NGOs and New Trajectories of Engagement and Youth Power in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

Youth civic and political engagements are not distinct or separated from each other, and in many cases they overlap and interlink, they result in diversity of youth engagement forms. Youth organizations play an important role in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) in terms of being a recourse, catalyst, and supporter for youth engagement, whether civic or political.  As youth organizations were trying to cope with changes of sociopolitical context in the oPt, they reinforced different trajectories of engagement than the ones that existed within the Palestinian society between the 70’s, 80’s, and early 90’s. The organization’s type (Social movement organization, politically affiliated organization, youth development organization) is a vital factor in deciding how the organization dealt with changes in the context and the frame and trajectory of engagement reinforced.

This paper aims at understanding the change in the trajectory of engagement in the oPt; how does it differ from the trajectory of the engagement that took place between the 70’s and early 90’s; how does this change impact youth power and position in the oPt; How do different types of organizations provide different strategies, forms, of youth engagement?