SYFS English Profile

About us

Save Youth Future Society (SYFS) was established in 2001 in the Al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza as an independent non-governmental youth-centred organization that works all over the city.

Through its partnerships with Palestinian and international partners, SYFS works to increase the number of young people participating in its activities and acting as agents of change in their communities. In addition, SYFS attracts other civil society organizations to follow its steps, exchange experiences, and extract lessons learned.

In response to these trends, SYFS has established its main initiatives: SYFS Youth Councils, and Youth Organizations’ Network, which is the practical application of its mission and vision through investment in youth empowerment

SYFS Vision

Save Youth Future Society is a pathway to innovation, inspiration and ambition for all youth to lead a meaningful change for a better future.

SYFS Mission

Save Youth Future Society is an independent organization investing in creating opportunities for Palestinian youth to be engaged in the community by empowering passionate volunteerism and the capacity to lead Palestinian society to achieve sustainable development.

Our Values

Save Youth Future Society genuinely believes in serving with integrity, valuing diversity, and empowering creative solutions. While at the same time respecting Palestinian cultural and social heritage, SYFS commits itself, its board, employees and volunteers to apply the following behavioural models towards excellence. These core values of the organization are:

Together we can be the change

Our actions are driven by socially responsible community engagement and cooperation to make a difference.

Youth volunteering never stops giving

Passionate volunteerism is at the heart of all our actions aiming to be the change we wish to see in the world.

Youth always strive to do better

We understand that no one can do everything perfectly but we also trust that everyone can become better at what they do.

In youth we learn, in age we understand

We believe in growth and continuous learning because failure becomes a success when we learn from it.

Youth are Palestine's hope-makers

We believe that our identity and heritage are our most valuable possession and hope is an answer to protect them.

Youth never give up

We are resilient and determined to face challenges with a positive attitude and transform them into positive change - we believe there is CHANGE in every CHAlleNGE.

SYFS Strategic Objectives

Save Youth Future Society aspires to create significant contributions toward the following goals:

Enhance youth civic participation in the Palestinian society. Improve economic conditions of Palestinian youth and women. Improve quality inclusive education for all Palestinian children and youth. Develop capacities of youth volunteers and partner organizations.

SYFS Thematic Programs

In order to achieve its mission and respond to the needs of Palestinian youth, SYFS has developed four thematic programs to enhance the services provided to them to develop their capacities and empower them to create a remarkable change for a better future and society.

Within the strategic plan for 2022-2019 SYFS has achieved outstanding interventions at the level of four main objectives which came under four main programmes SYFS benefits a total of 660,000 beneficiaries of the four programmes:

Economic Empowerment Program

Striving for Dreams… Shaping Future… Making a Difference

Strategic Objective:

Improve economic conditions of Palestinian youth and women.

Specific Objectives:

Enhance youth employability and entrepreneurship in the labour market.

Involve youth in work and enterprise opportunities in non-profit and private sectors.

Improve the livelihoods of vulnerable youth and families.

Achievements:

Under the Economic programme, SYFS increased the employability and self-employability of over 62,340 youth who participated in capacity building and employment support, which SYFS supported with seed and scaling-up funds for about 60 micro-business and enterprises and create new job opportunities for 7000 youth.

1.

2.

3.

Projects

Adolescents and Youth (AYs) for GREEN: Gaza Resilient Economy and Environment

Enhancing economic resilience women in the Gaza Strip

Envision Gaza 2020

Enhancing Economic Resilience Women in the Gaza Strip

Donors:

EU in partnership with SCI

Donors:

UNDP

Donors:

USAID in partnership with CRS

Donors:

UNDP

Integration of life skills education through applying active learning methodologies in teaching core subjects and provision of remedial education lessons to low achieving students from grades 5-3

SALALEM: Prosperity and Advancement for Palestinian Women and Youth

Economic Empowerment of Youth in the Fishing Sector

Empowerment Youth Energies

Donors:

Gaza Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance

Donors:

UNICEF

GAC in partnership with CRS

Donors:

AFESD

Donors:

WB in partnership with NDC

Donors:

ECHO in partnership with MC

Donors:

BMZ in partnership with SCI

Technology-Enabled Careers Harnessing

Untapped Potential - TECH UP

62,340

Strengthening resilience, agricultural recovery and green technology in Gaza Strip Women and Youth Entrepreneurs Leading Change – OBADER youth

micro-business

Donors:

GAC in partnership with CARE

Donors:

GAC in partnership with MC

7,000

60 new job for youth

Strategic Objective:

Improve quality inclusive education for all Palestinian children and youth

Specific Objectives:

1 2. 3. 4.

Expand access to education for all Vulnerable children are enabled to access and continue their education

Children gained access to enhanced, safe, and adapted preschool and school learning facilities Vulnerable youth are enabled to access university and vocational education

Achievements:

Under this program, SYFS enhanced access and improved the quality of education for 170,001 adolescent and school-age children through remedy classes rehabilitation and access to education services including psychosocial support in partnership with the education and protection cluster partners. For a systematic and inclusive educational environment for children, SYFS works on improving the response of parents and teachers for the development process of children and adolescents learning in addition to providing highly responsive education for supporting the catch-up interventions for youth at risk of school dropping out, in addition to improving the education facilities and access; SYFS to date built the capacity of 5200 parents and caregiver, 16,000 teachers and principals. Moreover, SYFS managed to rehabilitate 221 schools and provided education assistance services for 337 children with disability.

Projects

Building Resilience and Addressing Violence from Early Ages to Adolescence

Upholding children's Right to education

Donors: Leaving No Child Behind

Donors:

UNICEF

Donors:

EU-EIDHR

NORAD in partnership with SCI

Donors: Qatar Scholarships Programme

EAA in partnership with UNDP

Education and Learning Through Fun Activities in Teaching Core Subjects Arabic and Math for Grades 4-1

Improved learning through access to active learning, positive discipline and remedial education for children and adolescents affected by the humanitarian crisis in Gaza”.

Donors:

UNESCO

Donors:

UNICEF

Donors: WL_STEM_Activity 2020

WL

Integration of life skills education through applying active learning methodologies and remedial education lessons to low achieving students from grades 5-3

Donors: "Leaving No Child Behind" 2019

Donors:

UNICEF

NORAD in partnership with SCI

Donors: Catch up Classes for Grades 5-3 in public schools in Gaza

170,001 Parents and Caregiver

Adolescent and school-age children

UNICEF

5,200 Teachers and Principals

337

16,000 Schools

221 Children with Disability

Greater Engagement... Broader Impact... Making a Difference Save

Strategic Objective:

Enhance youth civic participation in the Palestinian society

Specific Objectives:

1. 2 3. 4.

Enhance youth community participation and voluntary work

Youth improved civic participation knowledge and skills

Youth advocated for enhanced participation in decision-making at local, national, regional, and international levels

Youth improved peer-to-peer support in community engagement

Achievements:

Since its establishment, SYFS has been giving special attention to youth civic engagement in the social, political and humanitarian response context, where they can lead the change to a better future for the new Palestinian generations. Under this programme, SYFS has increased civic engagement for over 1,760,122 community members including 35,135 children and adolescents and over 1,700,000 youth through initiatives and psychological rehabilitation in addition to capacity building and awareness-raising programs in leadership, ToT, and life skills. Under the participatory approach, SYFS supported the youth to lead actions in multi-sectoral spheres including but not limited to risk education, peacebuilding, psycho-social support, humanitarian response during the conflict, environment, and climate change, hence youth form the units, the voluntary base and the power stone for the SYFS.

Projects

Positive Youth Engagement (PYE)

Donors:

USAID in partnership with MC

Green Skies… Healthy Lands: to enhance the green practices among youth to mitigate climate change impact, in the Gaza strip.

" Water is Life "

Raise communities’ awareness regarding the benefits and usage of the desalinated water in Gaza Strip."

Music for Peace

Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) and Conflict Preparedness and Protection (CPP) including COVID-19 Messages in GazaPalestine

USAID in partnership with MSI

Donors:

UNICEF

Donors: EU

Donors:

UNMAS in partnership with UNOPS

Leading Young People Through Effective Social and Digital Empowerment to Combat Shrinking Young People's Spaces

Health Matters - Mitigating the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable populations in Gaza and supporting community resilience through integrated health facilities and community-based health services

Donors:

Donors: GIZ

Donors:

USAID in partnership with IMC

EU Caravan

Conflict Preparedness and Protection

Outreach in the Gaza Strip – 2022

Donors:

Donors:

EU

NMFA in partnership with NPA

Support to Local Elections in West Bank & East Jerusalem and raising youth awareness on Political and Democratic Transformation in Gaza Strip

Engaging Communities in the COVID-19 Response and Vaccine Promotion Campaign

Rapid Response Explosive Ordnance Risk Education in Gaza – 2021

Donors:

Donors:

Donors:

Cinema Bus: Palestinian Youth Promoting Peace Tolerance and Non-violence in the Gaza Strip EU

Support Outreach for the COVID19-Risk Communications and Engagement Plan

Donors:

Japan Gov. in partnership with UNICEF

Youth Health and Leadership in the Gaza Strip GAC in partnership with UNFPA

Summer activities for Adolescents

Donors:

Donors:

UNICEF

Gaza Summer Inspiration Youth

Camps 2019

Adolescents and Youth Towards High-Quality Education in Gaza Strip.

Young Leader Project "New Generation IV" in Gaza Strip.

Japan Gov. partnership with UNDP

Donors: UNFPA

Donors:

Empowering Youth to contribute to Psychological Well-Being in Gaza During Covid19-

Donors:

FES

Donors:

GIZ

Donors:

Next-Gen Coders Network – (Fall 2019) WL

Social Innovation Camp

Donors:

Japan Gov. in partnership with UNDP

Donors:

Youth Hackathon UNFPA

1,760,122 35,135 Youth

1,700,000

Community members Children and adolescents

Capacity Development Program

Skillful Team… Effective Approach… Making a Difference!

Strategic Objective:

Develop capacities of youth volunteers and partner organizations

Specific Objectives:

1.

Enhance capacities of SYFS Youth Council and youth volunteer

2.

3. 4

SYFS Youth Council and youth volunteers enhanced life skills

SYFS Youth Council and youth volunteers are enabled in technical areas relevant to their community engagement

SYFS Youth Council and youth volunteers are empowered to lead community mobilization.

(SYFS Youth Council)

SYFS Youth Volunteering Units

As a youth-led organization, SYFS puts youth at the heart of its activities as the ambassadors of change and development in their communities. Youth are the primary drivers of SYFS endeavors and enthusiastic spirit. Stemming from their belief in youth abilities, creativity, and passion SYFS, provides youth with the capacity training programs and incubates them as they are the real treasure for the Palestinian community to lead for the change and to enhance their engagement to provide a generation of leaders, enterprises, and champions at several fields to serve their country.

After the military aggression on the Gaza Strip, a group of trained volunteers participated in SYFS programs and activities to provide humanitarian aid and distribute aid packages for the military aggression victims affected by conducting psycho-social support activities for children and women at shelters.

The Voluntary base of youth became a forum for volunteering for humanitarian activities across the Gaza Strip during the crises, which turned into the SYFS Youth Councils in 2016

SYFS Youth Council is a voluntary youth-led independent entity, which aims to mobilize and empower youth to provide them with the tools, and cognitive and practical skills in an atmosphere of cooperation. They have high loyalty to society with the principle of social accountability and democratic practices. Youth Council is a crucial stone for SYFS. They provide reliable and evidence-based context data for the social, environmental, economic, and humanitarian circumstances

Gaza Strip Youth Council

General-Assembly

General Council for Rafah

General Council for Caza

General Council for Khany ounis

General Council for Centeral Governorates

General Council for Northern Governorates

The Branched Council in 61 areas across the Gaza Strip

Gaza Branch Councils

Al Tfah Area

Al Zahraa

Al Zitoon

Al Northern Rimal

Al Southern Rimal

Al Shati Area

Al Shijaia

Al Sheikh Ridwan

Al Sabra

Al Nasser

Tal Al Hawa

Al Moghraka

Al Awda

Khanyounis Branch Councils

Al Balad

Al Batn Al Samin Area

Khuza’a

The Great Abbasan

The New Abbasan

Bni Suhaila Area

Al Fukhari

Ma’an Area

Al Karara

The Northern Line Area

The Southern Area

The Camp Area

The Project Area (Al Mashrou)

Hmad Area

Rafah Branch Councils

Al Mawasi

The Saudi Neighborhood

Al Sultan Area

The Shou’out Neighborhood

Yabna Area

The Central Downtown

Al Shaboura Area

Khirbat Al Adas

Junina Area

Mawarij Area

Brazil Area

Northern Branch Councils

Bait Hnoun

Al Abraj Area

Bait Lahia

Jabalia Camp & Al Za’atar

Ibad Al Rahman

Jabalya Downtown

Al Twam

Al Atatra

Al Sawftawy

Centeral Branch Councils

Deir Al Balah

Al Zawaida

Al Mghazi

Al Burij

Al Nusirat

Juhr Adeik

Youth Council (YC) has a strategic management system that includes 55 branched councils and five General councils in the main five governorates in the Gaza strip which are directly connected with the head Council of the Gaza Strip that is linked and supported directly by the Save Youth Future.

Youth Councils (YC) has 2000 members from across the Gaza Strip specializing in various topics introduced to enhance youth civic engagement and leadership to contribute to solving the critical crises in Palestine.

Youth Councils with their creativity and passion don’t stop creating more initiatives for systematic action that covers the multi-sectoral humanitarian and developmental aspects, as a result, they form the EUCC Unit, and the Media and Advocacy Unit (Ghndhai) under the umbrella of the Youth Council that provide more specialized:

55 members 2000

Branched Councils

governorates 5

Advocacy and Media Unit (Gandhi)

Gandhi is established as a media and advocacy body under the SYFS, in 2011 to enhance the youth’s role in advocacy through media and traditional media to increase youth participation in advocating for critical issues in Palestine and strengthen their abilities to access the information in the transparency and democratic sphere. SYFS harnesses the means and tools to develop their capacities and provide them with types of equipment to improve their involvement in local regional and global issues. The Unit included 70 members of media, journalists’ specialists, and social media influencers. They are responsible for covering, advocating, and raising community awareness regarding several concerning issues via the media and new media tools by launching advocacy campaigns.

Environment and Climate Change Unit (EUCC)

The Environment Unit and Climate Change (EUCC) is a Palestinian volunteering youth-led forum established in 2017 under Save Youth Future Society towards a rapid transition to efficient and climate-friendly means for green management and urban development. The EUCC promotes the principle of strategic, sustainable and innovative technologies to limit the graving impact of climate change and environmental crises to strengthen the Palestinian cities' resilience. The forum has 100 members: academics, researchers, and activists from several sectors, including water, biodiversity, climate change, geology, and agriculture who work in cooperation with CBOs and NGOs and municipalities to enhance the green practices in Palestine and improve the local awareness regarding such crisis to form the first youth-led

Youth Organizations’ Network

SYFS’s successful development over the years constitutes a success story that attracts an increasing number of community organizations looking for lessons learned, experience-sharing, and an example to follow. In response to this demand, SYFS has initiated Youth Organizations’ Network. Initiated in 2007 and re-activated in 2014 under SYFS leadership the Network brings together 24 organizations in both Gaza Strip and West Bank, all dedicated to supporting youth positive engagement with society. Its membership keeps growing as the increasing number of organizations adhere to the Network’s Code of Conduct. SYFS coordinates the meetings and collective efforts towards more effective engagement of youth in society, and improved opportunities for youth interventions positively contributing to social development including through involving the Network’s members in sub-granting agreements from SYFS to conduct activities in youth volunteerism community engagement.

Memberships

Founding Member of the Youth Organizations’ Network (Youth-Net), Palestine, initiated in 2007, re-activated in 2014

Member of Compact for Young People in Humanitarian Action, global, joined in 2017

Co-founding member of the Regional Network for Youth Economic Empowerment, Tunisia - Egypt - PalestineAlgeria, joined in 2017

Member of Affiliated Network for Social Accountability in the Arab World, Egypt, joined in 2014

Member of Anna Lindh

Foundation EuroMed Network, based in Alexandria, Egypt, joined in 2004

Member of the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) Standards and Practice Working Group, USA, joined in 2015

Member of the Palestinian Youth CBOs Network for Reform and Citizenship, Palestine, joined in 2014

Member of the Arab Network of NGOs, based in Cairo, Egypt, joined in 2003

Participation in International Activities

Wise 2021 conference, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar, November 2021

Wise 2019 conference, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar, November 2019

Wish 2018 conference, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar, November 2018

Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) Spring 2018

Standards and Practice Working Group Meeting held in Oslo, Norway in May 2018

CSFS Dialogue Fellows 2017 held in Tunis, Tunisia, and Cairo, Egypt, and online, from May to October 2017

Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) Fall 2016

Standards and Practice Working Group Meeting held in Berlin, Germany in November 2016

Program on Humanitarian Leadership held in Cambridge Massachusetts, USA in April and May 2016

International Visitor Leadership Program held in Washington, USA in January and February 2016

BiTriMulti – Setting Up Quality Youth Exchanges Under the Erasmus+: Youth in Action Programme held in Oslo, Norway in October 2015

Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) Fall 2015

Standards and Practice Working Group Meeting held in Geneva, Switzerland in October 2015

UN Youth Conference on Human Rights and Democracy held in Narvik, Norway in October 2014

Palestine Conference: The War in Gaza, Occupied Land, and Stolen Water held in Oslo, Norway in October 2014

Meeting with the Youth for Change Network based in Paris, France in April 2014

Mediterranean Anna Lindh Forum held in Marseille, France in April 2013

Analysis of Government Policies held in Cairo, Egypt in February 2013

Trust EuroMed Youth: Proactive Employment Future held in Madrid, Spain in October 2012

Youth Employment Forum held in Geneva, Switzerland in May 2012

Euro-Med Challenges held in Madeira, Portugal in May 2012

Home Exchange held in Seville, Spain in July 2012

Right to Rights held in Crete, Greece in September 2012

Empowering Youth Led Development held in Bolzano, Italy in October 2011

Palestinian Refugees Right to Return conference held in New York, USA in April 2004

Cooperation for Poverty Alleviation conference held in Washington, USA in July 2004 upon invitation of the Union of Churches

Youth Camp held in Berlin, Germany in June 2004 upon invitation of GTZ

Joined a Palestinian Delegation visiting several organizations and churches in Atlanta, Georgia, USA in August 2004 to gather support for the Palestinian youth and their needs and ambitions, in cooperation with the International Network of Hands Coalition for Hunger Alleviation

Joined Palestinian Students’ Delegation attending the Academics and Students for Ending the Occupation conference held in Jerusalem in January 2005 upon invitation of the Academics and Students Coalition for Ending the Occupation