2017 PYM Summer School Applications Open
The 2nd Palestinian/Arab Youth Summer School 2017: Political Education and Transnational Movement Building
The Summer School will be held from July 22th to July 30th, 2017 in Houston, Texas. The summer school will convene in PYM USA’s National General Assembly, which will be held the last day of the school, July 29th. This summer school will offer a deep and engaging program to critically engage the various issues concerning young Palestinians and Arabs in the U.S through exploring questions of politics, social issues, and mobilizations. Additionally, the school will allow us to explore theoretical, methodological and practice-based approaches to transformative change within the context of the US, Palestine and the Arab region more broadly.
About the Summer School
The week-long summer school program will bring together 55-65 youth over the age of 18 for intensive political education and movement building, culminating in the National General Assembly (NGA) for PYM. Through a diverse curriculum of lectures, seminars, peer-led workshops and discussions, cultural performances, and meetings with other youth and community groups, the PYM summer school aims to strengthen the cultural and historical knowledge, leadership skills and capabilities of young Palestinian and Arab youth in the U.S. so that they can be protagonists of social change in their families, schools, communities and home struggles. The summer school will focus on building both a strong theoretical foundation among participants through culture, history and political theory education, as well as practical skills for strengthening organizational capacity, practice, and skills.
Expectations
The summer school program is rigorous, demanding, and can be at times exhausting. Because of the intensity of the program, and in order to maximize the quality of time we will spend together, the summer school program committee has outlined the following expectations of summer school participants:
- All selected participants are expected to participate in the entirety of the program unless unforeseen emergencies arise or special circumstances that have been discussed with and approved by the program organizers ahead of time are confirmed.
- Participants should complete assigned readings prior to the program in order to be able to actively participate in the sessions.
- Participants should engage actively in all sessions and activities.
Logistics & Funding
For participants selected for the summer school, PYM will cover the costs of room and board (breakfast, lunch, and dinner and accommodations) for the entirety of the program. Participants admitted to the summer school will need to cover the costs of transportation to/from Houston, Texas for the summer school (if you require a scholarship to help subsidize your travel costs, please indicate so on the application below). PYM suggests engaging in local fundraising or seeking sponsorship from community partners to help cover travel costs.
Selected participants are expected to arrive in Houston on Saturday, July 22th no later than 1:00pm and stay for the duration of the program, ending on Sunday, July 30th at 2:00 PM.
The Selection Process
This summer school is designed for youth organizers and youth who would like to find ways to be more involved in social justice organizing on either student or community levels. All summer school applications will be reviewed and evaluated by program organizers. The deadline for the summer school application is Friday, May 19, 2017. Applicants will be notified with selection results by Friday, June 2nd, 2017.
For more information, please contact: palyouth.usa@gmail.com. Here is the application form link: PYM 2017 Summer School Application
Above are photos from the 2015 Summer School where we engaged in a hike with the indigenous of Riverside California, did a spoken word/ creativity workshop, hosted a panel of Palestinian youth from '48, Gaza and West Bank among many other topics and discussions.