Sounds of Change in Ramallah

We delivered a five-day Training of Trainers in Ramallah, West Bank, Palestine, with 12 professionals working under increasingly difficult and threatening circumstances.

The participants represented six humanitarian organisations that provide psychosocial support
to children, young people and families in the West Bank in various ways.

Sounds of Change has worked in the West Bank on several occasions over the years, in partnership with local organisations providing education, psychosocial support, and humanitarian assistance. The daily reality of injustice, violence, and chronic stress has long shaped the lives of the communities our partner organisations work with. Yet it is clear that the pressure has intensified significantly since 2023.

This training marked our first return to the West Bank since 2019. Reconnecting was meaningful, especially meeting a participant who had joined our training years ago and is now stepping into a new professional role. It was another powerful reminder that this work builds long-term relationships and sustained impact.

Despite the context, what stood out most was the dedication and resilience of the professionals in the room. They support children, young people, and families. All affected by violence, imprisonment, displacement, and disability. Always with enormous commitment.

An (un)expected obstacle

Two Sounds of Change trainers left for Ramallah. Upon arrival at Tel Aviv airport, our founder and director, Lucas Dols, was detained for questioning and ultimately denied entry. He was sent back to the Netherlands without any explanation or reason.

While this was disappointing, the good news is that the training went ahead as planned. Music therapist and trainer Sander van Goor facilitated the entire week in Ramallah, supported by the excellent coordination and translation services of Razan Theodory and Faris Amin. A motivated and caring group of participants and online support from the Netherlands certainly contributed to the week’s success.

From facilitator to trainer

All participants had completed our Facilitators' Training last year and were already applying the Sounds of Change method in their work. This week, they were trained to become trainers themselves - ready to guide colleagues, teachers, social workers, psychologists, and artists. This step is crucial for building sustainable, locally rooted capacity. Especially in a context where continuity is constantly under pressure and where it is not always certain whether the Sounds of Change training team can operate on the ground.

Creating together

An essential part of the week was the creative process. Creation is central to the Sounds of Change approach. When participants engage in a collaborative creative process, they experience the power of co-creation directly. This involves listening to their own inner creative ideas and to those of others. Creating space for diverse perspectives, making choices together and expressing themselves around relevant themes.

For professionals living and working within the same stressful environment as the communities they support, this process also becomes a form of self-care. The final presentation was a beautiful and powerful moment of shared accomplishment. When facilitators experience this themselves, they gain a deeper understanding of what it can mean for the children and families they support.

Below you can watch a short video of the group performing this moving and powerful song with the message "You Are Not Alone."

What participants shared

After the training, participants reflected:

“It was not only a training. It was also a space for reflection and recovery.
We felt connection, movement, calm, even our alarm bell inside was softened.”

“I appreciate your commitment to adapting the exercises to the Palestinian
context in such a thoughtful way.”

“I now understand how to adapt the exercises and
methodology to different target groups and community needs.”

These reflections underline something essential:

this work is deeply connected to lived reality.

Continuing the Journey

This Training of Trainers is part of a two-year regional program implemented in partnership with the DROSOS Foundation. In 2025, we trained facilitators in Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine (Gaza and the West Bank). In 2026, a selected group from those cohorts is now deepening their expertise to become independent trainers.

In the coming months, we will continue working closely with this group through online training sessions, coaching, supervision, and peer intervision as they begin delivering their own programs.

At the same time, starting last week, we are once again facilitating multi-day training sessions for teams of humanitarian and psychosocial organisations active in Gaza. This is to support professionals who continue to work under extremely challenging conditions.

By the end of this year, trained local trainers will be equipped to train colleagues and other professionals in the psychosocial and trauma-sensitive techniques of the Sounds of Change methodology in Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, and Ukraine.

Sustainable impact requires continuity, partnership, and shared responsibility.
In places where stress has become part of daily life, creating safe spaces for music, reflection and shared leadership is not a luxury, it is essential. It becomes a lifeline.

We are grateful to the DROSOS Foundation and to all supporters who make this long-term work possible ❤️

Thank you for reading to the end of our 'Stories of Change' newsletter.
We will continue our online and in-person training with local professionals who do
such important work for people in Palestine (Gaza and the West Bank), Jordan, Lebanon, and Ukraine.

If you would like to support our work with a one-time or monthly financial contribution, we would greatly appreciate it. Sharing our story with others who may be interested also helps us enormously.

With love, warmth and peace,

Sander, Nour, Lucas, Faris and the rest of the Sounds of Change team