The Project

When I came to Palestine last summer it was for so many reasons, only one of which was to volunteer. Coming back a second time, I couldn't really imagine not giving something of my time to the place that had welcomed me with such open arms. This is a place where the hospitality is so much that at time it's overwhelming for a New Yorker like me (despite my midwestern roots) to take in. I sometimes look longingly back to the days of people ignoring each other on the R train in the morning. I'm mostly kidding.

I had promised the youth from last year's breaking (breakdancing) program that I would send them cd's with breaking songs which I had been delinquent on, and had told them I would try to come again the next summer, bringing other bboys/bgirls... "Insha'allah I will come again" I'd said. So I brought the next best thing: a friend who could teach capoiera and yoga (which supplement breaking anyway), a team of four cameras (donated by a Palestinian-American New Yorker to Aida refugee camp, but for our use in the meantime), and another friend to help film and give us support. And I brought cd's.

The goal of the program as we'd mapped out before arriving was to work with the youth again (along with new youth) on their breaking moves, teach them some capoiera, and provide them with the opportunity to give voice to their identity through video, while learning how to operate cameras. Basically, this plan worked out, though I realized what I'd already suspected: that our time was miles too short. By the time we arrived, had meetings with the Beit Jala Library (where the program was to be held), and set up the logistics, it only gave us 4 solid days of work.

All said and done (except for the editing that will be my arduous job!), we had fun. We discussed what stereotypes they thought American youth had about Palestinian youth and came up with some they felt were most important that they wanted to address: "All Palestinians are poor", "All Palestinians are Muslim", "Palestinians ride camels instead of driving in cars", "Palestinians do not wear modern clothing" and, of course, "All Palestinians are terrorists". We then gave them a quick tutorial in using the cameras and began interviews. They then thought about what b-roll (footage to supplement an interview) they needed and took the cameras out by themselves to film their neighborhood and their lives. We also of course spent a good deal of time photographing and videotaping their progress in breaking.

The youth from last year have improved so much and the friends they brought were so dedicated, learning so much in only four days. Clearly the Beit Jala Breakerz live on and hopefully this video will live up to their dedication and willingness to share a part of their lives on video with American youth.