Nour’s experience in Yalla Change “This Place is Mine”
When you are 20 years old, you find that you are standing before a wide world that asks you to keep experiencing, particularly if you live in an extraordinary situation like the Palestinians do in general and youth in specific. All young people are now seeking to prove their presence and name in the midst of the vast amount of activities, training and programs that target our Palestinian youth and their reality.
The Social Developmental Forum (SDF) was one of the few centers whose name shone among the young people, especially its program “Yalla Change” which witnesses competition among the youth to obtain a participation opportunity since its establishment. Among more than 700 applicants, I got the chance to be a member of the Program, and I took unforgettable 7-day training that created amazing memories for me.
The training focused on active civic engagement which, in its turn, introduced us to a group of topics of discussion for 7 extensive days. We came across topics like “How to work with a team”, “Building successful dialogue and communication”, “How to Be a Leader”, “What are human rights”, “Be an active citizen in your society”, and “Lead an advocacy campaign and an initiative”
I strongly believe that life does not need theories that others can give you; perhaps spending several hours of reading will give you adequate information. Being distinguished in your place and making your program worth competing annually is the hard work that the SDF succeeded in creating. Actually, waking up every day at seven in the morning to start training at eight a.m. sharp, without anyone story being late, proves that the place where we were was greater than a training venue.
From the outset I was there, there was something new. First: “This place is mine” Everyone treated me as part of the family; I felt that belong to this place even though it has only been minutes since I met with individuals whom I had never met before. To make 60 young men and women friends and part of a large family in a few days is not an easy task at all. Each one of us has his ideas and principles; we were all different but united with one goal. We learned to accept our differences and create out of them young people leading the change. Finally, we learned to be part of the Yalla Change family.
Generally, I am that person who does not like being in a strange environment among people I meet for the first time; I do not like new beginnings and hate change. Nevertheless, I was able to establish creative friendships; each person is creative in her/his field and personality. I also managed to unleash my ideas, break my silence and stand on the stage before an audience to explain an idea that we worked on for days. Additionally, I had the chance to apply everything I learned and got everyone’s applause and encouragement at the end.
When you participate in a memorable experience like this, you will find yourself keen on participating in any program that the SDF organizes because you will look for a place that hears your voice and gives you a space to feel the importance of what you have. I went through the second experience in the “School of Integrity” in partnership with the Coalition for Accountability and Integrity – Aman. Even in light of the pandemic that the world is experiencing, SDF and Aman succeeded in achieving a unique image of distance training through a number of applications; each one of us was at home learning and experiencing.
I still remember a sentence that was told to us on the first training day “We do not promise you that you will walk out of here and find all the doors are open to you or the work opportunities are waiting for you. We promise you that you will find a space for you; your voice is heard and we care about you” In fact, every word was told to us was honest, and we were a group of lucky youth to experience the SDF Youth Committee elections in a unique, virtual and optimized way as stated in the Palestinian Elections Law. I was one of the candidates on an electoral list, and I exercised my right to stand for elections and vote and knew that my vote makes a difference.
As I said in the beginning, there is a lot to say about such an exceptional experience; it was the start for other experiences. Furthermore, it was a path where I overcome several challenges and where I stood before cameras and talked “Do not worry, there is no shame in erring; we are here to hear you because you are the leaders of change”
These words were not pure slogans; we walked the road together, and SDF granted us the space to feel the significance of our participation. Above all, we were distinctive because we were one big family.