Human Supporters Association

In May 2002, following the Israeli invasion of the city of Nablus, a group of young paramedics from Nablus had the idea to reach out to children and teenagers who go through traumatic events on a daily basis. Their aim was to bring happiness and pleasure into their daily lives while enabling them to reclaim their rights. Their ideas were put into practice through public parties for youth in and around Nablus. As these events became more regular, the small team quickly grew into a well-established organization. On the 14th of June 2006 the Human Supporters Association received official recognition as a non-governmental organization, and ever since, it has continued to grow and adapt according to the needs of the young society of Nablus. Human Supporters Association believes in a political-psychological approach, because "one cannot take the traumatic experience out of the political context of the life of the young people." Therefore, we consider it to be important to initiate a work method that combines psychological work with training and empowerment for activism against the occupation, along with building up the society in a time of constant occupation. Human Supporters Association believes that when children throw stones they are not committing a political violent action. On the contrary, they are trying to take an active role and express their feelings by sending a message. This is the way they choose to show us their needs. We believe we can offer them the knowledge and support to enforce more productive, and peaceful manners. Human Supporters Association does this through helping them go through a healthy process in dealing with their traumatic context and enabling them to focus on their future, yet in an apolitical manner. To do this we try to create a more active role for themselves in their own life, helping them to understand and analyse the context in which they are living and by including them in the strategising for the future, we enable them to develop an important coping mechanism through confronting the fear and trauma. The main values Human Supporters Association aims to foster are: • Respect and tolerance: Through respect for and tolerance of other cultures, religions, and people the youth is able to establish meaningful relationships and attain an open and accepting attitude. • Diversity: Human Supports Association believes that one can only achieve true unity through diversity. The organization fosters diversity in terms of religion, socio-economic status, and geographical heritage. • Gender equality: Through treating the youth equally, and providing them with equal opportunities, as well as a focus on female empowerment, the organization aims to foster gender equality among the new generations. We believe this to be of vital importance for the future of a productive, equal society and workforce. • Identity: We aim to foster the Palestinian identity through cultural activities involving history, music, dance, theatre, and play for the children to learn about and connect with their rich heritage. • International law: Human Supporters Association highly values international law regarding the rights of the child. • Transparency: Human Supporters Association aims to keep any transaction or communication within or regarding the organization transparent to all employees, and welcomes any feedback or suggestions from employees.