The SHINE Project: teach refugee students
in Lebanon this summer
CEPAL is beginning this year a new partnership with LEAP, to support the restart of Project SHINE, following a three-year covid break. We’re especially hopeful there will be some involvement by Canadians this summer. In April, we will be contacting any successful applicants to SHINE from Canada, to assist them with Project participation fees and/or travel expenses.
PROJECT SHINE Key Dates
Volunteer Arrival: 3 July 2023
Volunteer Orientation: 4-9 July 2023
Project Dates: 10 July – 12 August 2023 (TBC)
Application Deadline: April 8, 2023
Apply Today
PROJECT SHINE (SUMMER HELP IN ENGLISH)
Only one-third of refugee students enrolled in first grade at UNRWA schools go on to complete high school. This is connected in part to low pass rates on the Lebanese high school entrance exam, called the Brevet. This exam is partly administered in English and Palestine refugee students, with less access to English education, fail in higher proportion than their Lebanese peers.
Project SHINE is an intensive summer English language project to prepare students for the Brevet examination, strengthen their English proficiency, and provide a space for intellectual and recreational activities to break the mundane routine of camp life during the summer. LEAP is recruiting volunteers to provide English language instruction and other recreational enrichment activities (such as theater, dance, film, yoga, and creative writing), while working in the camps. Students and volunteers also attend weekly field trips, which is an important way to gain new experiences and associate learning with a fun, positive environment.
MUTUAL EXCHANGE
Project volunteers learn about the Palestine refugee reality, particularly in Lebanon, where the situation for refugees is dire, and even more so in recent years after the Syria crisis and the political and economic deterioration of the country. Volunteers and students share a mutual learning experience. Volunteers are expected to raise awareness about the plight of Palestine refugees and amplify their voices upon return to their home communities.
EXPECTATIONS
SHINE seeks dynamic, compassionate, and motivated volunteers who enjoy working with young adults, value the right to quality education, believe in refugee rights, have a passion for social justice, maintain respect and diplomacy in their interactions with people of different backgrounds, and who are capable of working under challenging circumstances.
Volunteers must be prepared to work in small classrooms with sporadic electricity, extreme heat, and limited classroom resources. Volunteers must also be able to endure difficult living conditions such as cramped, crowded, and uncomfortable apartments, as well as extreme heat and discomfort. Most importantly, volunteers must be culturally sensitive and considerate of local norms. Candidates must behave maturely, conservatively, and respectfully at all times during the program as they are both representatives of LEAP and by extension, our partner organizations.
Volunteers must demonstrate experience in one or more of the following: work or knowledge of the MENA region; Arabic language skills; teaching English as a new language; work in tutoring, after-school programs, or camps; advocacy work; management and coordination; working abroad; and/or psychosocial support.
We strongly encourage interested applicants to apply. This is a unique opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of the Palestine refugee reality in Lebanon. The Program has consistently been described as a experience for youth and volunteers alike. To apply to Project SHINE, please complete the online application before the deadline on 8 April 2023.