Youth Local Councils: Training young Palestinians to practice democracy and good governance

Trained as a civil engineer, Lana has worked in development for 25+ years. Since 2003, she has been the Country Director for Global Communities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and previously was the Deputy Resident Representative for Palestine at the UN Development Program. Lana saw promise in what is now known as Youth Local Councils (YLCs). Incubated within Global Communities, the YLC program harnesses Lana’s and the organization’s expertise and support structures. The program aims to develop youth into accountable leaders who believe in and have experience of democracy, who are inclusive, who resist factionalism, and who believe in their own agency.

With over 300 hours of training in project management, public speaking, negotiating and budgeting, and the opportunity to shadow elected officials, YLCs work with mayors, council members and other stakeholders to solve community problems. They hear constituent concerns and plan and execute real projects with budgets; for example, building parks and outdoor spaces, sustainability campaigns, making buildings and towns handicap-accessible, or mediating disputes among local factions.

The YLCs do not represent political parties; indeed, they are explicitly non-partisan and often work to defuse partisan tension. They are elected by direct democracy to represent the interests of the youth in their communities.

Youth learn and become invested in the democratic system and their communities, and get direct experience not only running for and holding elections, but actively working for change in the community, and seeing governance in practice.

In addition to the communities that have started YLCs with the help of Lana and Global Communities, there are now toolkits that communities can use off the shelf to build their own YLCs without outside funding.

The YLCs have spread across the West Bank and are being replicated around the world to build competency and faith in democracy in Honduras and Ukraine. With a disproportionate amount of the world’s population under the age of 30, this could not come at a better time.

YLC members have traveled to France, Germany and Denmark to share the model, and in Washington, D.C., members visited the White House and members of Congress. As the first cohorts of YLC alum become old enough to stand for official elections, several have been elected as municipal council members, and some have taken roles like Deputy Mayor. Others are taking up positions in nonprofits, universities and international organizations like ActionAid.

Beyond the tens of thousands of youth who are part of the movement, the YLCs are impacting entire communities. These youth are part of families, towns and cities across the West Bank, and they are breaking stereotypes about youth, women, people with disabilities, and their ability to lead, engage and be part of the community development process.