Al Mustaqbal - Palestinian Youth Parliament

Over the last week of planning for the Graphic Novel programs (without classes) I have been working with the Al-Mustabal (Future Society) to help with applications and proposals for their Palestinian Youth Parliament initiative. This is an eight stage process to build a forum for democratic education and government involvement for the Palestinian youth, which currently consists of over 82% of the population (18-35yrs old). 65% of this sector has an enormous leisure time with no jobs and a dwindling agricultural economy. Such economic circumstances could lead to the youth joining resistance groups that are less efficient for the building of a Palestinian state and overall liberation and freedom from oppression. The Society is an organized group of both women and men that work towards not only the training of youth in policy development, democratic principles and human rights but also a forum of discussion for active youth participation. Yesterday I arrived to continue working on a grant application and I was suprised to find that they were taking me and another woman from the German Agency for Aid on a trip to Wada Badan (Badan Valley). This is an area that was closed via checkpoint by the occupation but has been recently re-opened since the new Israeli settlement was fully developed close by, over the hill. The bottom of the valley use to be filled with a clean river but since the developemnt of the settlement, the water-way was blocked and redirected to the settlement, and their sewage was directed to where the river use to be. It has now been re-opened and no longer blocked by checkpoint but there is still no water running down this historical valley (Want to know more about Badan Valley visit http://www.poica.org/editor/case_studies/view.php?recordID=1143). We pulled up to a hill where there were some broken-down buildings, a few surrounding farm lands for cucumbers and bedouin children playing under the olive trees. It was a site I had never seen before and I could feel the Director and Program Coordinator's excitment when they told us what was to come of it. With smiles from ear to ear, they explained that this last week Mahmoud Abbas had given them the land at a very reasonable price in order to build a University for diplomacy and policy development. Basically the dream is that the school will be known for its two-three year diploma throughout the Middle East. This would build the reputation of Palestine as the peace seeking society they really are. The complex would include accomodation for singles and families, separate dorms for men and women, a swimming pool, activities centre with gym, state fo the art classrooms and more. We sat under a tree to have some juice and talk about the project. At this time they have the land and the idea but are seeking to develop the proposals for funding and bring engineers on board for planning. I only hope I can contact the right people to help them. After the picnic we strolled towards one of the partly demolished structures. They explained that the land use to belong to Jordan and this structure was a Mosque for Jordanian soldiers, but after the Six Day war and Israeli occupation, the Israeli's used it. I could tell there had been fighting on the site as bullet holes still remained in the strcture. I was mezmorized by the sun bouncing off the brilliant sea-blue paint inside. When leaving the site the bedouin children waltzed towards us and I couldn't help but take a picture of the little girl, covered in farm soot and crystal clear dark green eyes glearing at me.