As part of the project “Protection and Empowerment of Youth and Adolescents in Gaza Strip,” implemented by MA’AN Development Center with funding from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), MA’AN completed a full week of orientation sessions for more than 350 young men and women. These sessions were held to help the youth prepare for launching community initiatives across Gaza Strip.
During the week, MA’AN organized different sessions to give young people the knowledge and skills they need to lead effective, sustainable, and impactful initiatives in their communities. These sessions support the project’s goal of strengthening the role of youth in raising community awareness and helping them design initiatives that meet the needs of different groups, especially during the difficult humanitarian situation in Gaza.
The sessions focused on helping youth understand the basic ideas of sexual and reproductive health (SRH), including reproductive rights, access to correct information, and how to make informed decisions. The participants also learned interactive methods to communicate this information to the public during their initiatives, helping them spread awareness in simple and clear ways.
In addition to health topics, the youth received guidance on how to plan and implement community initiatives, how to advocate for issues, how to measure impact, and how to make their initiatives sustainable. The sessions also discussed how to use available resources, build local partnerships, and involve the community in order to keep the initiatives going.
These community initiatives reflect MA’AN’s commitment to providing a safe and supportive space for youth, believing in their ability to create positive change, especially during the social, psychological, and humanitarian challenges they experience.
With the end of the orientation sessions, the youth are now ready to move to the practical stage of the project, where they will begin implementing their initiatives in the coming days. These initiatives are expected to help raise awareness, support vulnerable groups, and strengthen community connections in the targeted areas.
The project will continue to support the youth throughout all stages of implementation, to make sure the initiatives create real and lasting impact. This aligns with MA’AN Development Center’s vision of strengthening the resilience of Palestinian society and empowering young people to be active contributors to their communities.
