Course Outline
1. Introduction and Background
In view of the fact that today’s young generation will play a major role in the future of Palestine and that a key factor in achieving their mission is the human resource, the PASSIA Leadership Program aims at empowering young leaders to deal more effectively with the tasks ahead.
2. Seminar on Leadership Skills
The course was designed for Palestinian candidates, aged 25-40 years, who held a leading position (i.e., one that includes direct supervision of others) and are or have been concerned with activities that required a leadership role (e.g., contributing to the progress and development of the community).
The overall goal was to establish a general introduction to the various fields of leadership, as deemed relevant in the Palestinian context, and to develop the participants’ understanding of how to lead and manage people, how to effectively motivate others and delegate tasks, and how to use newly acquired tools to improve the performance of organizations and further their goals.
Besides advertising the seminar in the local media, additional notification was given to certain organizations such as youth groups, political parties, etc. By the deadline of 14 August 2000, PASSIA had received 320 applications from all over the Palestinian Territories. A short-listed 120 applicants were invited to interviews, from among whom 26 participants were selected and equipped with preparatory reading packages and the following writing assignments, one of which they had to chose to discuss with reference to the pre-course reading and personal experience and present during one of the sessions of the lecture program:
Leadership in Palestine – Where To?
or:
Discuss An Outstanding Leader in the History of the Arab World
The seminar on Leadership Skills itself took place from 25-27 September 2000 at the Rocky Hotel in Ramallah.
3. Participants
Yaser Abu Baker
Fateh Office, West Bank
Zahida Abu Aisha
Director, Ministry of Higher Education
I’tidal Abu Qamar
Director, Ministry of Supply
Osama Abu Karsh
Director, Fateh Office, West Bank
Imad Stayyeh
Lecturer, Al-Quds Open University, Jerusalem
Islam Tamimi
Public Relations, Palestinian Islamic Youth League
Samar Jabr
Supervisor, UNRWA
Khaled Jawareesh
Supervisor, Ministry of Education
Khaled Hussein
Al-Quds Open University, Jerusalem
Samer Hamaydeh
Pharmacist, Ministry of Health
Azmi El-Khatib
Engineer, Al-Bireh Municipality
Ghandi Raba’i
Lawyer
Omar Rahhal
Coordinator, Panorama – Center for the Dissemination of Democracy and Community Development, Ramallah
Mohammed Shahin
Director, Al-Quds Open University
Khitam Shihada
Supervisor, Ministry of Education
Ohaila Shomar
Coordinator, Palestinian Family Planning and Protection Association
Sufian Sorani
Ministry of Youth and Sport
Majdi Atari
Preventive Security
Fathi Alqam
Director, Salfeet Municipality
Abdullah Elaiwi
Civil Police, Drugs Department
Sahar Qawasmeh
The International Christian Society
Samer Kalboneh
Director, Ministry of Environment
Imad Muhsen
Researcher and Coordinator, President’s Office
Murad Madani
Legal Consultant, Ministry of Environment
Khulud Masri
Director, Juthoor Cultural Center
Khaled Masou
Actor, Inad Theater
Lecture Program
Sept. 25, 2000
9:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. – Opening Remarks and Leadership Challenges and Qualities – An Introduction
Dr. Mahdi Abdul Hadi, Head of PASSIA, Jerusalem
10:45 a.m. – 11 a.m. – Break
11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Psychology of Leadership I (leadership types, various personalities)
Dr. Ahmed Baker, Professor of Psychology, BZU
12:30 p.m. – 2 p.m. – Lunch
2 p.m. – 3 p.m. – Psychology of Leadership II (convincing others, dealing with conflict)
Dr. Ahmed Baker
3 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. – Break
3:15 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. – Psychology of Leadership contd.
Dr. Ahmed Baker
5 p.m. – 6 p.m. – EVENING: Discussion with PLC members on “Leaders and Leadership in Palestine, Where To?”
With Salah Ta’mari, PLC member, Bethlehem Constituency
Sept. 26, 2000
9:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. – Decision-Making and Supervision Skills I (taking charge, delegating work, motivating others)
Dr. Sawsan Majali, University of Jordan, Amman
10:45 a.m. – 11 a.m. – Break
11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Decision-Making and Supervision Skills II (chairing meetings, building and working in teams, negotiating skills)
Dr. Sawsan Majali
12:30 p.m. – 2 p.m. – Lunch
2 p.m. – 3 p.m. – Communications Skills I (Definition and significance of information, role of media in general, communication channels)
Rami G. Khouri, Journalist, Amman
3 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. – Break
3:15 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. – Communications Skills II (Developing goals into messages and communicating these to audiences, utilizing the media, lobbying)
Rami G. Khouri
Sept. 27, 2000
9:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. – Public Relations and Campaigning (means & tools to reach out to the public, case studies)
Dr. Albert Aghazarian, Director of Public Relations, BZU
10:45 a.m. – 11 a.m. – Break
11 a.m. – 1 p.m. – PRACTICAL EXERCISE
Rami G. Khouri and Dr. Mahdi Abdul Hadi
1 p.m. – 2 p.m. – Lunch
2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. – Basic Research Skills (reading tables, using statistics, etc.)
Dr. Nader Said, Director of the Development Studies Program at BZU
3:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. – Break
3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. – Final Discussion and Wrap up
5 p.m. – 6 p.m. – “How to Run for Elections”
Dr. Rima Nashashibi, Member of the Al Gore Campaign Team for the US Presidency Elections 2000