By Athar Shtiwe

After participating in the International Forum Youth Act I, luckily, I was invited to participate in the International Forum Youth Act II. We were a group of young people from different parts of the Mediterranean and on the 13th of June, we arrived and started our journey in the beautiful city of Barcelona.

The International Forum Youth Act II was a fabulous place and space to share, talk and discuss our realities. I shared my experience as a Palestinian youth, and I talked about the struggle of the Palestinians in general. Moreover, I listened and learned about the struggles and conflicts of the youth in other countries. For example, Western Sahara, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Kurdistan, and Iraq. Because of the dominant powers that are taking over the Mediterranean, the young people are silenced, and this forum was of great importance to raise our voices and to speak up.

Not only that, but we also had trainings, workshops, and sessions with different organizations that spotted the light on Peace, Conflict, Feminism, and Ecofeminism. Furthermore, we got the chance to go around the city and to be introduced to many important and symbolic places.

The forum has opened up my mind and I recognized the importance and the need to learn through sharing and listening to others in order to see the world from different perspectives. Through this forum, we got the chance to meet young people from different countries, and together we sent different messages of peace, harmony, love, and progress.