NEWS

Doha, Qatar, 15 December, 2011 – As over 2,500 of the world’s top figures in government and civil society, academia and media gather in Doha for the fourth United Nations Alliance ofCivilizations Forum, ten students stand out.

 

 

 

They have overcome great challenges and navigated a stifling blockade to be able to attend the forum.  Their mission: to give Gaza’s students a voice.

 

 

 

This is also the mission of Al Fakhoora, an international campaign for education in Gaza, and the organization that made the trip possible.  For three of the students, it is their first time out of the 360 square-kilometer Gaza strip, which is roughly twice the size of Washington D.C. with more than 8 times the population.

 

 

 

More than half of that population is under the age of 18, and the Al Fakhoora students have traveled to Doha to make their voice heard at the UN Alliance of Civilizations on behalf of their fellow young people.

 

 

 

Bissan Al Basyouni, a student in Al Aqsa University’s sciences program affirmed that the travel difficulties were “definitely worth it” to be able to attend the Doha Forum and meet American students in particular. “Our perception has really changed after meeting so many different people during this conference.  I had no idea that there are people from around the world that really do feel our suffering.  It was great to feel that connection,” she said.

 

 

 

On Saturday, the ten students joined nearly 400 other young leaders at the Youth Preparatory Event for the forum, where they debated key aspects of cross-cultural and interreligious understanding and drafted recommendations to world leaders.  One of the recommendations proposed by Al Fakhoora students was to involve young people more in the decision making process, and to gear education towards encouraging dialogue and cross-cultural communication.

 

 

 

“Us youth want a stronger role in defining policy. We want room to engage on the issues that are most important to us, like education,” said Malak Al Madhoun, a 20-year old psychology student at Al Aqsa University.

 

 

 

The World in Conversation project, an Al Fakhoora partner in the “Virtual Majlis” online dialogue forum, co-organized the youth event.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Al Fakhoora students also attended sessions throughout the UN Alliance of Civilizations Forum, and were key participants in a lab session on Monday titled “Communication Works for Those Who Work at It.”  The session featured a live conversation with students from Pennsylvania State University on the importance of dialogue.

 

 

 

Commenting on his participation in the forum, AbdRaheem Mahlawi, a medical student on full Al Fakhoora scholarship, said, “This week has helped develop my skills and abilities for communicating with people from different backgrounds, which I think will enable me to expand my ability to share the message of my country and my people with the rest of the world.”

 

 

 

Student Ahmed Wadi from the Palestine College of Nursing added, “Participating in this forum has helped me learn more about other cultures and about how people our age who come from different backgrounds think about what’s going on in the world today.”  Wadi intends to pursue a master’s degree in nursing. His sister is benefitting from the UNDP’s Deprived Families Economic Empowerment Program (DEEP), which works in conjunction with Al Fakhoora’s scholarship program and provides grants to impoverished families to establish their own businesses.

 

 

 

Al Fakhoora was established following the attacks on Gaza in 2008. It is part of an international movement that supports student advocacy to raise awareness of the plight of students in Gaza.  The organization recently awarded its 300^th scholarship to a Palestinian student for secondary education in Gaza.

 

 

 

“Much of Al Fakhoora’s work is designed to give a voice to the youth of Gaza, and allow them to present their narrative to the Western World,” commented Al Fakhoora Director Farooq Burney, “This UN forum was a great opportunity for our students to do just that, and share with other young people around the world what it means to be a Palestinian living under the blockade.”