Explore Your Passions and Interests in High School From a Student of the West Bank

As a student in the 11th grade in the West Bank, a difficulty arises as I navigate towards an appropriate extracurricular course that’ll benefit my experience with what intrigues me.

The criticality of extracurricular activities has been gradually increasing. Briefly, extracurriculars in my point of view don’t cover the purpose of enhancing any college application or anything of that sort. I deduce that extracurricular activities are your firsts step in determining your passions and interests. They give you an idea of the vast fields in the world and help you evaluate what you enjoy and what you don’t enjoy.

Essentially, it’s a way to understand your passions and interests.

Image courtesy of Unsplash

In the West Bank, opportunities mainly for high schoolers are limited. This is a predicament that pushed me to write this blog that collects the best extracurricular activities I’ve found in Ramallah and the West Bank. To simplify things, I’ll categorize them orderly. Note that the activities listed are in person rather than remote extracurriculars.

What extracurriculars are available to high schoolers in Ramallah and the West Bank?

SPORTS EXTRACURRICULARS IN THE WEST BANK

Sports have become an extreme interest for a lot of young students.

1. Football

   As children, football is a popular sport students are interested in. There are many places students may attend to develop their skills including:

   1. Shabab Al-Bireh institute

   2. Markaz Shabab Tulkarm

   3. Shabab al Dharieh

2. Tennis

   Multiple schools in Ramallah offer tennis courses for encouraged students including Ramallah Friends school.

3. Martial Arts

   Martial arts has been trending in the past few months due to a fighting club called Fighting Zone in Ramallah. Mainly teaching Muay Thai, for students who seek self-defense, and any different sport, Fighting zone is a welcoming and recommended place to consider.

These are the best sport extracurricular activities I’ve found. I recommend students interested in athletics to enroll in a sport they find fun or entertaining. It’s important to give yourself an idea about what it’s like to be an athlete before you settle down completely.

TECHNOLOGY EXTRACURRICULARS IN THE WEST BANK

Quite a broad topic to talk about, yet technology has been slightly present in the community these past few years. They are mainly promoting programming and coding. Coding is now the bridge to developing and advancing technology. This is why many people have prioritized it in their extracurriculars. For motivated students, these are my top picks for those interested in programming:

1. Code for Palestine

2. Code Academy

ARTISTIC EXTRACURRICULARS IN THE WEST BANK

Creativity plays a huge role in everyone’s mind and arts are the best way to expand your imagination. The most artistic activities I encourage students to try out in the West Bank are:

1. Music

   Music is a sensation that indulges a human to forget everything and enjoy the moment. Some organizations I recommend in the West Bank are:

   1. Edward Said National Conservatory of Music

   2. Barenboim National Conservatory of Music

2. Dance

   Traditional dance known as dabke is a huge part of our culture and identity. If you have the determination for it, there are a lot of places to learn contemporary and traditional dance. The one I recommend most is Al Bireh Institute for Dancing

How to choose an extracurricular in high school

With so many options for extracurricular activities, which ones should one choose?

This is not a simple question to answer. Students should pursue their passions and interests, and not view it as a means to impress universities. Instead, the activities should inspire students and introduce them to various fields.

So?

GO FOR WHAT YOU THINK IS COOL!

And?

GO FOR AS MANY ACTIVITIES AS YOU’D LIKE!

Find your passion!