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Promoting Youth-Led Civic Platforms for Inclusive Policy and Peace Processes in Palestine

Promoting Youth-Led Civic Platforms for Inclusive Policy and Peace Processes in Palestine Introduction Throughout April 2025, Dou’ – The Palestinian Foundation for Dialogue and Development, organized a series of youth dialogue workshops across three key areas: Anabta (Tulkarm), Arraba (Jenin), Nablus, Cairo, and Tarqumiyah (Hebron). These workshops were part of Dou’s national initiative “Current Challenges and Future Prospects – Youth Perspectives.” The initiative aims to create safe, inclusive spaces

Promoting Youth-Led Civic Platforms for Inclusive Policy and Peace Processes in Palestine

Introduction

Throughout April 2025, Dou’ – The Palestinian Foundation for Dialogue and Development, organized a series of youth dialogue workshops across three key areas: Anabta (Tulkarm), Arraba (Jenin), Nablus, Cairo, and Tarqumiyah (Hebron). These workshops were part of Dou’s national initiative “Current Challenges and Future Prospects – Youth Perspectives.” The initiative aims to create safe, inclusive spaces for Palestinian youth to reflect, express, and propose solutions rooted in lived experience, while serving as a cornerstone of Dou’s 2025–2030 strategic plan to elevate youth voices in national discourse.

What Youth Said – Shared Challenges

  • Humanitarian catastrophe and war crimes in Gaza, expansion of settlements, and West Bank fragmentation.
  • Deepening political division eroding national unity and public trust.
  • Shrinking civic and political space for youth participation.
  • Weakness of official media failing to defend the Palestinian narrative.
  • Economic deterioration, unemployment, and rising youth emigration.
  • Declining national consciousness and education gaps.
  • Erosion of public freedoms, justice, and social equity.

What They Envision – Collective Aspirations

  • National liberation and democratic unity.
  • Establishing a Palestinian state guaranteeing rights, freedoms, and rule of law.
  • Education system reform reflecting Palestinian history and identity.
  • Economic dignity through revitalized agriculture, industry, and entrepreneurship.
  • Right of return for refugees.
  • Promoting social justice, equality, and inclusive representation.
  • Embedding youth voices at all governance levels – local to international.

What They Proposed – Youth-Led Initiatives

  • Land & Agriculture Advocacy: Protecting farmers, documenting land violations, resisting displacement.
  • Rights and Political Education: Campaigns on civic rights, policy awareness, democratic accountability.
  • Unified Youth Platforms: A national youth conference addressing political division with unified action plans.
  • Civic Accountability Forums: Digital and offline spaces for youth to question, propose, and lead on policy.
  • Entrepreneurship Programs: Training for small enterprise development and economic self-reliance.
  • Documentation & Exposure: Filing human rights violations with international platforms led by youth.

A Message from the Ground

Across all sessions, youth emphasized: “Youth are not the future; they are the present. What they need are real spaces, trust, and the removal of structural barriers.”

These workshops were not only listening spaces but calls to action – stressing the creation of youth-led civic platforms, sustainable initiatives, and integration of youth perspectives into Dou’s national programming on reform, media literacy, and economic empowerment.

Key Messages

  • Youth demand recognition as present actors, not future ones.
  • Investment in sustainable, youth-led civic platforms is essential.
  • Structural barriers must be dismantled to enable youth participation.
  • Civil society, policy platforms, and donors must co-invest in youth leadership.

Next Steps

Dou’ is committed to scaling up this model nationwide. Upcoming steps include:

  • Expanding dialogue workshops into additional governorates.
  • Developing a youth-led national forum by end of 2025.
  • Integrating youth policy recommendations into Dou’s 2026 advocacy agenda.
  • Welcoming partnerships to co-invest in youth leadership and civic resilience.

 

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