Pal-Think opens its programme «Developing community organisations' capacities in democracy and civic education»

Pal-Think opened the training programme «Developing community organisations' capacities in democracy and civic education», engaging 25 civil-society organisations in the Gaza Strip — strengthening their staff's skills in democracy, civic education and community development, empowering youth and women in Palestinian society, and building their capacity to deliver the community skills that entrench rights concepts and democracy's role.

In his opening address, Pal-Think's director Omar Shaban stressed community organisations' role in spreading civic education and deepening democratic awareness through their direct reach into society's different groups in every area — the marginalised above all. He noted that Pal-Think has always believed in working through partnerships with community institutions to spread the cultures and concepts that develop society and drive its progress, and announced that at the programme's end a number of the participating organisations will be selected to implement community initiatives spreading awareness of democracy and civic education.

On the first training day — «Concepts of democracy and human rights» — Dr. Mohammed Al-Talbani, academic researcher in law, discussed democracy's principal sources, the generations and divisions of human rights, the general guarantees supporting freedoms, the judiciary's and the rule of law's role in upholding individual rights, and civil society's role in protecting those rights and the challenges it faces in Palestine. The programme continues for a week, covering political participation, the mechanics of community initiatives, and using the media to spread the concepts of democracy and civic education.

The programme comes under the «Pal-Think Academy for Democracy and Human Rights» project with Germany's Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (ifa). The project also gathers some 70 young university graduates from every governorate, whose skills Pal-Think hones through training programmes, cultural meetings on rights issues, and meetings with diplomats and experts on the varied experience of democracy — alongside producing policy papers on strengthening democracy and radio programmes spreading democratic and rights concepts.