MEET EHAB BADWI
Despite having studied mechanical engineering in Syria, Ehab got politically involved after leaving his home country around the start of the Syrian War. Over the past seven years, he has lived in many countries and found his way around in their societies until settling in Germany five years ago. Wanting to become more involved on a political level, he studied Political Sciences to deepen his knowledge and understanding of this field. Upon arrival in Germany, he learned the language and developed a network of people who could help him with his initiative to bring together and empower Syrian youth around the world. With his family in Syria and the limited possibilities to remain in touch on his mind, Ehab considered how he could play a role in building peace and how he could invite others to join him in this process.
Through an online platform, the Syrian Youth Assembly invites young people to think about how they can make a difference. But this could not be achieved without providing education, as those that became part of the network could not consider peace building before having their immediate needs met first. Hence, with peacebuilding in mind, the platform provides online and local access to education and training. The training sets up participants with the skills and knowledge to train others within their own community, making the network’s efforts and resources sustainable and impactful beyond its current reach. Besides the educational offers through partnering programmes, the Syrian Youth Assembly hosts a debating lab in which people with different political affiliations share and challenge each other’s views. Additionally, young people are invited to share their stories online where a section is dedicated to ‘voices of youth’. Through these many different facets, the project engages both Syrian young people in and outside of Syria. Despite the different challenges these young people face, there is one challenge they are facing together – building peace in Syria.
Young Syrians currently based in Europe deal with challenges similar to those Ehab has come across. Whilst they are not immediately allowed to vote in their new place of living, it is hard to find ways in which to engage with local and national politics and find out what you can do. Considering the next step of integration, both for him and for others, the political involvement seemed most urgent. The Syrian Youth Assembly invites young people to start a dialogue with people with a different cultural or religious background to further understanding between groups and therefore help make Europe stronger. These contributions are appreciated and effective on a political level, as the Youth Assembly has become invested in challenging and changing current refugee policies. Working together with the UN and other large-scale organisations, the project allows for different voices to be heard in discussions about change and peace.
Currently, over 40,000 young people are part of the network worldwide. Through education, political engagement, a growing network and advocacy, the Syrian Youth Assembly aims to build a stronger society that is led by young people. Joining the Changemakers for Migration network, Ehab hopes to expand the advocacy of the involvement of young people in political decision-making and peacebuilding worldwide.
“How can we invite young people to participate in the peace process?”