Former Encompass alumnus and Journey of Understanding staff member, Kussay has become our new Palestinian Coordinator! In this article, Kussay reflects on his journey from participant to staff member, and on what motivates him to do this work:

“My name is Kussay. I was born and raised in a small village outside of Ramallah, Palestine. I first got involved in Encompass when I participated in the Autumn 2018 Journey of Understanding (JOU) program in Cyprus, as a new participant. I was told about the program by my older sister who is also a JOU alumn. When I graduated university, I felt that it was my chance to meet people from the other side without a gun pointed towards me at checkpoints. Instead, I wanted to hear the story of the human within.

Being a participant in JOU has opened my eyes to the fact that there are two main communities living on this land. And as youth from both sides, we should start thinking of a way to end the circle of violence by any non-violent means, not just for us now, but for the coming generations. Moreover, I became more aware of my community, and that I need to embrace the possibility of a change, for a better future.

After I participated in JOU and volunteered with IntraPal, as a project manager, I really felt a call to help other Palestinians reach out to one another and to the other side. I knew, that like me, they could discover the jewels of different traditions, ideals and norms, that each community has. I wanted to help them to overcome the challenges we face in our daily lives, and to have a safe space to express their feelings and concerns without being judged.

I decided to become a staff member because I wanted to help share participants’ stories to make sure their voices are heard, as well as helping to build understanding between both sides and work towards peace. As the Palestinian Coordinator, I hope to play more of a role in the IntraPal programs and help to lead projects and initiatives to improve participant’s communities and create a unified society that looks out for each other and supports one another.

It’s tough to describe what we’re still (until the moment) experiencing. Our sense of security has faded, each passing day brings a mix of fear, anxiety, stress, mental health issues, trauma and sorrow. We’ve been in the same circle for about 80 years, and whenever an uprising happens, its effects are disastrous.

I have lost lots of my colleagues and their families due to the bombardments and facility explosions in Gaza. I have lots of friends in the West Bank imprisoned and tortured in jails with no charge at all. Plus, road cutting and city closures make our movement harder, as if it wasn’t hard enough before. In Palestine at the moment, there is a feeling of dissatisfaction with the leadership in charge of conflict, sadness, and a loss of hope or a resolution.

Coping is not that easy either. But we can find some strength in being in touch with our families, friends, and other staff members.

One person that dies on this conflict is too many. And this teach me that I am responsible to work for a better future. One where violence is absent and people live with dignity and good mental and physical health.

This has led me to think of new ways of enriching the communication skills between both sides, as good communication is a main way for building understanding and walking towards peace. I think Encompass can best play a role at the moment by keeping in touch with alumni and providing trauma healing, resilience, and emotional support, as well as providing training for or alumni so that they can do their own trauma healing.

I stay motivated as I am longing to see, first hand, the change that taking part in an Encompass program will have on a participants’ mind. And I want to be part of the journey someone might take to understand the other side and reach mutual understanding. Or perhaps, peace.

Honestly, it’s not easy to stay hopeful these days. I keep remembering the old times with family and friends. I must keep my hopes up as soon, I will be married and will have children. I don’t want to raise my children in the same environment of violence, lack of respect for my dignity and little hope for a better future, that I was exposed to. I want all children to thrive, not just exist.

For this to happen, for peace to become a reality in Israel and Palestine, I believe people need to put down their arms, respect one another’s dignity, open lines of communication, and be willing to go out of comfort zone and refuse to fight.“