In partnership with Norwegian People’s Aid .. SDF launches Yalla Lead youth project

In continuation of its activities and youth programs, the Social Development Forum launched a training program on active participation and advocacy within the “Promoting Youth Role as Change Leaders in Their Communities – Yalla Lead” in partnership with the Norwegian People’s Aid and a group of local partners including Social Media Cafe, Youth Media Portal, Thuraya Café, Southern Media Team and 7souls Group at Al-Mathaf Hotel in Gaza City.

“Today, we launched civic engagement and advocacy training within the Yalla Lead program with the participation of 30 young men and women in order to build and develop their abilities in planning advocacy campaigns, raising their general awareness of the human rights based approach and how to include these concepts in media campaigns. We also aim to increase their abilities to use the best tools and means of social communication and how to lead effective advocacy campaigns.”, Nareman Hwaihi, the project’s coordinator  

The training which will continue till October 31st, includes several topics, namely life skills and leadership, human rights principles, gender equality concepts, effective citizenship concepts, advocacy and the use of social media tools in advocacy campaigns.

Hwaihi continued, “Following the completion of the training, we expect the participants to implement media advocacy campaigns on their priority issues in the Gaza Strip”

“Through the program, we look forward to creating a young team capable of bringing about positive social change or impact on youth’s issues, which they can express in the best possible means to deliver their messages,” she stated on the Forum’s vision in Yalla Lead project.

She stressed the importance of partnership with local youth institutions, saying that “one of the most important outputs of the project is that it built a partnership that brings together all bodies working in the social media and unite their efforts to express issues that concern young people as actors in the same field.”

It is noted that Yalla Lead, a four month project implemented by the Forum aims to enhance the role of youth as leaders of change in their communities. Participants will carry out advocacy campaigns in the next phase on the most important youth issues in the sector through the use of social media tools.