Tamayyaz: Building a Generation That Excels
In Palestine, youth make up more than 22% of the population—but despite their numbers, their talents and ambitions are stifled by one of the highest youth unemployment rates in the world. In Gaza alone, that number surpasses 63%. The disconnect between the educational system and labor market realities has left an entire generation armed with degrees but unprepared for meaningful employment. The result? A mounting sense of frustration, wasted potential, and lost opportunity.
But in 2012, a new path emerged.
Tamayyaz—Arabic for "to excel"—was launched by Sharek Youth Forum as a direct, determined response to this national crisis. It began with a bold vision: not to simply prepare young people for jobs, but to reshape how they see themselves and how the market sees them. It set out to build more than workers. It would build citizens, leaders, and changemakers.
Now running strong for over 12 years, Tamayyaz stands as the only national program of its kind—a dynamic, long-term initiative connecting youth from the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza with a robust network of over 85 leading Palestinian companies, 11 universities, 16 vocational training centers, and a coalition of civil society organizations. Implemented in partnership with the European Union, it is not just a program—it is a movement of resilience and reinvention.
At its core, Tamayyaz is built on five transformative pillars:
Self-Development, Guided Learning, Employability, Active Citizenship, and Entrepreneurship. These pillars ensure that participants are seen not as cogs in an economic machine, but as human beings with unique dreams, voices, and agency. Through immersive training, site visits, job shadowing, civic engagement, and guest lectures from industry leaders, Tamayyaz creates an experiential, human-centered model of empowerment.
This is what sets Tamayyaz apart: it is both practical and personal, deeply rooted in lived experience and designed to spark both career readiness and self-belief.
And it works.
Tamayyaz alumni are actively employed, volunteering, or continuing their studies. In a landscape where economic stagnation is the norm, these young people are the exception. They are the entrepreneurs launching businesses in underserved communities, the professionals reshaping public and private institutions, and the civic leaders advocating for inclusive, just, and vibrant futures.
Tamayyaz isn’t just about getting youth into jobs. It’s about giving youth the tools to transform the world they’re inheriting. It’s how we build a generation that not only survives—but excels.
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🎯 target group
Who We Empower
Tamayyaz targets:
Our participants are passionate, talented, and ready to learn. Many are the first in their families to access these opportunities.
🎯 Tamayyaz scope
What Makes Tamayyaz Different?
Unlike traditional workforce programs, Tamayyaz offers a holistic learning experience built on:
🔹 Integrated Skill-Building: A multi-layered curriculum that develops not just technical know-how, but also emotional intelligence, initiative, teamwork, and ethical leadership.
🔹 Academic + Vocational Reach: Delivered through partnerships with 11 universities and 16 vocational training centers (VTCs), Tamayyaz ensures diverse access across education levels and geographic areas.
🔹 Career + Civic Readiness: Participants are empowered not only to enter the workforce—but to improve it. Youth are equipped to advocate for social equity, workplace rights, and policy reform.
🤝Our partners
Partner-Driven Impact
Tamayyaz thrives on deep collaboration between civil society, educational institutions, government ministries, and the private sector. Tamayyaz would not be possible without our trusted network of strategic partners who provide resources, platforms, internships, mentorship, and funding. Our strategic partners include:
Partner Universities (add their logos)
Partner Vocational Training Centers (VTCs) (add their logos)
These partnerships are not symbolic—they are active, participatory, and essential to the program’s implementation and scale.
📚 Tamayyaz Training
The Tamayyaz Training Package: World-Class, Locally Adapted
Tamayyaz delivers a cutting-edge curriculum curated from international best practices and customized to meet the local Palestinian context. Youth are trained using interactive, experiential, and hands-on approaches in the following modules:
1. Passport to Success® (PTS) – Developed by the International Youth Foundation
2. Build Your Business (BYB) – In partnership with Microsoft
3. I:SERVE – Civic Engagement & Social Leadership
4. My Career, My Future
5. Practical Business English
All trainers are certified through IYF’s international training-of-trainers and coaching systems.
💼 Work-Based Learning:
Internships, Mentorship, and Entrepreneurship
Tamayyaz participants graduate into a practical phase where skills become real-world results:
🔹 Paid Internships
🔹 Shadowing & Mentorship
🔹 Youth-Led Startups
Social Initiatives & Civic Engagement
Tamayyaz is not only about building careers—it's about building conscience. As much as we focus on employability and entrepreneurship, we believe that real transformation begins when young people see themselves as active agents of change in their communities.
At the heart of Tamayyaz is a deep commitment to civic engagement. We equip youth with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to speak out, stand up, and lead change from the ground up.
🔸 Youth-Led Social Initiatives: Practice with Purpose
Each cohort of Tamayyaz participants designs and implements local, youth-led initiatives that address pressing social, economic, and political issues—ranging from unemployment and gender inequality to environmental protection and public health. These initiatives are not symbolic—they are strategic, action-oriented, and community-based.
Youth learn how to:
🔸 Advocacy That Matters
Many youth-led initiatives go beyond local impact and engage with national-level issues, including:
These advocacy actions are often amplified through media campaigns, public events, and cross-sector partnerships—making youth voices not only heard, but impossible to ignore.
🌍 Civic Engagement as a Path to Employability
Through social initiatives, youth don’t just learn what to do—they learn how to do it: they solve real problems, lead real teams, and achieve real results.
Tamayyaz graduates don’t wait for change—they create it.
🌱 The Village Learning Center:
Innovation Rooted in the Land
All of this happens in a unique, eco-sustainable space—the Palestinian Youth Village—a 34,000 sqm hub of innovation, learning, and community. At the Village Learning Center (VLC), a multifunctional communal facility offering:
The Youth Village connects Palestinian youth to nature, identity, and purpose. It's not just a training site—it’s a vision of sustainable, locally rooted development.
📈 Programmes impact
The Results We’re Creating: Real Impact, Lasting Change
Tamayyaz does more than improve employability—it creates ripple effects of transformation across families, communities, and sectors.
Youth become:
Employers gain:
🔍 Why Invest in Tamayyaz?
Tamayyaz represents a strategic investment in Palestine’s most valuable resource: its youth. Your support will:
Join us as a donor, partner, or employer—and help us make excellence the new standard.
