TYO in Context

Tomorrow’s Youth Organization seeks to generate concrete action on the ground, improving conditions for children and their families in the most disadvantaged areas of the Middle East. While it is impossible to erase the suffering of past generations, we believe it is possible to create a much different setting for tomorrow’s youth in this region. This vision was set out by Hani Masri, the Founder and President of Tomorrow’s Youth Organization. The organization is funded by generous donations from individuals.

Tomorrow’s Youth Organization targets the Middle East as a strategic location based on the region’s demographics, geopolitical significance, and cultural richness.

Demographic Factors

Current demographics in the Middle East are striking: at least 50% of each country’s population is composed by youth (between the ages of 14 and 35). This trend certainly holds true in Nablus: according to the 2007 Census, 60% of Nablus’s population is under the age of 25 and 73% under 35¹.

As observed by the World Bank’s 2007 World Development Report, this surge in the younger generation represents a fantastic opportunity, as well as an array of challenges. By providing services (training, tuition support), opportunities (service learning, exposure to international organizations and perspectives), and support (safe and positive relationships with adults, encouraging input about career and other future prospects)², TYO programs aim to optimize this unique demographic context.

In light of these statistics, as well as the inherent potential of youth as a force for change, TYO engages youth in productive, formative, and rewarding activities. But our model goes a step further: by offering early childhood education programs and training in this area for young people as well as parents, it looks forward to the next phase of the current demographic bulge. In the next 5-10 years, this largest age cohort ever will move into parenthood. By promoting high-quality early childhood education among tomorrow’s parents and professionals, TYO will contribute to a society that promotes safe, healthy, and holistic development from an early age. This multi-generational approach is the key to success in achieving the TYO mission.

Global Significance

Particularly in a post-Annapolis year including presidential elections in the US and Israel, to say nothing of evolving situations in Iran and Pakistan, the geopolitical significance of the cradle of civilization is of undeniable magnitude. Instability, tendency toward sectarian violence, and risk of anti-Western propaganda among disadvantaged populations are antithetical to peace in the global community. Inasmuch, TYO programs have been designed with the aim of promoting access to safe and secure education, critical thinking, exposure to international ideas, and vocational / professional training. Our hope is that such activities will contribute to resolving many of the issues that underlie the conflicts and suffering observed within and between forces in the Middle East and the West.

Cultural and Historical Heritage

The cultural and historical depth of the Middle East is a great asset for attracting international engagement in and support of TYO programs, through exchange visits, on-site training courses, and donor tours among other activities.

¹Results of the 2007 Census conducted by the Palestine Central Bureau of Statistics are available for download at http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/census2007/default.aspx?lang=ar-jo

²This S.O.S. perspective is endorsed by Save the Children, who through their Naseej Program, supported by the Ford Foundation, have done extensive community youth development work in partnership with local NGOs in the West Bank and other Middle East locations.