U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem and AMIDEAST Celebrate English Access Microscholarship Graduation

January 29, 2010

Jerusalem: The English Access Microscholarship Program (ACCESS), funded by the U.S. Department of State and administered by AMIDEAST, is celebrating the graduation of 925 Palestinian students from throughout the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem this month. This is the fourth class of students to participate in ACCESS since the program's inception in 2004. Minister of Education Lamis Al Alami and U.S. Consul General Daniel Rubinstein attended a festive graduation ceremony in honor of 140 students in Ramallah on January 29.

The 925 students graduating from the ACCESS program this year began their first classes in the summer of 2008. The program provides promising Palestinian high school students with 240 hours of English language training, 15 hours of public speaking training, and 20 hours of cultural enrichment, leadership development, and community service activities. ACCESS scholarships are funded by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, via the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem. The scholarships are awarded to deserving high school students from less privileged backgrounds in Nablus, Jenin, Hebron, Tulkarem, Salfeet, Jericho, Ramallah, Bethlehem, and Qalqilya in the West Bank; from Gaza City, Rafah, Khan Younis, North Gaza, and the Middle Camps in Gaza; and from Jerusalem.

Speaking to students at the graduation ceremony, the Consul General said, "I admire your dedication to the ACCESS program. I believe that this commitment to your own education will also help you succeed as university students and professionals, and in the years to come, as future leaders in your communities. You have worked very hard to make ACCESS a success, and to build a better future for yourselves."

The purpose of the ACCESS program is to increase the English language skills and capabilities of Palestinian youth whose families are unable to afford a substantive, sustained program of private English language training. The program also seeks to create a spirit of community involvement and develop leadership skills among the program participants.

Since its inception in 2004, the ACCESS program has benefited nearly 4,000 Palestinian students in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza.

For more information please contact the U.S. Consulate General's Press Office at 02-622-6908.