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HCEF Shabibeh Youth Center Planned in Beit Jala

16-Jun-05
Contact: Jessica Snyder
(301) 951-9400, ext.217
jsnyder@hcef.org

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For Immediate Release

The Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation (HCEF) will begin laying the groundwork for a new youth center in the Christian town of Beit Jala, a neighboring town of Bethlehem.  The opening of the youth center comes at a time where Palestinian youth living in the area of Bethlehem face the dire consequences of Israeli occupation and continued limitations of movement. HCEF has worked to support and nurture Palestinian Christian youth through the "Shabibeh" initiative ("youth" in Arabic).

The youth in the Bethlehem area were born after the military occupation of the West Bank begun in 1967, and have never known any another reality.  For this reason, they see their lives and possibilities under a limited lens, tainted by lack of freedom and opportunity.  Without the necessary leadership, the young adults are left disillusioned, and willing to jump on any opportunity that arises, especially an opportunity for hope. The Christian Arab young adults are an integral part of Arab society in Palestine, as they share the same culture, customs, language and traditions.  In this light, HCEF has created its Shabibeh program to empower young Christians to be uplifted in their identity as Arab Christians and to meet the current challenges of their living status in the Holy Land. 

The Youth Center in Beit Jala will be a center of coming together, to promote the Arab Christian identity and solidarity with their brothers and sisters around the Holy Land in the West.  This will be done through seminars, workshops and activities that promote spiritual and intellectual stimulation.  All of its activities will promote Christian values, peace and justice, and are hoped to give the youth and young adults the tools and empowerment to be Christian leaders in peace-making and cross-cultural understanding.  Through the center, HCEF also hopes to encourage the youth to stay and feel a sense of belonging through active participation in spiritual, social, educational and recreational programs.

Benefits for Bethlehem Area

Over 400 high school students and 300 college students living in the Bethlehem area (Beit Jala, Bethlehem and Beit Sahour) will benefit from the center's many programs and activities.  In addition, as the center becomes available to young adults throughout the West Bank and internationally, it will foster a bridge of unity and hope that they are so thirsty for. Through the building's rehabilitation, 35 families will be sustained, and as funds for the programs are raised, Palestinian Christians will also run the center and its programs on a year-round basis.

It is hoped that HCEF will be able to open the Youth Center in January, 2006