Young Leaders Program | برنامج القادة الشباب

The aim of the Young Leaders Program is to support and foster a generation of empowered young people with visionary and progressive ideals that can take on the challenges of their future.

FES is running the program in a number of countries around the world. In Palestine, the program is implemented in cooperation with the Women’s Affairs Technical Committee (WACT) in the West Bank and Save Youth’s Future Society in the Gaza Strip.

Young people in Palestine face enormous socioeconomic challenges, are politically marginalized, and under-represented. While promoting our shared values, such as social democracy, socio-economic and gender justice and equality across an intersectional society, the program targets Palestinian youth who are keen to become actively involved in the political opinion-making and decision-taking process in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The Young Leaders’ Program comprises personal skills trainings, methodological trainings, policy trainings, and group activities for the Palestinian youth. Each cycle, we select one group of young people in the West Bank and one in the Gaza Strip, to participate in the program.

The objective of the program is to equip the groups with the necessary skill set and knowledge to navigate through the complex nature of Palestinian politics. Reflecting on FES priorities, the program enables young people to take and defend a stand on societal issues, present their own problem-solving proposals and organizing relevant initiatives in their local communities. For this and in order to advocate the development of a democratic and socially equitable political system in Palestine, the participants are trained to gain a sound understanding of methodology, policy-related expertise, and critical awareness.

The program also includes a networking aspect in which participants within the young leaders programs of other FES offices meet, share experiences and expertise, and discuss avenues of connection and cooperation.