Contact Information

Address: Al-Maa’hed Street near by Ramallah Secondary Boys School, Ramallah, Palestinian Territories

Telephone: (972) 2/ 234 21 64

Fax: (972) 2/ 234 21 66

E-mail: info@youthda.org

Website: www.gaza-health.org

P.O. Box: c/o PARC’s P.O.Box 25128 Shufat, Jerusalem

Category of Organization:  Non governmental, research center, local.

Name of Mother Organization: Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC)

Country of Origin: Palestinian Territories

Founded in: 2003

Brief History of Organization

PARC started its work with its youth Development department which has been working with 54 youth gatherings in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The total number of members subscribed to these associations reached 2553 in the year 2002. Whereas, most of these gatherings are in massive need for youth activities, hence in the years 2002-2003 the activities were mainly focused on the voluntary work in different fields. Two international voluntary camps were set in Al Zababdeh in the month of August of 2002-2003 with the participation of more than 500 international and local volunteers where various activities took place regarding traditional and mental voluntarism. In addition to the implementation of more than 100 children’s summer camps with the participation of more than 15000 volunteer and the supervision of 1354 voluntary leaders of the youth gatherings, alongside the implementation of tens of voluntary campaigns on the national level. In September 2003 the department has developed to be an affiliate organization of PARC this was a normal evolution in response to its expansion and achievements. In November 2003 the Youth Development Association have got its authorization as a separate non-governmental non-profit organization.

Our association seeks to build a conscious and sophisticated youth movement that is well aware of its needs and capable of achieving them in a Palestinian independent society based on equality, democracy and justice.

Under the believe that youth are tomorrows pillar and the country’s natural key resource YDA focuses in its programs on training young leaders, promoting voluntary work and empowering youth to reinforce their role in building the Palestinian civil society.

• Building and developing the youth capacities.

• Promoting voluntary work.

• Contributing in solving unemployed youth problems.

• Providing places for youth to practice and develop their talents.

• Creating youth leaders and building their capacities to lead & protect the Palestinian youth movement’s objectives and to serve the democratic Palestinian society.

• One voluntary director
• One voluntary accountant
• One voluntary external relations employee
• One voluntary head of training
• One voluntary head of environmental school clubs
• Three voluntary field coordinators

Membership

Total number of members: 2639 members

Age groups: 18-35 years old

Fee (in $): 6.5

Type: Annual

Alumni: does not have alumni program

Methods of Communications: Direct communication through our field coordinators and through telephone calls, field visits, annual and regular meetings

Organization use of Information Technology rating: 2

Activities

Summer International Camp: Yearly

Winter Local Camp: Yearly

Local, International, Government Assistance

• Raising the voluntary work percentage in rural areas by 50%
• Raising the voluntary work percentage in PARC and other organizations by an average of 20%.
• Organizing of voluntary work within committees and exchange of programs and coordination among these committees.
• Building social awareness regarding the importance of voluntary work among rural people.
• Creating voluntary leaders within the villages.

The idea of this project aims at building the capacities of female and male youth leaders to affect decision making process at their local societies’ level.  The project mainly targets rural youth from both sexes. Activities will be implemented through cooperation with PARC’s youth gatherings in the targeted locations. The project will be implemented in 8 locations from Gaza Strip, 4 locations fro Hebron district and 6 locations from Nablus district.  Nine (9) main activities will be implemented in the framework of this project.  Training courses on lobbying & advocacy will be conducted, workshops, meetings, open meetings, interviews with policy makers and general meetings will be held. Youth will play the main role in this project. They will form pressure teams, they will identify pressing key issues (cases) and conduct the main activities in pursue for solving these causes and activating their local councils. Through this project the targeted villages’ people will also be motivated to increase their participation in policy making on local level. We hope that this project will eventually lead to a social change were  the villagers in general and the youth in particular will act as monitors on the local villages’ performance and will start practice their effective citizenship.