Alison Babil Horowitz P’86, ‘87, ‘91, ad S’93 says hello from Maryland!  She graduated from Haverford with a BA in socio-cultural anthropology and got married in 2001.   In 2004, she became a licensed massage therapist and now has a four year-old daughter.  Congratulations, Alison!

Folktale Night

Our talented participants engage in folktale night once every session.  Folktale night provides our participants a chance to express their creativity by dressing up as different characters and acting out a folktale for everyone.

Each tale teaches a valuable lesson to the participants such as forgiveness, compromise, understanding, that laughter really is the best medicine, even the smallest people can be the biggest help, humbleness and the value of teamwork. 

While learning these lessons, the participants are able to learn a lot about each other and their own artistic ability.  The students love folktale night and all the entertainment, laughter and sharing they are able to take part in.

Each year we have participants try their hand in the kitchen by making a dish for everyone during dinner.  This year our Iraqi participants made Dolma, a favorite Iraqi dish.  It is a very traditional dish mader with squash, onions, green peppers, tomatos and rice.

DOLMA

3 cups uncooked white rice
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon curry powder (optional)
1 (16 ounce) jar grape leaves, drained and rinsed
3 Large Onions
4 Large Green Peppers
4 Large green squash
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 potato, sliced into rounds
1 cup canned tomato sauce
2 cups water, or as needed

Directions
1.In a medium bowl, mix together the uncooked rice, parsley, allspice, pepper and curry powder until well blended.
2.Pour oil into the bottom of a large pot, and spread to cover. Make a layer of potato slices to cover the bottom of the pan. The dolmas should not be able to touch the bottom of the pan.
3.Lay the grape leaves out flat on a cutting board. Place about a tablespoon of the rice mixture in the center of one leaf. Fold sides in towards the center, then roll up from the bottom loosely. Set in the pot seam side down. Repeat with the remaining mixture and leaves. For large leaves, you may cut them in half at the center vein. Place a heavy dinner plate on top of the dolma to keep them from unraveling. The cooking pot should be about 2/3 full.

4. Carve out the squash, green peppers and onions.  Stuff all three of these with the rice mixture as well and add into the pot with the grape leaves.

5.Pour tomato sauce and water over the dolma. The liquid should cover them by at least one inch. Adjust the amount of water if necessary. Bring to a boil, then cover, and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until all liquid has been absorbed and rice is tender.

This summer several students volunteered at the RAM House in Roanoke, VA.  The RAM house, also known as Roanoke Area Ministry, is a non-profit organization that serves the Roanoke Valley by providing a safe shelter for the homeless, a nutritious lunch, and emergency financial aid to those in need.  The RAM house opens its doors to those in need 365 days a year from 8:00am to 4:00pm

Some of the participants helped to prepare and serve lunch, while other participants assisted with administrative tasks.   Many of the participants said they plan on volunteering more within their local communities after such a positive and rewarding experience.

At first, one would think Iraqi and US teens would have little in common since their life experiences are so different. However  during GYV’s  Peace-building Program, there has been incredible connection, integration, and appreciation between the youth from the U.S. and from Iraq. Friendships have become so strong and people have bonded over open discussions of cultural differences.

A moment that brought us all together came from a speech GYV founder, J.E. Rash, gave the first day the youth arrived. He pointed out that there are certain universal human values that transcend cultures and continents. The young people from both countries added compassion, honesty, integrity, respect, courage, family, community, strength, open-mindedness, humility, and the ability to listen to a list of universal values.  Recognizing that we all aspire to and agree upon the same ideals created a foundation for open communication and respect that was perfect for living in cabins together, participating in our peace-building workshops, and engaging in all of the other fun activities around the Global Youth Village.

One 16-year-old Iraqi participant described her experience at GYV this way:

The Americans were so nice. I learned a lot of stuff here – to be responsible for myself, to care for myself and my friends in hard times, and it was a great experience for me to meet the Americans and talk with them. My thought about Americans changed when I came here and met them. The way I talked to them, we talked about a lot of stuff we have in common, and the workshops were great and fun. Yesterday we were all dancing.

Despite diverse cultural practices, variations in religion, and differences between our governments, recognizing the universal human values we all share transcends these separations and provides hope for a peaceful world community.

Ingredients:

  2 cups of veggie broth
  3 cups of white rice
  3 cups of vermicelli noodles, broken into matchstick sized pieces
  1 cup of frozen peas, thawed
  1 cup of carrots, cubed
  1 cup of potatoes, peeled and cubed
  2 tablespoons of baharat (Iraqi spice – substitute equal parts of cinnamon and cumin)
  Salt
  Oil

Directions:

In a large frying pan, fry broken vermicelli until golden brown. Add rice and stir until warm, then add broth. Cover and reduce heat. Cook 15 minutes until tender.

While rice is cooking, heat ¼ inch of oil in another frying pan. Carefully fry potatoe cubes until golden brown. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and place on a clean paper towel to drain.  Salt to taste.

In a large pot, sauté carrot cubes until just tender. Add thawed peas and potatoes, stirring until warm. Added cooked rice, noodles, and baharat. Stir. Salt to taste.

Morning workshops focus on living your life as a peace builder, on living your life as a social innovator and on living your life as a global citizen. Afternoon action teams and electives focus on team-building and learning new skills. Our evening programs are filled with a variety of performences rich in history.  The Global Youth Village is a project of Legacy International

Join us at the Global Youth Village in Virginia  next summer!!!

• Make lasting friendships with people from around the global
• Discover how you can make a difference both locally and globally
• Gain skills in leadership, cross-cultural relations, and conflict resolution
• Become a global citizen and live in a peaceful country setting

Early bird discounts are available.   Apply Now

Prior to joining Bayti, he worked in the Private Enterprise Office of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) West Bank and Gaza Mission in Tel Aviv. In this capacity, he oversaw the design, implementation and monitoring of multimillion-dollar institutions and capacity-building programs, along with trade facilitation and loan guarantee programs. Dajani formerly worked on a European Commission-funded program as the small- and medium-size enterprise (SME) technical assistance specialist in Jerusalem, gaining extensive experience in private-sector sustainable growth and sustainability.

Amir received a bachelor’s degree from Trinity College (Dublin) and a master’s degree from Sheffield Hallam University in the United Kingdom.