ICSPR Holds Youth Workshop on the Role of Young People in Reconstruction and Strengthening Community Resilience in Gaza
Date: Wednesday, 11 February 2026
Press Release
ICSPR Holds Youth Workshop on the Role of Young People in Reconstruction and Strengthening Community Resilience in Gaza
The International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR) held a specialized workshop today, Wednesday, 11 February 2026, targeting youth in the Gaza Strip under the title: “The Role of Youth in the Reconstruction Phase and Strengthening Community Resilience.” The event was attended by a group of young people, community activists, and representatives of grassroots initiatives.
This workshop came amid the growing need to strengthen youth engagement in recovery and reconstruction processes following the profound humanitarian, economic, and social impacts left by recent attacks. ICSPR sought to create an active dialogue space with young people as a vital social force capable of bringing about real and sustainable change.
The workshop aimed to raise youth awareness about their central role in reconstruction efforts and to enable them to actively engage in community recovery. This includes launching volunteer initiatives, strengthening community oversight tools, promoting transparency and accountability, and contributing to the development of local policies that reflect citizens’ needs and priorities.
The workshop covered several key themes, most notably the concept of reconstruction from both developmental and rights-based perspectives, the importance of ensuring fair distribution of resources, and the role of youth in safeguarding integrity and enhancing accountability throughout the reconstruction stages. Participants also discussed mechanisms for effective community participation in local decision-making, in addition to the challenges of the post-aggression phase and practical ways to strengthen community resilience and recovery.
In her opening remarks, the Activities Coordinator at ICSPR, Alaa Dawood, emphasized that young people constitute a fundamental pillar in the reconstruction process—not only as beneficiaries of projects, but as genuine partners in planning, implementation, and oversight. She stressed that involving youth in setting development priorities increases the effectiveness of interventions and makes them more responsive to the real needs of the local community.
She added that empowering young people requires providing a supportive environment that ensures access to information, builds their capacities in leadership and community action, and creates genuine communication channels between them and decision-makers, in a way that guarantees the sustainability and fairness of reconstruction efforts.
The workshop witnessed remarkable engagement from participants, who presented practical visions and initiatives reflecting their awareness of existing challenges. The main recommendations included the need to provide safe spaces for youth empowerment, to strengthen training and qualification opportunities, and to ensure their meaningful participation in all stages of planning, implementation, and evaluation of reconstruction programs.
This workshop comes as part of a series of activities implemented by ICSPR to promote human rights principles, reinforce the values of community participation, and support young people in playing an active and influential role in recovery and rebuilding efforts in the Gaza Strip, contributing to a society that is more resilient and better prepared to face future challenges.
