Promise or Peril?
Sharek Youth Forum Launches Report on the Status of Palestinian Youth

The Status of Youth in Palestine - PDF Format -

Sharek Youth Forum would like to thank the many of you who attended last week’s successful launching of our latest report, “Promise or Peril? The Status of Palestinian Youth.” The large crowd packed into Sharek’s Ramallah headquarters yesterday, representing a wide range of youth, public, private, and civil society organizations both from Palestine and abroad, is proof of the necessity and urgency of addressing the issues facing today’s Palestinian youth.

This report is the first of its kind and hopefully the first instalment in what will become an annual report with the aim of monitoring the situation of youth for the purpose of more effective and targeted interventions that adequately address the concerns and realities of youth as they themselves see them. This first report focuses on youth participation, the status of the educational system and its impact on youth’s preparation and prospects for the future, poverty and unemployment, health, and justice and security.

A panel of experts that included Dr. Cairo Arafat, Dr Sabri Saidam and Dr. Ummiyah Khamash, were asked to read the report and provide their impressions, which were both encouraging as well as instructive for improving future research and action. The animated debate that ensued after the panel presentations also provided informative ideas and suggestions for cooperation and collaboration in collectively tackling youth issues. The calls from youth leaders in attendance made to their fellow youth, as well as all of the other actors present, were sincere and determined calls to action.  

In many ways, Palestinian youth today are at a crossroads. The future is here and the needs of Palestinian youth cannot wait for entrenched factional divisions to resolve their differences, or for the international community to wake up to its moral and legal obligation to protect their rights. Youth between the ages of fourteen and thirty represent a strategically pivotal demographic in Palestinian society. Not only do children and youth account for more than two thirds of the entire population in the oPt, but members of this cohort have the deepest stakes in a decent future, the largest store of moral energy and physical stamina on which to draw, and the biggest capacity to inspire and lead. Palestinian youth must have space in which to think, act, and realize their goals. The effective provision of youth services and programs that appropriately address youth needs can at least mitigate some of the damaging consequences of occupation and internal conflict. This report is an urgent call for attention and action in the sphere of youth to be critically scaled up.

In response to the requests of many attendees, please find the digital version of the report attached. It is our hope at Sharek that as many of you as possible will read the report in detail, circulate it widely, discuss and debate the issues it raises as well as those it does not, formulate action plans, and begin to change youth conditions for the better. We hope that this report will not only engender debate around youth issues, but also translate into concrete action towards addressing and improving the realities of young Palestinians.

As the first report of its kind and with an eye towards improvement, Sharek welcomes any and all comments and constructive criticisms, as this is an integral part of the process in making the transition from this preliminary research to future, more comprehensive research and effective action on youth issues.  Please send your remarks to info@sharek.ps

With our sincere thanks,

Sharek Youth Forum Team