It seems like just yesterday that edition seven of the Ritsona Kingdom Journal was being issued, yet here we are with edition eight!

The past few months have seen a lot of changes in Lighthouse Relief’s Youth Engagement Space (YES). The departure of the old YES staff team saw the arrival of a brand-new team and we have packed a lot into our first few months. The exterior of the YES has been given a complete overhaul with an exciting painting project which was a real collaborative effort between the volunteers and the youth. We also had the talented Roberto Rivadeneira deliver a series of spray-paint workshops which were very popular. The painting project has brightened up both the space and spirits!

We’ve welcomed new residents and Residential Volunteers to the space and have introduced more activities specifically for girls and young women alongside delivering a jam-packed schedule of activities. Tanbur, keyboard and guitar lessons have filled the space with beautiful music and singing. Sewing, construction and art workshops have filled the space with colour and beautiful new creations; and rugby, tennis, volleyball and dance workshops have filled it with laughter and grunting! We’ve continued the very popular weekly painting workshop which is now being facilitated by one of our new Residential Volunteers. You can see some of the amazing artwork that has come out of it in our art showcase. Finally, as winter draws in, we’ve also been very lucky to receive a donation of a foosball table which has provided many hours of joy in our cosy Chill ISOBox.

You can read all about the above and more in the pages of this journal. Special thanks go to Ahmed Badr for all his help and patience with Narratio. Thanks to Ed Grattan and Keelin Macdonald for their beautiful pictures. Thanks also to Nour for his help in editing the Arabic text and Dominik for all his hard work and patience in renovating the YES.

Finally, a big thank you to the youth for all the hard work and effort they have put into creating this edition of the journal. Your laughter, kindness, generosity, honesty and energy have filled every day with beauty and joy.

Happy reading!

The YES team

The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of Lighthouse Relief and are the individual opinions of Youth Ritsona.