Active citizens are those that get involved in their local communities, participate in democratic processes at all levels, and engage with issues bigger than themselves. In Palestine, youth face both the restrictions of the Israeli occupation and the democratic deficit within Palestine, which has led to greater rights violations. Sharek takes a human rights-based approach to all its initiatives, encouraging long-term and sustainable change with youth at the forefront. To this end, we encourage young people's participation in both formal and informal political processes to effectuate real change at the local and national levels, in a manner that will benefit the entire society. Our all-time emphasis is on young women, noting that Palestine has one of the lowest rates of representation of women in decision-making roles in the entire Arab world at only 18%.