Ramallah – Ma’an – The Palestinian Youth Forum for Freedom and Democracy, in partnership with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, organized its annual youth conference under the title “Challenges of Palestinian Youth… in Light of International Youth Day”, in the halls of the Red Crescent Society in Ramallah, with the participation and attendance of a number of experts, researchers, and those interested in the reality of youth, as well as a distinguished youth elite from the governorates of the homeland.
In his speech, Dr. Iyad Shtayyeh, Chairman of the Palestinian Youth Forum for Freedom and Democracy, welcomed the attendees, thanking the strategic partners, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, noting that this annual conference coincides with the world’s celebration of International Youth Day, and under extremely difficult circumstances experienced by Palestinian youth, especially in light of the security and political situations in the Middle East in general and in Palestine in particu
lar, stressing the importance of the role of youth who bear the burdens of the stage politically, economically, socially and psychologically, expressing his hope to find a greater role for youth by providing them with opportunities and giving them a role in contributing to decision-making, while stressing that change begins with the youth themselves, calling for the continuation of work on the basis of effective partnership between all institutions, bodies and individuals for the positive impact it has on our Palestinian youth, and that the first priority should be liberation and emancipation from the occupation.
In her speech, Ms. Amira Jaber, Director of Palestine at the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, indicated that the partnership with the Forum is a strategic partnership in empowering Palestinian youth, praising the seriousness and quality of the activities and projects implemented by the Forum in order to serve youth and Palestinian society as a whole. Jaber touched on the global, regional and local role
of the German Foundation in supporting the concepts of freedom and democracy by providing civic education programs, enhancing international political dialogue, and providing political consultations, through the Foundation’s network of offices spread across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, America and Asia, noting that the Foundation, among other things, in the world and in Palestine in particular, contributes to building democratic, modern and civil societies, and works to strengthen civil society, in addition to introducing the concepts of freedom, human rights, equality and political and intellectual pluralism.
In the keynote speech of the conference, Dr. Laila Ghanem, Governor of Ramallah and Al-Bireh, said: ‘Despite the pain and the ongoing war of extermination against everything Palestinian, we are committed to working to instill hope in the souls of our people, especially our youth who face difficult circumstances and reality at all levels. Therefore, we are participating in the activities of this impo
rtant youth conference out of our absolute belief that our Palestinian youth are a living model of the strong will that beats in the heart of every free person.’
During the conference, Ghanem stressed the role of youth as an active partner in society and in political and public life, and called on them to maintain the concepts of life and hope and that they are the present and future of the nation.
Ghanem praised the role of the Palestinian Youth Forum and their partners in supporting youth issues and constantly addressing their needs, noting that the beauty of the conference lies in the mosaic of attendance that brought together Palestinian youth from different governorates of the country, in a way that represents all sectors.
For his part, Dr. Bader Zamaareh, Executive Director of Sharek Youth Forum, said that the youth in our homeland face unprecedented challenges. From the absence of security and safety and forced displacement, to unemployment, genocide and ongoing killing, the crises that hinder the r
ealization of their dreams and ambitions are increasing. But at the heart of these hardships, hope lies in the will and steadfastness of the youth, and this requires a lot of work to ensure their survival in Palestine.
Zamara added that this conference, which is being held under the current regional circumstances, is clear evidence of the free will of Palestinian youth despite all the obstacles placed by the occupation against them, stressing the need to activate and empower Palestinian youth in all areas of national work, considering this a shared responsibility between the youth themselves and the active Palestinian forces.
The conference participants discussed opportunities, challenges, future trends and proposed solutions for the four axes covered by the conference, which were managed by young facilitators specialised in the World Café system, so that the participant could express his opinion on all the axes, which were represented by youth and political participation, the labour market and unemployment
, the economy and entrepreneurship, in addition to education and culture.
The conference included a discussion on leadership and youth initiative in the current crisis, which was moderated by expert Ayman Al-Mimi, head of the Palestinian Trainers Association. It included a presentation of success stories of youth initiatives, including the (Teach Me) youth initiative and the Palestinian Life Association initiative, which is based on reviving the concepts of volunteer work. The session included an intervention by the international trainer Dr. Omar Murad via Zoom, who is one of the most prominent experts in building leadership initiatives.
The youth participating in the conference expressed their opinions in this unconventional conference, where they benefited from the interventions of the main speakers in the opening session, and expressed their opinions and different points of view in the conference’s axes groups with ease, and most of them stressed that the four areas discussed by the conference are the ba
sis of the youth’s reality and their daily lives, especially in light of the ongoing war on our people.
The conference was opened with a welcoming speech by youth activist Aseel Al-Zain, who pointed out that youth are the main element in the construction process, and self-realization is the essence of democracy in society, stressing the importance of strengthening the spirit of initiative among youth in society and the importance of strengthening the principles of freedoms and the rights and duties they include, most notably the right of youth to effective political participation, and strengthening the concepts of public freedoms in a manner consistent with the rule of law.
Source: Maan News Agency