Born out of the revolution, our organisation was founded on the belief that alternatives to dictatorship, conflict, and strife come from and are driven by the people. Early developments in the Syrian context following the revolution, as well as our own progression from engaging in activism in 2011 and 2012 to forming a civil society organisation in 2013, were formative in the development of our philosophy of change.

Grassroots movements organised themselves in creative and responsive ways to the escalating violence and the ever-changing control map in Syria. This activism was born from communities for the nation and thus spawned civil society in Syria. This is undoubtedly a testimony to the integrity and legitimacy of the Syrian civil society, given that it is in service of – mandated by the people.

In an environment of ferocious polarisation, civil society is not immune to being appropriated or losing its legitimacy. Therefore, remaining connected to the grassroots and rights holders as the constituency to whom civil society is accountable is the compass to navigate this polarisation war. Our experience has informed us that both activism and civil society are needed and mutually reinforcing, in times of conflict and governance vacuum, as well as in times of peace and stability. The complementarity of activism and civil society comes from the first’s proximity to the pulse of the street, and ability to detect early tensions and opportunities, and the other’s capacity to respond at a scale and act as an interlocutor between policy, practice, and the street.

Our pillar Activism and Civil Society originated from the foundation of our organisation in 2013, with the initial aim to back the grassroots movements that emerged in the liberated areas. We launched our activities with the Civil Society Support Program then, rooted in our philosophy that activism and grassroots movements are the driving force for sociopolitical change. The program, which is running to date, has grown over the years, responding to the evolving context, expanding its reach, and meeting the increasing needs. As is the case with all our work, our approach has been to focus our support on Syria’s excluded majority. This has meant prioritising groups led by, working with, and addressing the needs, will, and power, of women, youth and people with disabilities.

By 2019, we recognized that those who have started the revolution and formed the Syrian civil society no longer represented the youth and are increasingly unable to engage the highly disenfranchised new generation of young people. This generation grew up during an active war, were exposed to extreme violence and hardship, some missed out on schooling and had limited access to quality higher education or employment. We deeply believe that Syrian youth are the builders of Syria’s future. Therefore, we launched the Civic Education Program, with the aim of equipping young people with the knowledge and skills needed to actively contribute to their communities and attain agency over their lives and future. Beyond education, we support young Syrians as agents of change by fostering their activism, enabling them to lead community campaigns and encouraging their active participation in shaping the future of their communities.

To date, we are proud to have supported over 300 civil society groups and grassroots initiatives in Syria, through the various collaboratively designed activities of our flagship program, aimed at strengthening their resilience, capacities, and impact. This has resulted in a total reach of 3550 direct rights holders, over 75% of whom are women, and 5600 indirect rights holders. Through our Civic Education Program, we have reached approximately 1745 young Syrians and worked with them to create sustainable means for youth participation in decision-making and driving change.