Great reports from the Dar Assadaqa 'Winter camp'

Young people in Abu Dis, Palestine live squashed between the Israeli security wall, vast Israeli settlements and a serious military checkpoint. Their lives are dominated by travel restrictions, army invasions to the schools, imprisonments and shootings of young people. It is terrible to see the pressure increasing on the young people - though it is also inspiring to see their continuing strength

and energy and love to laugh!
Last year, Dar Assadaqa Community Centre in Abu Dis began a project "A Voice for Young Palestinians" - a human rights media programme for young people and women, aiming to upskill young people and women in media; to enable them to describe through different media their experience of the human rights situation in Palestine and the daily violations that are happening; to help them to build international links with young people and women – using the twinning links between Camden and Abu Dis - so they can disseminate this material internationally.
Year one got off to a good start. School students and university students worked on media and human rights projects and linked with young people in Britain to tell their stories.
During the year, the pressure on the young people of Abu Dis continued to be very bad (see CADFA's human rights reports). The Israeli army frequently stopped school classes with tear gas, arrested and even wounded children - and then two youths from the town were killed.
We want to work as hard as we can for the rights of the young people of Abu Dis to live a normal life, free of daily human rights violations. We know that this work increases their optimism and brings hope - which is very important. We are seeking funding to increase resources for the young people and step these courses up this year.