LaunchGood
Organized by Anas Almassri

Youth Training Towards Human Rights

$5,952

raised of $6,000 USD goal

229 supporters, Project Closed
Success!

Impact: Gaza, Gaza Strip

Verification in progress. Learn More

This campaign will collect all funds raised by September 30, 2016 at 8:45 PM EDT

Support young Palestinians in developing skills and connections to serve as strong voices for human rights by pairing students with human rights lawyers!


A unique initiative, designed by and to be delivered to, young Palestinian activists in the human rights field. 

The youth-founded and -led organization, Euro-Med Monitor, will sponsor this six-month project. With its experience, it will provide training and mentorship in three key human rights professional areas not covered anywhere in academic institutions or training centers in Gaza, and they are: 

  • Human rights research methodology,
  • Analytical, investigative and reporting skills; and 
  • Innovative advocacy communication practices. 

Why it's important for us, Gazan youth, to have these programs

When I came back to Gaza following the completion of a one-year study at Roanoke College, I felt desperate as no organization showed enthusiasm about an 18-year old volunteer. I knew I wanted to invest in the energy and skills developed while in the U.S., and I wished to work in the field of human rights. The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor was there; it welcomed me as an intern, and for several months, my colleagues continued to support and mentor my work. 

Throughout, I felt very happy with their attention, and finally they offered me a job in the fundraising and advocacy department. My work has given me a genuine sense of fulfillment, hardly found in despondent Gaza. Today, the team and I wish to make available for fellow young Palestinians the same opportunity to be trained and mentored, so they can serve as defenders of human rights. 

Promoting this campaign with a team of a similar experience, we are grateful for your donation, so more students and graduates relish this golden, unique opportunity!


{Young human rights activists attending a training session at the Euro-Med Monitor office in Gaza City} 


How The Program Will Work


Once our trainees are selected, they will join the team of the organization, and they will have access to its office and facilities. Using the training-mentorship-production model adopted in our other crowdfunded project, We Are Not Numbers, our trainees will first receive one week of intensive training in each of the aforementioned areas.

Next, they will choose two human rights issues of particular interest to them, and they will spend two to three months researching each. This research will culminate in filling gaps of unawareness about under-reported human rights issues. During this period, they will be linked with human rights lawyers, mainly from Europe, who have special expertise in the trainees' chosen area of interest. These lawyers will supervise the trainees' research, providing advice both on meeting international standards and on choosing specific targets of advocacy.

Finally, the Euro-Med Monitor offices in Geneva and Gaza will coordinate for a general conference in which the research outcomes will be disseminated, and they will also be posted on the Euro-Med Monitor website.

 

During the closing ceremony of a course on human rights and new media

In Gaza, blockaded and suffocated, young activists have turned to social media to protest political, economic and social injustices. 

Some of these injustices are blatant violations of human rights norms, yet they are neither reported as such nor covered in-depth. Our project aims to help such youthful, aspiring defenders by equipping them with the skills, experiences and connections they need to advance their service goals.


With a soaring number of unemployed graduates (62% youth unemployment), volunteering opportunities have decreased drastically, further limiting professional development

Neither higher education institutions nor training centers in Gaza provide prospective human rights professionals with the research, reporting and communication skills necessary for distinguished service. The TMP-model project will not only bridge the gap between academic preparation and service requirements but also create a career opportunity otherwise hardly available.


Dr. Ramy Abdu, chair of Euro-Med Monitor, speaking to We Are Not Numbers members about the importance of youth contribution to societies

Growing more isolated and in more grave circumstances, Gaza has born a great deal of suffering and pain, resulted from gross, continuous violations

Unless exposed, especially by the directly affected category, i.e. youth, these violations will continue to live in the world's oblivion and limbo. The project will empower the youth in order to be able to defend their rights through field research and advocacy, two established ways of communication in the human rights field.


In July 2016, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor partnered with the University of Jordan to offer a summer school on compliance with international law during armed conflicts.

Following successful completion of this campaign, we will launch our project in November

To start with, we will recruit qualified senior students and recent graduates who are possessed of the following criteria: academic excellence, commitment to human rights advocacy, social media activism, among others. 

Based on our network, we will then recruit human rights lawyers, mainly from the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, and Jordan,  to train and mentor these students 


Why We Need Your Help? 

In 2011, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor was established and has continued to be a youth-run organization. It has since relied on individual donations, voluntary contributions and crowdfunding as the sole sources of financing its operation and projects, and in maintaining this finance policy it has kept its impartiality and independence. Your donation is a demonstration of support to human rights, to youth and to impartiality.


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Anas Almassri8 years ago

We have reached our goal - Thank you!

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