Maysoun Nakhleh - from Athlete to Coach to full Workforce

Maysoun first got in touch with PS4L very early. Thanks to her friends, she started with basketball and football trainings offered by PS4L. The longer she attended and the more she got interested, she gradually started to coach for PS4L. Through the help of Tamara Awartani, Maysoun became one of the essential coaches for the organization. Already volunteering for 7 years; she now has been given a full time position in as well as out of the office. 

Suna started coaching during High School. Mostly at UNRWA Schools with children at the ages of 4-6. The Trainings she has given were based on leadership workshops, on field trainings, sport development workshops and many others. Many trainings have been given during PE classes or out of the curriculum because some of the schools did not offer PE courses. When that was the case, Maysoun would volunteer to give them classes in between. Besides the school classes, Maysoun was also coaching on special events or programs depending on what PS4L was workin on, whether it was online or in-person. 

Her main motivation comes out of herself, out of her own success Story. Being a shy child and out of that becoming a young leader gave her the push she needed to express herself better. It makes her happy that she is working on a change for the greater good and is helping children and youth to do the same. Society isn’t going to teach the kids that sports can be a success story, whether it’s a career or a way to become a better person for yourself and not just for others. Through her beliefs in sports, Maysoun became the strong personality she is today, because she doesn’t fear to fail knowing that without failing there are now wins. 

Maysouns Highlights with PS4L

For Maysoun personally it’s not always just about the Sport. It’s more about what we are learning and how we can implement that in a fun and purposeful way. When kids jump for joy when you come in to give them a session and it gradually grows. 

Another Big Highlight was Qatar 2022. Maysoun was the leader and translator for our football team of the Tulkarem Refugee camp that participated in SCWC2022. She was able to see the reactions of young girls riding a plane or even traveling out of their town for the first time in their life. Thanks to this two week long event she was able to see a change in each one of the girls' personalities. They went from being shy to outgoing and social even with all the language barriers the girls were able to communicate without difficulty. In Qatar these girls changed for the better immensely, they were able to express themselves in ways you couldn't imagine especially for a girl who comes from difficult circumstances. The Events in Qatar made Maysoun proud, proud to be a part of this girls path and proud to have accomplished such things together with PS4L.