OneVoice’s Leadership Program equips young Israelis and Palestinians with grassroots leadership and community organization skills as we build a grassroots movement for change. We hold trainings in civic engagement, conflict resolution, civic mobilisation, democratisation and non-violence in settings throughout the Region – from Kibbutzim to refugee camps, cities to villages. With 1,814 youth leaders and our committed Israeli and Palestinian staff we have engaged over 600,000 Israelis and Palestinians to become members of OneVoice. By the end of 2008 we will have trained over 500 new youth leaders and set up 14 Youth Chapters across Palestine and Israel, and we aim to train 750 youth leaders in 2009 and 1,000 in 2010 and an additional 1300 people in 2011. Our youth leaders are the engine in our movement, and by building a human infrastructure of skilled and trained volunteers of over 4,800 people we hope to double our membership to well over 1 million members and mobilize citizens on an unforeseen level in the Middle East to have a concrete effect in pushing the peace process forward. OneVoice’s work in Israel and Palestine aims to: -Educate citizens about their power to improve and influence the political atmosphere through civic action; -Accord all citizens the opportunity to enact their civic responsibility in open and safe forums; -Foster democratic engagement, strengthen democratic processes, and advance professional governance concepts including political transparency, anti-corruption, and responsible leadership; -Highlight non-violence as a superior form of expression and impact; -Create visibility for the broad segments of society that crave progress but which are often hidden from the media lens and thus elusive to “the other side;” -Counteract extremist, militant and radical groups by amplifying the voice of moderation and calls for reform; -Enhance civil society’s role in ensuring accountability from government - officials and provide a broad mantle of legitimacy to leaders who openly adopt moderate agendas; -Train and empower young leaders with lasting skills to organize their communities in positive ways; -Provide alternatives in the opportunities that young people, both male and female, are given within their societies; -Build coalitions from left to right and religious to secular between all groups who can recognize that a negotiated resolution to the conflict is in their own best interests. Aims for the Youth Leadership Program 2008-2011: -To create a human infrastructure of 4,800 leaders, skilled and equipped to present OneVoice’s message geared to mobilize society against extremism and towards conflict resolution; -To galvanise and capitalise on our existing resource of 1,814 youth leaders (as of September 2008); -To have 34 functioning and active Youth Chapters/ Councils across Israel and Palestine -To instill a feeling of ownership and responsibility over OneVoice to thousands of inspired and committed Palestinian and Israeli activists; -To structure the leadership program so that graduates of the training take on the duty of recruiting and guiding their peers, providing opportunities for increased leadership to those that demonstrate the greatest commitment; -To counteract apathy and disillusionment with the peace process by demonstrating there is still a partner for peace Implementation of the programme in 2009 is expected to cost £250,000, covering all costs of rolling out the scheme in Israel, the Occupied Territories and Gaza. 2009 is likely to be a crucial year for the prospects of peace between Israel and Palestine, with new leaders in place in Israel, Gaza, Ramallah and the United States. We want to ensure that a generation of young Israeli and Palestinian leaders are in place too; ready to capitalise on a historic window of opportunity in the coming year.