The Palestine Youth Action Center for Community Development (LAYLAC) is a youth action center for community development in Palestine. During the 2018 year, with support from the Martín-Baró Fund, LAYLAC was able to conduct various exercises which benefited the community greatly. First, they held nine training workshops for 25 volunteers that included: the mission and ideology of LAYLAC, volunteerism in Palestine and its application in LAYLAC, organizational environmental assessment (SWOT), leadership skills, planning and problem-solving skills. In addition LAYLAC realized two community projects which enhanced community solidarity and strengthened the collective identity among the residents of underserved neighborhoods in Dhesheh camp. These projects included 10 university social work students who were trained on community organization, as well as 20-30 who were actively engaged. A graduation ceremony was also organized to celebrate the success of the volunteer’s training.

With a new grant from the Martín-Baró Fund in 2019, LAYLAC will continue its educational efforts by holding an educational summer camp for 40 social workers and psychologists inside the Bethlehem mental health hospital located in the West Bank. The summer camp will expose the participants to the challenges facing the mental health services in Palestine. Additionally, all the activities of the educational summer camp will be covered by the local media to promote the public awareness about the challenges facing the mental health services.