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PYALARA stands for Palestinian Youth Association for
Leadership and Rights Activation.
PYALARA is a communication and media-oriented
Palestinian NGO established for Palestinian youth. It is
both light and serious, conscious and daring.
 The main emphasis of the work of PYALARA is on
‘activation.’ One of our main objectives is to prevent
young Palestinians from becoming thoroughly frustrated
as a result of the harsh conditions under which they are
forced to live. We therefore encourage young
Palestinians to express themselves through writing,
talking, and other forms of communication in order to
maintain a connection with the community. The resulting
written and verbal contributions appear in
The Youth
Times (TYT), the only Palestinian monthly paper for
youth, and the weekly television program,
‘Alli Sowtak’
(Speak Up).
PYALARA believes it is essential to reach out to youth
and those with an interest in the Palestinian youth
culture. In doing so, however, we want to avoid helping
to foster an artificial kind of ‘education’ situation in
which in which knowledge and skills are transferred in a
one-sided direction. For this reason, amongst others, we
stress the importance of open communication,
particularly in relation to the spreading of knowledge
concerning the rights of children and youth – including
both civil and legal rights during times of conflict -
as a form of empowerment, in the same way as we stress
the importance of team-building and activation. We also
attach great importance to the need for young
Palestinians to participate in their society and the
creation of suitable participatory roles, be they
connected to journalism, counseling, or other forms of
‘activism,’ one reason being the fact that, as is well
documented in international publications, participation
helps in preventing both the marginalization and
alienation of youth. We are proud to say that in spite
of our relatively short experience in this field, the
young people with whom we have worked to date have
become exemplary role models in terms of their ability
to inspire both admiration and enthusiasm on the part of
their peers.
PYALARA is registered as an NGO at the Palestinian
Ministry of Interior Affairs. We work closely with the
Palestinian Ministry of Education, Ministry of
Information, and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, as
well as with Palestinian universities and colleges, a
wide national network of schools, and a good number of
other NGOs in implementing projects with a national and
comprehensive outreach. PYALARA has been chosen by
UNICEF as a major strategic partner in Palestine. Our
Director General, Ms. Hania Bitar, is also Editor in
Chief of our monthly publication,
The Youth Times.
Objectives
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 To give a voice to Palestinian youngsters through
specialized media focusing on youth.
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To increase awareness among youth concerning issues
pertaining to their rights and the need to enjoy a
healthy lifestyle whilst providing the means necessary
to motivate and empower youth in their bid to attain the
rights to which they are entitled.
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To increase awareness concerning one’s roots and
identity, environment and culture, as well as awareness
pertaining to the situation of youth in other countries
and the world at large.
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To create a lively Palestinian youth culture.
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To encourage the development of one’s
community and people.
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Main projects and activities
PYALARA has developed two program areas: the ‘Youth
Media Program’ and the ‘Program for the Well-Being of
Youth’ or a healthy lifestyle. A third group of
activities, still nascent, involves the development of
international relations.
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Youth Media...
TV Youth Program
Since December 2000, PYALARA has produced,
with the support of UNICEF and the cooperation of
Palestine TV, a weekly two-hour TV program called
‘Alli Sowtak’ (Speak
Up). An average of 300,000 Palestinian children and
teenagers watch every episode, each of which has a major
theme: for example, education, children’s talents,
health, and children’s awareness concerning their
various rights.
The Youth Times
TYT has developed into a 24-page bilingual Palestinian
youth paper, published on a monthly basis. On average, a
total of 20,000 copies are distributed per month to
100,000–120,000 readers. The paper was established in
1997 and is considered the first paper for Palestinian
youth to be published in Palestine with a nation-wide
distribution. Reflecting Palestinian interests and
issues of concern to youth, the paper gives space to
contributions from young journalists ranging between 14
and 25 years of age.
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Program for the Well-Being of Youth..
The ‘Program for the Well-Being of Youth’ consists of
three branches: psychosocial well-being, physical
well-being, and socio-political well-being.
Psychological Well-Being
The ‘We Care Project’ was developed by
PYALARA in
response to the negative psychological impact the
present-day political situation is having on Palestinian
youth. The essence of this particular project is
youth-to-youth counseling. In April 2002, PYALARA
developed a ‘Youth-to-Youth Hotline,’ which is sponsored
by UNICEF and which currently operates daily between
9.30 am and 4.30 pm.
Physical Well-Being
One of the main objectives of the ‘Youth 4 Health
Program’ is to improve the health of Palestinian
families through raising awareness concerning health
practices by resorting to the youth-to-youth approach.
As part of this program, young Palestinians serve as
role models and health educators for their peers.
Socio-Political Well-Being
The ‘Youth 4 Change Program’ aims at spreading awareness
among Palestinian youth in underprivileged areas
concerning how to become a ‘good citizen,’ concepts of
democracy, youth rights and duties etc. By concentrating
on action-oriented activities, we have already achieved
considerable success in terms of activating an
ever-growing number of Palestinian youngsters.
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International Relations
In view of the suffocating atmosphere in the West Bank
as a result of the many attempts to silence the
collective voice of Palestinians, PYALARA has become
something of an advocate for the Palestinian cause, in
particular, from the perspective of youth. We consider
it of utmost importance to develop international
relations with friendly and sympathetic countries, which
is why as well as starting international exchange visits
for young journalists, we also encourage and facilitate
the participation of Palestinian youth in international
meetings and courses.
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Long-Term Objectives
 For the youth media: Establishing a media department
within PYALARA, to set up an independent Palestinian
youth TV station, to publish
TYT on a bi-weekly basis,
and to cater for students and graduates of visual and
printed media.
For the ‘Program for Youth Well-Being’: Establishing a
department for youth-to-youth counseling services
related to psychosocial health and physical health.
For our international relations efforts: Participation
in a strong, like-minded international youth network and
helping in creating cadres of young Palestinian
ambassadors.
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