«My Right to Vote»: the Youth Forum for Policy & Development concludes its first initiative

The Youth Forum for Politics and Development at Pal-Think for Strategic Studies concluded in the city of Khan Younis a training course in the art of debates within the initiative “It is my right to vote”, one of the initiatives of the Youth Forum for Politics and Development project funded by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), with the participation of 20 male and female trainees and in cooperation with the Panorama company for integrated services. The course continued for 15 training hours during the period 13 February – 20 February 2020.

The initiative aimed at opening the field before the youth to discuss the subject of the delay in holding the Palestinian elections, and developing the personal skills in the methods of dialogue and debate in a civilised style, renouncing partisan fanaticism, and strengthening the culture of non-violence, in addition to developing the youth's capacities and raising their level of awareness so that they be a real instrument for positive change.

The initiative was opened by Mr Aziz Abu Zayed, coordinator of the Youth Forum for Politics and Development at the Pal-Think institution, welcoming the participants and the partner institution and all its staff, affirming Pal-Think's pioneering role in carrying out distinguished activities and projects with new headings that return benefit to the youth and to society also, and affirming Pal-Think's attention to realising communal reconciliation and strengthening the youth's role in effective political participation through research writing and communal initiatives.

The course's trainer and the initiative's coordinator, Ms Heba al-Abadla, set out the importance of strengthening the culture of dialogue among the youth through putting forward their viewpoints with all freedom and transparency, noting that the debate is considered among the most important instruments that help the youth hone their personalities. She reviewed during the training days the debate's goals, its different kinds, and its methods in highlighting viewpoints using evidence and arguments. She likewise discussed with the trainees the subject of the anticipated Palestinian elections: on the last training day Mr Nasser al-Sumairi, director of the office of the Central Elections Commission in Khan Younis, was invited to speak about Palestinian law and the elections and the systems followed in the State of Palestine and the conditions necessary for candidacy.

The trainer Ibrahim Abu Rida, the specialist in mobile journalism, was likewise hosted, to help the students produce videos in which the trainees speak of their vision concerning the elections. The initiative concluded with the distribution of certificates to the participants and the reception of their recordings speaking about their viewpoint on the subject of the stalling of the holding of the elections and its effect on society in the manner of debate, according to what they learned during the training course.

This initiative comes within 4 initiatives the Youth Forum for Politics and Development at the Pal-Think for Strategic Studies institution carries out with funding from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), and in extension of the institution's vision of building a Palestinian youth generation able to lead Palestinian society toward a stage of flourishing and national and communal reconciliation.