Our Mission
To foster an intergenerational hub where local women’s groups, youth groups and elders can hold activities, programs and build community with and for each other.
Our Vision
We envision a healthy and vibrant Birzeit community fortified by the Palestinian values of intergenerational learning, living and community building.
Our Goals
As the first center of its kind in Birzeit, BSCC seeks to:
- Encourage intergenerational community building and community based civic engagement by developing and supporting inspiring projects, initiatives and events
- Empower local women’s groups, youth groups and elders to work together to solve community problems and address social issues of mutual concern
- Equip local residents with the skills and motivation to improve their life opportunities by offering community-centered programming
- Motivate local residents and institutions to become more involved in community building through volunteering and community service
About Birzeit Social Development & Cultural Center
Community Centers play a crucial role in fostering social development and encouraging civic engagement, allowing for people from different social classes, faiths and generations to meet, mix and work together for the benefit of their local community.
In Birzeit, Palestine, where community groups are numerous and active, there is an incredible need for community spaces in which groups can work together to tackle social problems. The Birzeit Social Development and Cultural Center (BSCC) fulfills this need by providing safe and inclusive facilities for the development of recreational, cultural and educational activities that improve the welfare of Birzeit community members.
Getting Stronger
Help us keep our Elders young at heart and strong in body by supporting BSCC’s “Getting Stronger” program.
BSCC’s “Growing Stronger” program seeks to keep our elder community feeling powerful by offering regular strength training, exercise activities, social engagement, and preventative health care to boost their energy and foster increased independence.
For many of us, we believe that growing older involves an inevitable loss of strength, energy, and vigor. But research shows this is not necessarily the case. The frailty and decreased energy we associate with aging, such as difficulty walking, climbing stairs or carrying groceries, are largely due to muscle loss—resulting mainly from inactivity. The good news is that through safe and regular strength training and exercise, elders can significantly improve their health and vitality.
Our vision:
We envision an elder community who is mentally, spiritually and physically revitalized through the provision of regular health care programming: nature walks, modified yoga, dance, meditation, strength training, preventative health care check-ups, and health education workshops. Our campaign’s motto is simple: “Use it or lose it!”
Our Elder Community Goals:
- To achieve tangible health improvements among our elder community through regular exercise and strength training, including: building strength, maintaining bone density, improving balance, coordination, and mobility; reducing risk of falling; and maintaining independence in performing activities of daily life
- To reduce signs and symptoms of the diseases and chronic conditions affecting our elder community, including: reducing pain and stiffness related to arthritis; improving glycemic control related to diabetes; improving lipid profile and overall fitness to reduce cardiovascular risk; strengthening back and abdominal muscles to reduce back pain; increasing metabolism for long-term weight control.
- To manage overall health through preventative care, regular health check ups and health education workshops
- To promote mental and spiritual well being through social excursions and community events
- To reduce risk of injury and accident by increasing the center’s accessibility and safety features
Our Need:
Our greatest need is in paying for qualified health educators, professional exercise instructors, doctor/nurse visits, excursion costs, medical supplies (such as walkers, wheelchairs, a blood pressure monitor, diabetes tester kits), exercise equipment (dumbbells), minor center renovations (installing safety handrails through out building, accessibility ramps, bathroom safety features).
Help us achieve our goal of making our Elders stronger, healthier and more active!
Women’s Circles
Women are a powerful force in Palestine. Making up the majority of students enrolled in universities, occupying positions of influence in the workforce, serving as activists in their communities, and educating the next generation, women are a strong force for change in Palestinian civil society.
In Birzeit, women’s groups have been especially active in addressing the needs of the community; whether it’s organizing fundraisers, ministering to neighbors in need, or empowering fellow women to pursue entrepreneurial ventures, Birzeiti women have been active at all levels of the social stratum, mitigating the most difficult of local issues.
BSCC’s Women’s Circles program provides a launching pad for local women’s groups to take their work to the next level. We provide resources and tools for women to direct and manage their own development projects by offering them facilities for community events, fundraisers, and group meetings, as well as by hosting educational workshops and trainings curated by group interest and need. BSCC recognizes the ability of women to lead, and we seek first and foremost to get out of the way! We believe that women know best what they need and want, and we are ready to support them to achieve their goals at every step.
Below are some of the initiatives we have on the horizon:
- Small Business Incubator
- Professional Development/Vocational training
- Women’s Health and Wellness Workshops
- Basic Home Repair Workshops
- Community Organizing Workshops
Keep checking back to learn about the innovative initiatives that our women’s groups are implementing.
Youth
At BSCC, we believe that youth are agents of change. In order to build a brighter, more sustainable future, we must first invest in developing the skills, talents and abilities of our young people for the good of their families and communities.
Our youth programming enables our young people to reach their full potential as productive, caring and responsible community members by ensuring they have access to the resources they need to achieve their personal goals. Acknowledging that full social and civic engagement is difficult without economic empowerment, we seek to give our young people an edge in career building, while keeping them rooted in local values of collectivism and community building.
The more that we create a sense of belonging and communal support for our youth, the more we expand their determination to succeed, and the more we drive home the importance of community engagement.
Below are some of the initiatives we have on the horizon:
- Academic Tutoring
- Support for Scholarship and College applications
- Professional Development and Career Counseling
- Professional Mentoring and Networking
- Intergenerational mentoring
- Community Organizing Workshops
Keep checking back to learn about the innovative initiatives that our women’s groups are implementing.
Our Supporters
Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, The Pontifical Mission for Palestine (PMP), The National Presbyterian Church, The Palestinian Ministry of Social Development, and generous donors like you!
