Shiam - Youth Make the Future

I currently lead a nascent youth organization named Shiam-Youth Make the Future (Shiam), which aims to spread the principles of good citizenry, human values, diversity, equality, democracy, and good governance, among Palestinian youth. Shiam is the spinoff organization of the internationally recognized Palestinian Youth Local Councils (YLCs), which are voluntary bodies of youth aged 18-30 years who are elected by their peers and mirror in formation and structure the community municipal council.

If awarded, the prize will be utilized to advance the mission and vision of our young Shiam organization to: 

1. Further develop and nationally scale the YLCs and develop their network with like-minded international youth leadership initiatives; 

2. Support the establishment of new YLCs to reach all Palestinian communities and ensure continuous holding of the YLCs democratic elections process;

3. Design and implement initiatives that help develop Palestinian youth as value-based leaders who believe in and practice the principles of democracy and good governance, voluntarism and community service; and

4. Provide YLC members and youth in general with capacity building and skills development support in relevant leadership areas such as participatory community planning, good governance and democracy, good citizenship, value-based leadership, and local economic development. 

I am a young ambitious Palestinian activist dedicated to the mission of empowering Palestinian youth, enabling them to become decision-makers and agents of positive change in their communities.

Over the past 10 years; I have worked passionately on co-creating solutions to long-lasting issues in my region, building inspirational relationships with multi-stakeholders; including the private sector and government bodies. I have always aspired to be at a place where my voice is heard, and I can use it to make a difference in my beloved country and for humanity. All this led me to be nominated by the Board of Directors to represent Shiam at the Elevate Prize.

Acting as the General Manager of Shiam and working with its founding youth and supporting activists have given me a platform to co-build innovative projects that positively engage and empower Palestinian youth in multiple arenas. My role with Shiam developed my leadership skills that are built on trust and accountability with Shiam board members, stakeholders, donors, and our wide youth base.

As for my education, I have completed an MBA in 2016 and MSc. in International Development (Chevening Scholar) in 2017. I also received my project management certification (PMP - PMI) in 2016.

Several YLCs alumni established Shiam (شيم-شباب يصنع المستقبل) in 2018 with the mission to scale up the YLC presence nationally, support existing councils, and further drive grassroots Palestinian youth activism and advocacy for good democratic governance. The young Shiam organization has already built on its localized model of youth engagement and empowerment. It presently promotes youth inclusion in social, economic, and governance arenas, advocating for the rights of people with disabilities and utilizing youth creativity, agency, and entrepreneurship to tackle complex challenges such as promoting the Sustainable Development Goals, enhancing basic services to citizens, social protection of the most vulnerable using creative-thinking platforms such as Hackathons to identify and promote responsive solutions. 

The purpose of the YLCs has been to sensitize youth to good governance practices and empower them to take leadership roles in their communities. Their impact has been on multiple levels: empowering young capable leaders; enabling youth to become proactive and contributing members of society; engaging youth in their communities’ development through building partnerships and implementing initiatives that improve the community’ quality of life; and providing youth with networking opportunities to enable them to advocate for policy reform, hold their representatives accountable, and to ensure transparency is respected.

Innovation is not only limited to innovative results; creating innovative participatory approaches in the delivery of our interventions, are also crucial and distinguishing factors of our work. We ensure our projects are co-created and implemented in partnership with all our stakeholders. To support better communication between the different YLCs in Palestine, we have created the first-of-its-kind platform to enhance the communication between our youth and foster creating impactful partnerships. 

Our inclusive approach is built on equity enabling young males and females from diverse backgrounds to work together in serving their communities. Our interventions also engage and target women, elder citizens, and PWDs. Shiam has successfully completed the first of its kind Hackathon for Women with Disabilities who engaged in co-creating innovative solutions to challenges they face. Our youth have initiated the first-of-its-kind initiatives focused on knowledge exchange between retirees and YLC members to foster cross-generational communication and transfer of knowledge.

Shiam developed strategic partnerships with private sector entities that care about sustainability and impact presenting a new model of cooperation for positive change. We cooperate with governmental and municipal entities in driving our collective vision for youth empowerment and leadership. Win-Win situation!

Bottom-Up Advocacy: Shiam believes that for long-term policy dialogue and change to occur, grassroots advocacy led by capable and empowered young leaders is required. Youth engaged in the YLCs, are the present and future value-based leaders.

All-Encompassing Development: Shiam understands that true development requires holistic work, both at the society and the individual levels. Hence, Shiam focused on community social, economic, and political development while building the competencies of youth ensuring they adopt good human values.

Community of Democracy: Shiam aspires to maintain democratic values and processes in the work it is pursuing. Impactful interventions require utilizing participatory methods to elevate unheard voices and ensure accountability. 

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Shiam strives for inclusivity, diversity, and equity to create social change, cohesion, and stability. We are committed to engaging the less privileged including vulnerable women and youth, people with disabilities, and people from low-income households.

Systems Change: Shiam understands that sustainable development is better achieved when the change comes from within the community and engages different actors including the government, the private sector, and civil society actors.

Youth Grassroots Action: Shiam’s vision and mission are centered on facilitating youth grassroots action in local communities and advancing their democratic voice.