Young Advocate Program

Project Objectives:

The Young Advocates Program has two major goals.The first is to equip young Palestinians with skills needed for nonviolent struggle to end the Israeli occupation,through active advocacy.The Israeli occupation in Palestine's the source of instability and violence in the Middle East and probably other parts of the world.

PCR has a long term commitment to nonviolence as a way to end conflicts.Moreover nonviolence saves lives and makes reconciliation easier than when a conflict is resolved through violence.

PCR believes that human security is a priority that cannot wait for political leaders to reach agreements in order to ensure it. Therefore PCR has the “Decade to end Violence” Campaign launched by the World Council of Churches.

PCR has been involved in organizing nonviolent activities since its establishment in 1988.Through the first twelve years, PCR established a dialogue group between Palestinians and Israelis attracted thousands of people from both sides and Internationals as well.This group has organized direct actions in the course of the first Intifada (1987 – 1993).During the period of 1993 – 2000 the group was mainly focused on post-Intifada dialogue and land defense.

The activities PCR organized during the second Intifada when helped founding the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), included Olive Harvest Campaigns which was basically an accompaniment program during which International peace activists accompany Palestinian farmers to their olive groves adjacent to Settlements,military bases and the annexation Wall.

The presence of Internationals has provided some kind of protection to the farmers and reduced chances of tabela clashes between them and the Israeli armed settlers who often try to prevent Palestinian farmers from harvesting the olives.Anyhow, ending this occupation is the only way to achieve peace between Palestine and Israel and therefore the Arab world and Israel .

The second objective of the project is to get the Palestinian youth, to be more integrated into their community to be able to serve it.

The Palestinian society is a collective one and has collective identity as well.However, there is tendency among younger generations to move towards individualism.For young people to follow an individualistic approach in their lifestyle inside a collective society will make them feel alienated from this society, and will feel less belonging to the community and culture and therefore start thinking of leaving the country and assimilate in western societies.

Here comes the need for the second objective of the project.In fact, getting the young people involved in developing their community is a must to prevent their migration. When young people feel that they are important in the society and they have a space and a role in this society, they feel more related and the obsession of leaving will slowly diminish.

Therefore, the project will help create a pool of young activists and direct them to use nonviolent means to be able to cope with and change the unjust situation and to advocate for peace and justice in the region and get them more involved in the society so they stay in Palestine instead of leaving the country.