Children’s Summer Camp
The 21st annual summer camp at Lajee Center, held under the theme “We are alive and the dream continues,” brought together 330 children aged 5 to 15 from various parts of the Bethlehem Governorate, including Aida, Al-Azza and Al-Deheisheh camps. Over 13 days, the camp offered a rich blend of educational and recreational activities aimed at enhancing children’s skills and fostering creativity.
Educationally, the camp featured workshops in photography, journalism, first aid, and children’s rights, complemented by lectures on mental health and bullying prevention. Special sessions on cyberbullying by Ali Taqatqa provided essential guidance on online safety.
Artistic pursuits thrived with Mohammed Al-Rai leading art workshops, and Yasmin Al-Atrash conducting music sessions, including vocal training sessions. Traditional Dabke dance workshops, led by Samah, and creative writing classes with Azhar Abu Srour offered cultural expression and storytelling and writing opportunities.
Additionally, Abdul Salam Sabah facilitated sessions where children explored musical expression through instruments, enriching their artistic experiences.
Recreational excursions to Battir Resort, Peace Park, and Jericho’s Amwaj Resort allowed children to enjoy outdoor activities and connect with nature.
The camp concluded with a memorable closing ceremony featuring performances ranging from a Gaza-themed play and Dabke dances to poetry recitals, circus acts, and journalistic presentations.
Supported by the Mennonite Central Committee – MCC, this year’s camp not only provided enriching experiences but also highlighted the importance of fostering creativity, cultural expression, and emotional well-being among Palestine’s youth.
Lajee Library
The discussion of the story of the poet Al-Burwa (which talks about the village of Al-Burwa and the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish) included talking about the village, the poet, and discussing his poems and his portrayal for children to understand. Some of his poems were also recited.
There was a meeting for the protection team in Beit Jala under the title of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the second meeting in Bethlehem under the title of protection policy and mechanisms for child protection in Palestinian society.
Women’s Unit
Lajee Center launched a series of transformative workshops aimed at empowering refugee women from the Aida and Al-Azza camps in Bethlehem. These sessions focused on establishing two cooperatives: one for food production and another for handicrafts. The workshops provided intensive training in cooperative management, including skills in food production, handicrafts, packaging, marketing, and advertising. Participants also received crucial awareness sessions on social, political, and economic rights, alongside psychological and social support. The initiative, including the selection of the name “Filestiniyat” for the cooperative and strategic planning discussions, aims to foster economic independence and leadership among refugee women, promoting long-term resilience and community engagement.
Media Unit
The Media Unit at Lajee Center completed its training courses in the field of photography, with the participation of 10 girls and boys from Aida and Al-Azza camps. The courses, conducted over four sessions, covered basics of photography such as composition, framing, and exposure control. Field training sessions complemented theoretical knowledge, allowing participants to apply what they learned practically, thereby enhancing their photography skills.
Additionally, the Media Unit continued its activities as part of the 21st summer camp, offering specialized courses in photography, journalism writing, and journalist preparation. These courses included training children to present a theatrical performance depicting the role of journalism in Gaza, focusing on the challenges faced by Palestinian journalists and their targeting by the occupation.
Furthermore, the Media Unit organized a photography exhibition reflecting the plight of refugees in Aida camp, aiming to shed light on their daily lives and the difficulties they encounter. As part of its awareness efforts, the Media Unit coordinator conducted a lecture on economic boycott and its impact on the Israeli occupation, especially amidst the war on Gaza and the escalation of global boycott campaigns.
Lajee-Celtic
The Lajee Celtic team has returned to Palestine after completing its “From Aida to Africa” tour, which began on June 27th. The tour concluded with a friendly match against the Garlandale team, resulting in a victory for Lajee Celtic.
This tour encompassed not only athletic activities but also included social, political, and cultural engagements. During the latter part of the tour, many politicians and freedom fighters from southern Africa welcomed the Lajee Celtic team upon their arrival in Cape Town. They visited the University of the Western Cape and the District Six Museum, which serves to educate future generations about the history of forced displacement by the British colonial apartheid regime in southern Africa. These visits highlighted the solidarity between the people of South Africa and others living under colonial apartheid regimes.
Additionally, the Lajee Celtic team visited the township of Langa and the Woodstock neighborhood, where they witnessed ongoing community struggles for full economic equality and met with grassroots community organizations.
South Africa has historically been at the forefront of liberation movements against colonialism, a legacy that continues today in the ongoing support for Palestine and Palestinians against the Zionist colonial regime.
Thank you, South Africa, for your solidarity.
Rebel Circus School
The Rebel Circus School returned to Aida Camp on Friday, July 12, 2024, following its participation in a series of circus shows, press conferences, and cultural exchanges that highlight the Palestinian cause. This was part of a Palestinian-Spanish cultural exchange program in partnership with the Payasos en Rebeldia Circus School, the Rivas Municipality in Spain, and the Lajee Center in Aida camp.
The tour included 15 Palestinian children and supervisors from Aida camp in Bethlehem, starting from June 1, 2024. They participated with circus trainer Mohammad Rumi and other children in intensive training sessions with local and international trainers from Spain and Europe at the Payasos en Rebeldia School. During the tour, they performed three shows reflecting the reality of Palestinian children in Aida camp and other areas in Palestine.
On June 22, 2024, the remaining members of the school joined the cultural tour, marking the start of the second summer camp for Payasos en Rebeldia School with children from the Lajee Center and from Rivas, Spain. These activities aim to build relationships between Palestinian and Spanish children, convey the Palestinian message through conversations and shows reflecting Palestinian reality, and engage in collective training at the circus school.
Alongside these artistic and entertainment activities, numerous meetings, conferences, and interviews were held with Spanish newspapers, radio stations, and television channels. Mr. Mohammad Al-Azza, director of the Lajee Center, participated during the first week of the cultural tour in Spain and continued with Lajee-Celtic Club’s cultural tour in South Africa. These interviews included circus members introducing themselves and discussing the suffering of the Palestinian people.
On July 1, 2024, the group visited the Youth Minister in Madrid to discuss the general situation in Palestine further. The program included various entertainment activities for children, such as visiting places restricted due to barriers between the West Bank and the 1948 occupied territories. The children also participated in a 3-day trip in collaboration with BDS, Friends of the Lajee Center in Murcia, Spain, where they visited the beach, engaged in water activities, visited the amusement park in Madrid, climbed mountains, and explored tourist, historical, and natural sites.
The tour concluded with a final joint performance by the Rebel Circus School (Lajee Center) and the Payasos en Rebeldia in Spain. The children presented a show depicting the separation between the Palestinian people and the world’s nations, and the world’s failure to respond to their suffering and defend their rights. They conveyed the hardships faced by Palestinian children and people in mobility, play, safe living, and other rights they have been deprived of and continue to be denied.
At the end of the cultural tour, children from the Lajee Center expressed their gratitude to all who contributed to the success of the cultural tour in Spain, expressing their hope to return for future shows, participate in the circus summer camp, and benefit from training to form an outstanding Palestinian circus troupe.
