“Since we have alumni distributed all over, finding a date that would be suitable for the majority was not an easy task,” noted Fidah Mousa, program assistant for AMIDEAST. “We had to do a lot of following up with alumni calling them several times to make sure they are committed. I also had to work with the trainers to explain that the group came from a variety of backgrounds and are both PhD and Master’s fellows.”

 

The workshops included a training component to guide alumni in proposal writing, teambuilding and leadership training. Dr. Jehad El Hissi, an alumnus from Cohort 2002, facilitated the proposal writing workshop, using a proposal submitted by the Gaza Alumni Association as a sample. In Ramallah, a proposal writer for a local NGO, Salma Suleiman, lead a workshop on proposal writing. “She is full of expertise and knowledge,” said Imair Manassra, an IFP alumnus in attendance. Salma prepared basic training materials in English but lectured in Arabic, in order to expose alumni to English proposal terminology. Participants hope to use the training to help them in fundraising within their specific fields and communities.

 

Moeen Koa, President of the International Arab Social Betterment Association (IASBA)-Palestine Branch, was recruited to work with the IFP group in Ramallah on teambuilding and leadership training. Mr. Koa used breakout groups for hands-on activities and discussions. In Gaza, Mahmoud El Hendy, a Fulbright alumnus, trainer and human resources development specialist, facilitated the teambuilding workshop. Participants interacted actively with the trainer and enriched the sessions with personal experiences. For the majority of participants, this was the first training experience of its kind and highly appreciated. In the outcome evaluation, participants stressed the importance of holding more training sessions in the future, as they provide a great opportunity for alumni to upgrade their skills and network with each other.