Press Releases

8 March 2012, BADIL’s Local Refugee Youth Network (LRYN) held its first meeting today to develop and initiate its action plan for 2012. The LYRN is an extension of the 2011 Intensive Leadership Training Summer School, to increase the youth’s capacity to participate and engage, which is part of BADIL’s Campaign for the Defense of Palestinian Refugee Rights.

The LRYN is composed of youth, 18 – 25 years old who are active in their communities and/or attended the 2011 summer school. The group met at BADIL office to plan and discuss their activities for 2012; after dividing them into three focus groups, representing the southern, northern and central West Bank, the youth suggested activities on the local and national levels to commemorate Land Day, 30 March.

In addition to the tradition activity of planting trees in areas at risk and affected communities, some additional suggestions were:

1. Awareness activities in academic institutions (primary and secondary) and through radio and TV talk shows.
2. Indoor and outdoor theatrical exhibitions using traditional and non-traditional forms of expression (such as a play, poem recitals, balloon release and flags waving).
3. Arranging cultural and supporting tours and communal interactions in areas threatened and or/affected by the Apartheid Wall and the Israeli policies of ethnic cleansing of the indigenous populations.
4. Mobile photo exhibition.
5. Creation of a song or anthem on the issues of Land Day, the lives of refugees and the Nakba.

Two field facilitators were selected-based on interest and competence-from each region to organize and manage the initiatives and to network with civil society organizations, popular committees and academic institutions in order to engage the maximum number of participants. The majority of the LRYN, as graduates of the summer school, had been educated in the nuances of developing and implementing activities, networking and communication.

The LRYN suggested a theme centered on raising awareness regarding revealing the colonial practices of the Jewish National Fund (JNF) and strengthening the solidarity movement against the Zionist organization for the Land Day activities.

Following the Land Day initiatives, the network will submit and organize initiatives for the Nakba-64 commemoration and a six-day tour of the West Bank for a group of 80 youth including themselves. The six-day tour will be completely planned and organized by the LRYN, including the nomination of participants.

The youth were also assigned the tasks of writing a 500-600 word article for BADIL’s quarterly Arabic paper, Haq Al Awda; distribution of the latest issue of that paper; and the promotion of the Al Awda Award Competition in their local communities and academic institutions.