On November 1-10, Sarah Almzainy and Aya Adwan coordinated a series of workshops on human rights and democracy for fifteen participants at the Amideast/Gaza office. The participants included high schooler, university students, and current English Access Microscholarship Program participants. The training encompassed a variety of topics including human rights, international humanitarian law, and democracy. The sessions were led and facilitated by seven law students at Al Azhar University of Gaza.  

The five sessions covered the following topics: an introduction to human rights and international humanitarian law, the differences between international human rights and humanitarian law, the International Bill of Human Rights, the concept of democracy, and the protection mechanisms for human rights and democracy on the national level.   

The workshop developed the participants’ knowledge of human rights, democracy, and international law. The participants also learned how to convey and share their new knowledge with their peers. The participants were highly enthusiastic and actively engaged during the sessions. They particularly enjoyed the games and a hypothetical case study at the end of the workshop which encouraged them to use their analytical and critical thinking skills and apply their newly acquired knowledge of democracy and human rights.  

Sarah Almzainy (YES 2015-16, Gaza, placed by AYA/AIFS in Evansville, IN)

Aya Adwan (YES 2017-18, Gaza, placed by Greenheart in Mundelein, IL)