Conflict Resolution Center takes part in a youth stand in support of the role of young people in local government and the municipal council
Gaza, Publication and Information Unit
On Monday the Palestinian Center for Democracy and Conflict Resolution, in cooperation with the Aisha Association for the Protection of Women and Children, the Pyalara organisation and the German Agency for International Cooperation, took part in a youth solidarity stand entitled "Together we decide and change", in support of the role of young people in society, local government and the municipal council.
Many youth groups were present and expressed their views, aspirations and demands, aimed at changing the current situation young people live in in the Gaza Strip. They said that the capacities and qualifications young people possess should be used in ways that benefit them and society as a whole, and that the problems young people face should be monitored and studied responsibly and more seriously. This shows the importance of the role of community organisations and governments in creating a suitable climate for reducing the effects of the problems facing young people and helping them overcome them, since youth is a stage marked by sensitivity to circumstances, difficulty in controlling emotions and limited experience in facing life's complexities.
In this respect the political, security, economic, intellectual, psychological, educational and environmental components of Palestinian life play a large part in determining the nature of the problems young people suffer from. Most young people stress that the division and the siege imposed are the main causes of the difficult situation sweeping the Strip: the shortage of work opportunities, the failure to use young people's energies and their marginalised participation in municipal councils, decisions and local government, which has led young people to emigrate and to flee the reality they live in.
The young people expressed their hope for a comprehensive national plan for youth based on the principle of participation, and for support for individual and collective youth projects that work to raise young people's social and economic capacities, together with the support and guidance they need.
