On June 24, the Welfare Association recognized Baladna’s achievements through its award for excellence in the culture sector. The director of Baladna, Nidaa Nassar, herself a Galilee Foundation alumnus, accepted the award, which was granted for the Nazareth Youth Center in particular.
The new Center in Nazareth aims to serve as a space for Nazareth youth to further themselves and their community. To achieve this, Baladna and a group of young, local activists are now implementing programs that seek to nurture Nazareth’s artistic and cultural scene, restore the city’s social fabric through community engagement, and enhance political and social awareness among youth in the community.
The opening event on June 12th was attended by an estimated one thousand community members of all different ages and from various neighborhoods across the city. During the day, youth leaders gave tours of the Center, which includes spaces for studying, workshops, lectures, and artistic events, as well as a carefully curated library of books on Arab and Palestinian history, politics, Arabic literature, feminist thought, children’s literature, and art. While giving the tours, the leaders shared more about the objectives of the Center and the activities that they have planned for 2021 and 2022. During the event, we also held a seminar during which local activists discussed efforts to organize the Palestinian society in Israel economically within the context of the broader “National Economy Week.” The seminar was followed by a musical performance by Darbat Shams Al-Fanniyya which further contributed to the festive atmosphere.
On June 18, a film screening of “You Come From Far Away.” was held at the centre. The documentary follows a Palestinian family whose father volunteered to fight against the fascist forces in the Spanish Civil War. The screening was followed by a discussion with the film’s Egyptian director, Amal Ramsis, via Zoom. Additionally, on June 26, Baladna held a concert which featured the Ghool Brothers, a local, Arabic music band. Through events such as these, we aim to provide young people with a space to consider political and social issues, as well as restore the identity and spirit of public spaces in Arab towns. Although Baladna has held countless activities and enabled the establishment of many youth frameworks to serve this purpose, the establishment of the Nazareth Youth Center marks the first time that we have built a center for young people to volunteer and grow.