8 Digital Advocacy campaigns competing in Yalla Challenge
8 digital advocacy campaigns competed in Yalla Challenge with the participation of WASLA 3 program participants and the representatives of partner People with disabilities institutions. The campaigns focused on the problems and issues of persons with disabilities in the Gaza Strip.
WASLA Center and the Social Development Forum oversaw the implementation of the Yalla Challenge, funded by the Medical Aid for Palestinians MAP and the Italian EducAid Foundation, which was entitled The Advocacy Challenge. The challenge targets youth groups and local institutions working in the disability sector. The challenge focuses on launching a series of awareness-raising, lobbying and advocacy campaigns on the rights and issues of persons with disabilities in Palestine.
Mariam Najy, The Challenge Coordinator, said: The challenge is one of the major activities at WASLA Centre and the Social Developmental Forum, as it aims to strengthen the role of youth in the development of community campaigns and initiatives that will highlight youth and persons with disabilities issues and make a real impact on the ground. Naji explained that this year’s challenge was different from previous years, with the Third Season of WASLA’s trainees and partner institutions working in the disability sector. Both participants and partner institutions involved and integrated to work together in teams competing among themselves in designing digital campaigns for the rights of persons with disabilities in the Gaza Strip.
The number of teams participating in the challenge was 8, considering age distribution, gender, disability, skills, and disciplines. Participants in this challenge were very pleased to participate in the Advocacy Challenge, as their first experience on the stage of community campaign shows. The campaigns participating in the challenge were titled in Arabic as follows: “My information is my right – here they are – sport brings us together – don’t forget them, treat me with my language, I see with my hands, Sports is for everyone, with you on the road.”.
Manar Kilani – a participant in the with you on the road campaign – shared her experience of the challenge: The formation of the team was almost the easiest stage because after the previous training, we had known each other very well. We chose the Peace Club, one of the partner institutions with WASLA Centre to be representatives on our team. Our goal was obvious. That’s why our campaign was the winner as it encompasses a large segment of persons with disabilities. Our campaign has a real and tangible impact on the ground, where it seeks to facilitate the access and use of means of transport and communication by persons with disabilities, through pressure on the Ministry of Transport to amend the theoretical article on the acquisition of a driver’s license, commensurate with the right of persons with disabilities to have access without discrimination. “
Anas Abu Shaban, a member of the Evaluation Committee and a representative of the Italian EducAid, said: “When I saw the enthusiasm and excitement of young people in presenting their campaigns, arguing and defending them before the public and before the jury, I realized that there was hope for a prosperous future, and that we had a promising generation capable of making change.”
Treat me in my language campaign was produced by the Strong Youth team and revolves around promoting persons with hearing disabilities access to medical services in emergency departments. Nevin Abu Hattab expressed her experience, saying: “At Yalla Challange, the competition was very strong. The moment we heard about the competition announcement, we formed our team and distributed roles and started working on our idea. Since the beginning, we dug deeply in international conventions and decided on our legal references. We also designed our campaign logo and started working on our digital activities until it was the day of the challenge. We presented our campaign’s idea which was encouraged strongly. Abu Hattab concluded, “WASLA gave me a great chance and enhanced my teamwork skills and added so much to my experience.”
From the beginning of the campaign, we researched the conventions well, identified our legal foundations, designed our own Logo and started working on our digital activities until we reached the closing day of the show after a week of continuous work. We offered the campaign and were widely encouraged by the audience. “Abu Wooden concluded her personal experience, saying,” A link gave me a great opportunity, enhanced my skills in teamwork and added a lot to my experience. “
The youth committee were promoted to participate as leaders by the spirit of the challenge and the ideas presented by the challenge towards creating advocacy campaigns that could bring about a real change in the reality of society. In his experience as a leader, Mohammed Abu Hassira said, “The participation of the youth committee in the Advocacy Challenge has been very active and worked toward strengthening its role in promoting communication between young people and the teams. This year, we worked as mentors for the teams participating in the Challenge and we have given them guidance and advice before the presentations so that they were fully prepared before the presentations were made.
On his personal experience, Mohamed said, “In the past I was a trainee like other youth, and I took part in a challenge like WASLA challenge, but today, after I became a member of the Youth Committee, I became a mentor and able to provide a guidance to trainees and participants based on the experience I had already gained from WASLA.
The challenge ended with four winning campaigns: “Peace Team Campaign, Vision Team Campaign, Sport Bring Us Together Campaign, and Hope Team Campaign.” The campaigns are scheduled to be reviewed once and for all after the challenge and announced for launch and implementation at the beginning of March.
It is important to mention that Yalla Challenge is part of Promoting local response to advocate the rights of persons with disabilities in the Gaza Strip in partnership with Medical Aid for Palestinians – MAP.