Ramzi Odah is cultivating a new generation of young leaders in Palestine to bring good governance and political accountability to a fractured and failing political system. Ramzi founded the Student Forums Institute (SFI) in 2006, a non-profit organization working to empower youth and students in the field of education and leadership to enhance students’ awareness and understanding of sound governance, the rule of law, and democracy. SFI aims to empower young people and increase their political and social involvement in order to create a more democratic and transparent Palestinian society.
Serving as the Director of the SFI, Ramzi created a Youth Parliament, which seeks to engage young people in a practical exercise of democratic governance on a local level in the West Bank city of Bethlehem. Addressing outstanding social problems in their community stemming from religious and gender-based discrimination, members of the Parliament serve as young advocates upholding the interest of their constituents. With a membership of over 1,300 young men and women and growing, the Youth Parliament is a formidable force in local politics and they work with the community to file complaints and draft proposals for laws, which are presented to lawmakers and key decision-makers in the Palestinian Legislative Council.
Recently, the Youth Parliament formed the Youth Network Against Discrimination to address and mitigate social inequalities affecting the community by working to remove religious affiliations from identification cards and labor contracts. The Youth Network also works to integrate young people from rural and marginalized areas, such as predominantly-Bedouin Arab Al Rashaida, with those in Bethlehem. Throughout the course of the year, Youth Network members convened workshops to teach anti-discrimination and civic education, and they conducted visits to remote Bedouin communities to advocate for their equal rights and opportunities.
Each spring, elections are held to model a free and transparent system for participants who are exposed to the mechanisms involved in campaigning, monitoring, and voting. Youth Parliament members have the opportunity to meet with Palestinian political leaders, decision-makers, activists, and scholars to provide students with the necessary skills and relationships to be future leaders. Most notably, members of the Youth Parliament met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss the outcomes of the student election.
Looking forward, Ramzi seeks to replicate the Youth Parliament in other West Bank cities, to create a national Youth Parliament, and to increase the number of young participants. Ramzi's Youth Parliament is the first of its kind in Palestine to model the democratic process and is grooming future leaders to better serve the needs of their community as honest advocates who demand change and accountability from the political system.
To Contact Ramzi:
ramzi_odah@yahoo.com
Tel: 009722751882