By Serena H.

On the last day of the trip, we checked out of our rooms and set our bags aside before gathering one last time. If there is anything we all learned from our two-week journey, it’s that there is always work to do when it comes to serving Palestine. So, we went into the hotel’s meeting room to discuss our duties to KTH and Palestine before parting ways.

First, we were asked to give a video testimonial to discuss our overall experience and takeaways from the trip. We gathered around the table and began planning what we would tell the camera. One by one, each of us shared our message; some of us messed up and needed a few takes, and some of us said our statements in another language. It was very invigorating to hear everyone’s reflections, bringing back the memories, the knowledge we learned and the friends we made in Palestine.

Once we had finished recording our messages for KTH, we sat around the table again. During this time, our group leader, Reem E., first introduced the new shadow board of directors and each of their roles in KTH.

Then, with the guidance of the newly introduced board, we discussed how each of us plans to give back to KTH and Palestine once we return to our homes. We shared our inspiring ideas of how we could build the organization up and discussed ways that we, the diaspora, could stay connected across the world. Some of these ideas included volunteering with nonprofits we were introduced to on the trip, engaging in social advocacy, organizing fundraisers in our communities and using social media as a tool to spread awareness about the Palestinian cause.

Once we had received thoughts from everyone, we wrapped up the meeting and began our departure from Ramallah to Amman, where we then dispersed.