Learning by Doing

The Experience of Popular Achievement in Palesting

Abstract

*Arab Countries in the Middle East and North Africa | Research Articles

This article presents a model of youth civic engagement practice that has been implemented in the West Bank and Gaza since 2002. This is the story of Popular Achievement (PA). The paper discusses Popular Achievement’s experiential “learning by doing” approach to youth civic engagement, suggesting the transformative value and learning potential of this model for young people. Drawing upon testimonies of its young “coaches,” we try to tease out some of the reported outcomes that young people have attributed to their participation in this “project,” and analyze them in light of the constraining social and political context under which these youth live. As practitioners, we also share some practical lessons learned from our experience in implementing this practice in Palestine that could inform this as well as similar youth civic participation programs elsewhere.