Popular Mobilization
Introduction: As part of the “Popular Mobilization” project, we worked on developing educational programs and methodologies aimed at empowering Palestinian youth to understand their social, political, and environmental issues through a critical lens. The goal was to provide youth with the necessary tools to engage with the challenges they face in their communities and work towards effecting change. The project focused on creating informal educational environments that transcend the constraints of traditional educational systems, offering youth the opportunity to learn and actively participate in their causes.
1. Popular Education School: We established the “Popular Education School” as an initiative to provide an informal educational space that focuses on building critical awareness among Palestinian youth. This school targeted youth from various Palestinian universities, as well as from towns and villages across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in addition to Palestinians within the 1948 territories. The school aimed to promote unity among these different groups and challenge Israeli policies that seek to fragment the Palestinian people.
2. Youth Camps and Conferences: We organized two annual three-day camps, hosting around 50-70 youth from various parts of Palestine. The aim of the camps was to provide youth with the knowledge needed to understand the Palestinian reality and discuss the challenges they face. Topics covered included:
- The political and social history of Palestine.
- The economic and human rights challenges facing Palestinian youth.
- Engagement with international law and UN resolutions.
- The importance of youth involvement in resisting Israeli colonial schemes.
- Developing action plans to address challenges and implement them on the ground.
3. Steering Committee and Follow-Up: After each camp, a steering committee was elected from the participants to follow up on the implementation of the agreed action plans.
4. Climate Justice Workshops: We also focused on environmental issues by organizing training workshops on climate justice. These workshops enabled youth to learn how to address environmental challenges in Palestine, particularly those resulting from the Israeli occupation. A group of 10 activists participated in these workshops, which covered topics such as:
- Climate justice.
- The environmental impacts of the Israeli occupation.
- Connecting environmental issues to the Palestinian national struggle.
5. Participation in COP27: Despite the considerable efforts made in training youth on climate issues, unfortunately, we were unable to participate in COP27 held in Egypt in late October/November 2022 due to the lack of reservations for participation and travelling difficulties especially for youth. However, the trained youth contributed to raising awareness about local environmental issues in Palestine through media campaigns and field activities.
6. Climate Campaign: Following the workshops, we launched a local climate campaign aimed at highlighting environmental issues in Palestine, especially those directly related to the impacts of the Israeli occupation. The campaign served as a platform for empowering youth to influence public awareness of environmental challenges in Palestine, engage with global climate movements, and document environmental violations committed by the occupation.
Conclusion: Through this project, we were able to empower Palestinian youth to be part of the field solutions to the problems they face. Despite the challenges imposed by the Israeli occupation, we continued to enhance the youth’s ability to positively influence their communities, equipping them with the knowledge and skills needed to address social, economic, and environmental challenges. We believe that these efforts will contribute to strengthening Palestinian resilience and achieving environmental and social justice in the future.
