Al-Bireh (28/10/2010): PRCS shall take part in the national festival in honor of volunteers launched by the National Committee for Honoring Palestinian Volunteers 2010.
At a press conference held on 27/10/2010 under the banner “Celebrating Palestine and Volunteering to serve it, as each of its olive trees deserves its own volunteer”, the Committee announced that the call for candidates is now open for Palestinian volunteers. The festival shall be held under the auspices of the Youths and Sports Ministry in line with an initiative from the Sharek Youth Forum and in partnership with Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and many Palestinian institutions active in the fields of youth action and voluntary work.
Khadr Abou Sbeih, Head of PRCS’ Youths and Volunteers Programme, said that the door is open to all Palestinians to present their experiences and voluntary action so they can be honored and their achievements recognized.
According to Mr. Badr Zama’ra, Sharek’s Executive Director and Coordinator for the National Committee, the festival aims at honoring those who have stood beside their homeland and community thanks to their voluntary action, providing through their initiatives and creativity living examples of belonging and innovation and helping build their country Palestine.
Rima Al Hassan, Head of Information and Communications at Pialara, said that the festival aims at promoting the concept of voluntary action in Palestine by honoring pioneer Palestinians who contribute towards the development of their communities and homeland. Winners shall be rewarded at a huge festival held in Ramallah and Gaza City and attended by numerous Palestinian and foreign personalities.
Muharram Al Barghouti, Director General of the Palestinian Youth Union, said that the application deadline is 23/11/2010 and results shall be announced at a festival held at PRCS. Prizes shall be of a morale-boosting nature.
According to Barghouti, a candidate must fulfill the following criteria to be eligible: 1) A Minimum of three years of voluntary work; 2) At least one outstanding voluntary intellectual, cultural or public-service related action, accompanied with official certificates or recommendation letters from institutions where he/she served; 3) voluntary action is self-driven; 4) voluntary action is outside official working hours.
Walid Attatra, Head of Youths Affairs at the Ministry of Youths and Sports, said that candidates from both sexes are encouraged to participate, especially those from marginalized areas as well as disabled persons. “The Ministry works hard to care for young people and to enable them to play an active role, shed light on their problems and volunteer to serve Palestine”, he added.
Nisfat Al Khafsh, Coordinator of the Higher National NGO Society, said that five outstanding volunteers, five ideal volunteers and five voluntary action pioneers who fulfill the relevant criteria shall also be rewarded. This criteria includes the following: an outstanding voluntary history; at least ten years of voluntary action; and a pioneering role in guiding, supervising or initiating voluntary action. Moreover, the Festival’s National Committee shall select and reward an ideal man, an ideal woman, an ideal young man, an ideal young woman and an ideal child.
HQ Location: PRCS
