1/4/2008 - AFS Egypt Volunteers Attend National Training

13-15 December 2007 was a very special date for 130 volunteers from all over Egypt who attended the 2nd National volunteer training in Giza.

Upon their arrival volunteers were welcomed by a group of fresh returnees/volunteers “The bees” who added a scent of freshness and fun and took care of logistics.

The sessions were divided to 2 tracks: New volunteers had special workshops including all the basic information they need to be active volunteers like: Understanding AFS and program activities, Intercultural exchange, risk management and support. More experienced volunteers had more specific sessions related to hosting programs, volunteer development and chapter structures.

Traditional Egyptian music was the theme of the fun night. A traditional Egyptian band added a nice atmosphere to this evening. On that night we discovered a hidden talent in our office: Dalia, our Hosting coordinator who sang along with the band!!

A raffle for gifts from different AFS partners added excitement and lots of smiles and brought the sense of a global AFS AFS. Thank you to all program directors who brought gifts for our volunteers during their meeting in Cairo last spring.

On the last day, our guest speaker, Dr. Milad Hanna, renowned writer (author of “Accepting the Other”) was inspiring and allowed everyone to start thinking of the importance of “the other”.

It was a good opportunity for volunteers to meet each other and friendship ties were made over this weekend. This successful event was a great motivation for volunteers to put plans for 2008.