different cultures, traditions, and ways of life.
However, volunteering in the Middle East will equip you with advantages unique to other, more conventional destinations abroad. Palestine, for example, has a family-centered sense of community, delicious cuisine, and long-lasting traditions that offer a new cultural perspective that is hard to find anywhere else. Even within the Middle East, the history, tradition, and relevance of Palestine is a major attraction for volunteers looking to develop themselves and make a difference in the lives of others.
Another significant advantage of volunteering in the Middle East is the opportunity to learn and practice a language of critical and strategic importance. An invaluable life skill, exposure to and practice of a foreign language can be immensely beneficial regardless of your level of proficiency. Volunteering in the Middle East provides you with practical experience in Arabic, which is undeniably a relevant and critical language in the world today.
Although one can study classical, Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) in school, this antiquated form of Arabic is rarely spoken in day-to-day life. The reality is that each region in the Middle East speaks a unique, slightly different dialect of Arabic. Immersing yourself in a Middle Eastern region like the Levant, made up of Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, where Shami Arabic is spoken, will allow you to master conversational Arabic in a dialect that is practical for use in daily life.
Many volunteer programs, such as the programs offered by the Palestinian in Hebron, also include weekly or daily lessons in an Arabic dialect that will help you along your path to developing conversational fluency. Furthermore, if you choose to volunteer in Palestine, the eagerness of the Palestinian people to help foreigners practice the language will be especially beneficial to acquiring the language through deliberate activation. Volunteers can expect robust results in their Arabic with genuine effort and commitment during their time in Palestine. Even volunteers who have never studied Arabic, or have a limited background in the language, can expect to pick up enough of the language to engage in casual conversations with locals and take part in day-to-day interactions and transactions.
After your time volunteering in the Middle East, your mastery of an Arabic dialect will be advantageous to countless positions of positive influence and impact in countries worldwide. Studying Shami dialect, specifically in Palestine, will empower you to live and work with people from all over the region, most notably in the countries of Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.
Another advantage of volunteering in the Middle East lies within the primary reason of all conscious and altruistic global citizens, the ability to make a difference. Both on an interpersonal and community level, people who venture abroad to volunteer in the Middle East are provided with the opportunity to positively impact people’s lives. Particularly in Palestine, where the citizens face daily politically charged hardships, volunteers are able to immediately improve the lives of people. By embodying a sense of cross-cultural understanding, empathy, and a desire to learn more about the conflict at hand, volunteers are met by the Palestinian people with open arms, making for a productive, culturally engaging, and empowering.