March 20, 2017

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing this letter on behalf of Rachid Gareh, whom I have had the pleasure of
meeting and getting to know through the YaLa Peace Institute in Honor of Nelson
Mandela. The Peace Institute is part of the YaLa Academy, and is an online program
where students from across the MENA region, throughout Africa, and around the world,
have a chance to come together online to complete a course in peace building. The YaLa
Academy is the flagship initiative of the YaLa Young Leaders movement of nearly 1
million members from across the region, co-founded by the Peres Center for Peace and
YaLa Palestine in 2011. Throughout the 4-month online program, students learn about
peace negotiations, human rights, reconciliation processes and good governance from the
pacemakers who led these processes in transformed conflict areas around the globe.

Over the duration of Rachid’s participation in the program, he demonstrated a great

dedication to the mission of the YaLa Academy. He participated actively in all live chat
sessions, and displayed a clear understanding of the lectures and the importance of their
message. Rachid went above and beyond when answering the discussion questions,
analyzing the strategies presented by the lecturers and thinking critically about how to
apply them to other conflict situations. Furthermore, he always contributed positively to
the discussions, engaging the other participants and always speaking to them in a
respectful way, despite the sensitive nature of certain topics.

Participants in the YaLa Peace Institute have two options when completing the program.
They can either participate in the program without any obligations, or they can complete
all of the program requirements and earn a certificate at the end. Rachid was one of only
a small group of participants who embarked on and successfully completed the certificate
track of the program. This required him to watch all lectures, actively participate in every
chat session, and submit a comprehensive final assignment. His completion of the
certificate track also showcases his hardworking and punctual character. It has been a joy
getting to know Rachid over the course of the semester, and he would undoubtedly make
a great contribution to any program, professional, academic or otherwise.

Sincerely,

Megan Hallahan
Director, YaLa Academy

YaLa Academy
222 Dizengoff St. - Tel Aviv, Israel 63115
Tel: +972 3 604 6871
www.yalaacademy.org
info@yalayl.org