On Wednesday, 19 November 2025, students from ENGL220: Communication Writing Skills, taught by Mr. Layth R. Awwad, visited the Crèche – Holy Family Children’s Home for a two-hour orientation session.
This visit marked the students’ first on-site engagement in their service-learning project, which integrates real community experiences with the course’s emphasis on writing, communication, public awareness, and understanding how communicators respond to real community needs.
Students were welcomed by Mr. Iskandar Andon, who led a comprehensive orientation tour. He introduced the students to the Crèche’s mission, its long history in Bethlehem, and the essential care it provides for abandoned and vulnerable children. Students learned about the circumstances that bring children to the Crèche and the ways in which the institution supports their emotional, educational, and developmental needs.
After the tour, students participated in a Q&A session with Mr. Iskandar before joining classrooms in small groups. They observed daily routines, joined activities with the children, and conducted interviews with teachers, caregivers, and with Mr. Iskandar himself.
These interviews will support the students’ awareness-raising blogs and news releases, which they will produce later this semester. Each group will select a social issue connected to the Crèche and apply course skills, including interviewing, event summarizing, email writing, digital writing, news-style writing, and visual/written/multimodal communication, to create polished content that highlights the Crèche, its mission, and its community needs.
Through this service-learning approach, Mr. Layth R. Awwad encourages students to understand how communication can strengthen community connections, amplify community needs, and contribute to meaningful social impact.
This visit represents a significant step in the collaboration between Bethlehem University and the Crèche, offering students a powerful opportunity to grow both as communicators and as active members of their community.
