NGO #13096

The main emphasis of the work of PYALARA is on ‘activation.’ One of our main objectives is to prevent young Palestinians from becoming thoroughly frustrated as a result of the harsh conditions under which they are forced to live. We therefore encourage young Palestinians to express themselves through writing, talking, and other forms of communication in order to maintain a connection with the community. The resulting written and verbal contributions appear in The Youth Times (TYT), the only Palestinian monthly paper for youth, and the weekly television program, ‘Alli Sowtak’ (Speak Up). PYALARA believes it is essential to reach out to youth and those with an interest in the Palestinian youth culture. In doing so, however, we want to avoid helping to foster an artificial kind of ‘education’ situation in which in which knowledge and skills are transferred in a one-sided direction. For this reason, amongst others, we stress the importance of open communication, particularly in relation to the spreading of knowledge concerning the rights of children and youth – including both civil and legal rights during times of conflict - as a form of empowerment, in the same way as we stress the importance of team-building and activation. We also attach great importance to the need for young Palestinians to participate in their society and the creation of suitable participatory roles, be they connected to journalism, counseling, or other forms of ‘activism,’ one reason being the fact that, as is well documented in international publications, participation helps in preventing both the marginalization and alienation of youth. We are proud to say that in spite of our relatively short experience in this field, the young people with whom we have worked to date have become exemplary role models in terms of their ability to inspire both admiration and enthusiasm on the part of their peers.