Launching Youth Campaigns of Yalla Change 4 Volunteers
The Social Developmental Forum (SDF) launched a number of youth campaigns related to civil rights and political engagement implemented by Yalla Change 4 members and in partnership with Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA).
The first campaign was “We Want Elections”, and it discusses the right to vote and elections in public elections, including the presidency, legislative council and local bodies elections.
The campaign stresses the importance of public elections, which are a prominent form of political engagement and a fundamental pillar of any democratic system. It also includes the right of Palestinians to self-determination in accordance with the relevant laws which uphold the necessity of conducting elections once every 4 years.
“We Want Elections” campaign aims to raise community awareness to advocate for strengthening democratic practices, putting pressure on decision-makers to conduct national elections at all levels and promoting youth participation in voting and standing for elections, besides holding public offices without discrimination.
In the context of the campaign, the SDF youth committee was elected, and the campaign’s team performed all the stages and duties of the electoral process to simulate pubic Palestinian elections. Additionally, the youth launched an electronic petition to be signed calling for elections in Palestine and initiating an awareness campaign on social media platforms to deliver the youth’s messages.
The second campaign was “Municipalities are for All”, and it highlights the idea of strengthening youth’s participation in the decision-making process and improve their integration into the community accountability at the level of local councils.
“Municipalities are for All” campaign affirms that there is a clear absence of the role of youth, whether in representation and participation in the decision-making process or at the level of leadership of community accountability efforts. Thus, this requires a greater and more focused intervention to put pressure on the competent authorities to enhance youth participation and representation in vital environments, including Local bodies.
The campaign includes several activities; including forming a team to monitor and follow up the performance of municipalities and preparing fact sheets on the reality of youth participation in the local bodies. It also includes “Keef Shaifaa” accountability tours where they highlight the youth participation in decision-making positions in municipalities and their involvement in community accountability.
The campaign seeks to increase the level of youth representation and participation in the decision-making process in local government units and put pressure on municipalities to enhance transparency in their work environment, in addition to enhancing youth participation in community accountability activities.
It is worth mentioning that SDF, in partnership with NPA, started the fourth season of Yalla Change last February via an intensive training course about active civic participation and management of advocacy campaigns.
Moreover, SDF, through Yalla Change Program, seeks to contribute to making a positive impact in the youth’s lives by strengthening their involvement in the social and political life, creating safe spaces for expression and constructive dialogue with their peers and decision-makers and ensuring more opportunities of active participation and knowing youth’s rights and demanding for them.