OUR STORY
Yallah AlQuds emerged from Arabic study abroad programs that co-founder Dr. Elizabeth Saylor directed in the West Bank, and Sheikh Jarrah, Jerusalem.
When the 2020 pandemic cancelled the Jerusalem program, leaving eight advanced Arabic students without plans for the summer, Dr. Saylor saw an opportunity. Together with her colleague and collaborator, Youssef El Berrichi, Elizabeth crafted a virtual collaborative platform for bilingual exchange groups that enabled both advanced Arabic students who had exhausted their university courses, and young Palestinians, many of whom face extreme difficulties in pursuing an education, to gain valuable experience without traveling abroad.
Facilitated by native speakers of English and Arabic, these groups embody educational values of diversity, reciprocity, learning through sharing, critical introspection, and listening, with an anti-hierarchical approach. During the summer of 2020, Elizabeth and Youssef tested the model in a free pilot program with a star-studded team of 24 co-facilitators. One day after opening registration, over 100 people enthusiastically signed up for the online courses. Yallah AlQuds was on its way.
One year later, the Yallah AlQuds program continues to expand. During the past three sessions, YAQ has engaged over 200 participants and 70 facilitators from 16 countries through 50 different courses. Topics have ranged from poetry, film and food, to Apartheid and Anti-Blackness, to mental health and the environment. The essential values of generosity, inclusion, accessibility, humility, and activism are the foundation of our work. We look forward to maximizing the richness of our languages and cultures, and to sharing compassionate conversation with an ever-widening community.
