Together For Palestine; young-led interventions to mitigate the burden of IDPs
A group of young activists launched “Together For Palestine” community interventions all over the Gaza Strip. 14 community initiatives were funded by the Social Developmental Forum (SDF), 11 in the middle and southern areas, and 3 in the northern regions.
This unique set of community interventions, launched early in December 2024 were designed and finalized through the Initiatives Bank, a dynamic platform for community interventions, launched by the Social Developmental Forum (SDF), in partnership with the Save Youth Future Society (SYF), and funded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Education Above All (EAA).
Targeting young IDPs
T4P initiative aimed to address a variety of pressing issues, aiming to foster community resilience and the wellbeing of children and young people amid the harsh displacement and Israeli war on the Gaza Strip since October 7th, 2023.
For instance, many young women were actively engaged in the T4P initiatives. For example, through the “Girl’s Tent” initiative, young leaders spread awareness around personal care and distributed hygiene kits to displaced young women. The “Act Like a Butterfly” initiative targeted young IDPs in Al-Burij, middle Gaza through capacity-building sessions on conducting community interventions.
Not to mention the First Aid Psychosocial Support for children and adolescents; through singing and playing music, a proactive group led the “Music and Hope” initiative in the Brotherhood displacement camp in the middle area of the Gaza Strip, aiming to encourage children to discharge tension and mental pressures.
The “Camp’s cinema” moved all over the displacement centers in the middle and southern areas to present meaningful short movies that bring funds, education, and culture together for children and adolescents, who have been deprived of such a warm atmosphere amid the war they have been enduring.
A group of young men participated in the “Yalla Shabab” initiative, which launched a football league where young participants played and competed in a positive atmosphere. This was a short healthy break for young people drained by surviving responsibilities. Other remarkable initiatives were led by young leaders such as A Storyteller in a Displacement Camp, Safe Environment, Save a Life, and “A Pen and a Paper.”
A thorough process led to remarkable implementation
Through the Initiatives Bank, the Social Developmental Forum announced a call to receive the proposed feasibility of youth-led interventions to foster community resilience and mitigate the burden of displaced people in the Gaza Strip.
92 proposed community interventions, ranging in scope, audience, and approach, were received through the Initiatives Bank platform. After a thorough review process that considered feasibility, geographical location, and sustainability, shortlisted candidates received intensive coaching sessions led by SDF’s project staff. The sessions aimed to finalize the action plan and the deliverables of each initiative.
“Aiming to foster the quality of each intervention, and to make sure that young people are equipped with necessary resources and skills to lead their initiatives, we had a systematic mentorship process to ensure smooth implementation considering the war’s barriers.”
Assel Safi, Community Mobilizer, SDF
Initiatives Bank
The Youth-led Initiatives Bank is a dynamic, supportive space for young people in Palestine to design and lead community interventions that aim to foster civic engagement and community resilience. Through this platform, SDF encourages young leaders to communicate their innovative ideas and transform them into community projects and initiatives. It also equips young leaders with logistical and technical resources to improve their proposed initiatives and establish smart action plans, budgets, and deliverables.
A dynamic youth space
The T4P initiatives created a genuine youth-led and designed platform for young people, which enables them to contribute to changing the harsh reality they have been enduring through community-driven interventions that foster resilience and wellbeing of young people and adolescents.
Hadil Abu Zaid, Program Manager, SDF
“I want to express my sincere appreciation for SDF. Designing such unique interventions is indeed helpful and mitigates our burden. Today I participated in the football league, I met with my friends, we played and had a short break away from the genocide and displacement.” Ahmad Masoud, young participant.
Through these initiatives, the SDF aims to accelerate change to the harsh reality of young people in Gaza and empower them to overcome socioeconomic challenges caused by the ongoing war. Most importantly, to foster the resilience of the Palestinian community. The T4P initiatives are part of the “Rebuilding Hope” project, implemented by the Social Developmental Forum (SDF) in partnership with the Save Youth Future Society (SYF), funded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Education Above All (EAA) through which humanitarian and developmental interventions take place foster youth-led agency and help the IDPs in the Gaza Strip.