Pal-Think concludes a training-of-trainers course in democracy and human rights

Pal-Think for Strategic Studies concluded the training-of-trainers (ToT) course in democracy and human rights, under the “Pal-Think Academy for Democracy and Human Rights” project (phase two), funded by the German Institute for Foreign Relations (ifa).

Omar Shaban, director of Pal-Think, had opened the training by speaking of Pal-Think's role in raising young people's capacities and awareness of democracy and human rights, noting that Pal-Think adopted a new training methodology and methods, such as the facilitator-and-trainer-in-one methodology.

The training came in four successive stages. The first stage began with several meetings on the theoretical concepts and a reading of the social reality in which the trainees will work.

The start was with the laws and concepts of democracy and human rights and Palestinian law, with the legal trainer Abdullah Sharshara. Trainer Osama Murtaja spoke during his training day on the topics of political participation and Palestinian reconciliation and the possibility of achieving it through the ballot box. Trainer Tahani Qasem presented the theoretical concepts concerning Palestinian women and their social reality.

The second stage of the training focused on giving the target group the skills of digital and media pressure and advocacy, with trainer Mustafa al-Mallahi — enabling them to use social media and produce content supporting democracy and human rights. Mahmoud Abdel Hadi focused on designing creative community initiatives, helping refine the young people's ideas and the writing of community-awareness initiatives as a tool of democratic social influence and change.

The third stage of the training centred on giving the participants the skills of preparing for training meetings and dialogue sessions: the trainers Yahya Qaoud and Nidaa Owaineh presented the skills of good presentation, the essential elements of preparing a training plan, and the supporting skills of building training content through research in the digital information environment, data and information, in addition to the tools used in workshops and sessions and the types of data, figures, and sources that support good presentation.

The final stage of the training course was devoted to communication skills — training the trainers in delivery and standing before an audience and the camera with trainer Samah al-Safadi — and its second day closed with enabling the young people to prepare a professional presentation model for workshops and sessions and their management.

In continuation of empowering youth and honing them with the practical, applied skills needed to spread the culture of democracy and human rights, Pal-Think will deliver, under the “Pal-Think Academy for Democracy and Human Rights — phase two” project, 60 workshops across the different governorates and cities of the Gaza Strip.