PALESTINE YOUTH NGO INITIATIVE
American Friends Service Committee
International Division
Middle East Programs
Location of program office: Ramallah, West Bank
Geographical areas served: West Bank and Gaza
The goal of the Palestine Youth NGO Initiative is to strengthen Palestinian NGOs' capacity to meet the needs of Palestinian youth and thereby contribute to the development of Palestinian civil society. Youth have been severely affected by the twenty-eight years of Israeli occupation and the seven-year long Palestinian Intifada (1987-1994). A generation has grown up under conditions of extended curfews, house demolitions, and frequent closure of educational institutions. With the end of the Intifada and the establishment of limited Palestinian self-rule, young people have had to redefine their place in society. Their problems have not received adequate attention from Palestinian authorities or from the community. Youth NGOs have formed to address the problems, but are in need of strengthening to develop effective program and improved organization.
Through the Palestine Youth NGO Initiative AFSC works to foster institutional linkages and cooperation among NGOs working with youth. As a result of the initial efforts of the program director, the representatives of several NGOs have begun to meet regularly to discuss problems and plan cooperative work. The program also organizes and sponsors training courses for NGO leaders, many of whom are youth themselves, to develop skills in defining the needs of youth and designing and managing effective programs to meet those needs. The courses are held in different locations in the West Bank and Gaza in order to involve as many organizations as possible. Individual organizations are also assisted with training in areas of need related to program administration. An additional aspect of the Youth NGO Initiative is the sponsorship of exchanges among youth groups in the region, including exchanges between Arab youth in Israel and the West Bank.
A program director, based in Palestine, began work in September 1995. Part time program officers are responsible for work in the Gaza Strip and in the northern areas of the West Bank.
Added 9th Month 6, 1998
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