There have been moments when I’ve stopped to think whether volunteering and activism is actually worth it in the end. Am I making a difference or not? Actual progress can be difficult to measure in this line of work because change is not always apparent or immediate. This is especially true for the most heated and complicated political conflicts in the world, such as the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which is the cause I am most strongly aligned with.
Being of Palestinian heritage, through my grandparents, the conflict was ingrained in my mind from a young age. I recall listening to the stories of my grandmothers about their homes, their streets and cities, and their livelihood in Palestine. I also remember wandering in my grandmother’s house and admiring the many paintings, pictures and maps of Palestine; my favourite activity of all was digging into my late grandfather’s drawer and examining his old, dated files. My father would usually come in and tell me the history and significance of the pieces I found, which ranged from letters to photographs to garments of clothing. At that time, it seemed so innocent, yet I was still ignorant about the conflict itself.
As I matured and became more aware of the political realities, I felt an attachment to the conflict; wanting to expand my knowledge, I made it my mission to read and learn about the struggle of my country. I feel this is what I owe the world having thankfully, and fortunately, been raised in a safe environment, away from the trauma and struggle, the least I can do is learn. A step ahead of that would be to engage myself in raising awareness to help educate others.
When I first came to the University of Kent, I was taken aback by the sheer number of volunteering students and societies. I couldn’t wrap my head around how these students managed to run these societies while maintaining their studies and social lives among other things. Although, what impressed me the most is their dedication, not just to planning events and promoting their society, but to their cause; every single person exuded passion when they spoke to me about their cause, and a little bit of that passion rubbed off on me in the end. I signed up to a good number of volunteering societies that day, looking to make important use of my time at university.
My encounter with the Kent Palestinian Solidarity Group came almost by chance; I completely missed their stall the first time I walked through the tent at the Freshers’ Fayre, and it took another walk through just as I was about to leave for me to spot the colours of the Palestinian flag draped on the table.
I was allured. More than one year on from that encounter, I am now serving the society as its Vice President.
Every day is a new challenge for us as a society, and being one of the more politically-charged societies on campus can not only be mentally draining, it also presents us with our first, and by far, biggest, challenge which is growing our member base. People usually shy away from divisive political issues usually out of fear of being caught in the crossfire between both sides, which, in that case, results in them walking away and maintaining a shield of ignorance on the issue. Although, from time to time, you come across people and have a quick discussion about your cause and what your society is doing to promote or fight against it; and when they walk away wanting to know more, you finally realise the importance of your work.
I proudly say to myself at the end of the day that, today, we managed to bring into people’s consciousness the ongoing struggle of millions of people, who, in the end, want recognition. Recognition of their rights as humans; that which they most deserve, and that which I will continue to fight for.
