Bseisu Foundation Winter Social Event 2025
By Nisreen Shehada
On Wednesday 3 December 2025, in northwest London, the Bseisu Foundation hosted a heartfelt welcome gathering for the new cohort of scholars, the first social event of the year. This particular evening held special significance as we welcomed students from Gaza who had only recently arrived in the UK.
The event began with students and community members arriving at the restaurant, where Christmas lights blended warmly with the Arabic ambience of the space, reflecting the diversity and welcoming spirit of the evening ahead. As always, our aim was to create a warm and safe environment where students feel immediately at home, encouraged to unwind and take a small break from the pressures of student life. Bseisu alumni and new scholars exchanged stories, updates and reflections on their experiences in the UK, embodying the very essence of our foundation’s community. “Going to Bseisu events feels like meeting with my family. I’m so happy that I’m part of this amazing community,” one student told us.
During the gathering, we were also honoured to welcome a delegation from the Palestinian Embassy in the UK, led by Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian Ambassador to the UK. As everyone gathered around one table, the evening formally opened with remarks from Co-Founder Amjad Bseisu and Executive Director Jezerca Tigani. Jezerca offered a heartfelt welcome to the students, highlighting their talent and potential and the Foundation’s pride in supporting such exceptional young leaders. “It means a lot being around students with so much capability and achievement,” she said.
We then heard from Ambassador Zomlot, whose presence offered additional comfort and encouragement, especially to the newly arrived students from Gaza. He spoke about their resilience and commended the Foundation’s efforts to support them through such a difficult journey.
Amjad also extended his warm welcome and reaffirmed his pride in the students from Gaza, reflecting the Foundation’s commitment to supporting scholars not only financially, but emotionally and personally, too.
Events like this are essential for creating a safe, welcoming environment for our students - spaces where they feel supported, seen and uplifted. They also help us to grow as an organisation; throughout the evening, we listened carefully to students’ suggestions and discussed how we can further strengthen our work in the future.
This gathering was a living example of the organisation’s vision: building community, nurturing leadership and creating meaningful change even during the darkest times. Jezerca’s words perfectly captured the spirit of the night:
“When you lead with integrity and humanity, people will walk with you, even when the path ahead is uncertain.”