Bæder is a joint youth initiative of the International Peace and Cooperation Center (IPCC) Jerusalem and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Ramallah. It aims at promoting the role of the youth in the democratic process, to develop the youths' leadership skills in decision-making, to reduce gender-related barriers and to assist in the building of a pluralistic and viable Palestinian civil society.

Members of BYC, chosen due to their high social and academic commitment, are given the opportunity to further develop their individual capacities through various training programs.

The students are equally chosen from the six regions in the West Bank and arrived to the ceremony from Hebron, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Ramallah, Nablus and Jenin. They were given the opportunity to exchange experiences and impressions from the first training seminars they had attended in their respective cities.

The seminar started with group activities for the members, and continued with a joint lunch, during which the members of the BYC had the chance to interact and to exchange experiences and opinions.

After a lecture by the acclaimed trainer Ashraf Qirtam on the different ways to achieve one’s goals in the professional field, the Palestinian Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports, Jamal Muhaseen, greeted the students, congratulated them and encouraged their interest in developing themselves and their skills

Mr. Thomas Birringer, the resident representative of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung to the Palestinian Autonomous Territories, underlined that the BYC, though founded by IPCC and KAS, will on the long run be an organization on its own, run by and for the students. Therefore, BYC will serve the young generation as well as the Palestinian people as a whole in their aim to achieve a democratic and viable state.

Bisan Saidi from Bir Zeit University, Ramallah, was chosen by the members of the BYC to speak in their name, thanking BYC initiators and coordinators, sharing experiences and expressing their joy to be part of BYC. The event was concluded by a reception.