Phoenix Stands in Solidarity with Youth in Gaza and Their Allies
From Kjipuktuk/Halifax to Gaza and Beyond, Youth Deserve Safety, Dignity and Human Rights
At Phoenix, our mandate is to support youth and families in Kjipuktuk/Halifax through shelter, food, education, health care, mental health, and supportive services. We recognize that the challenges youth face locally are connected to a wider global struggle for safety, dignity, and human rights.
This struggle is extreme in Gaza, where children and youth make up the majority of the population. More than 20,000 children have been reported killed.[1] Those who survive do so against all odds, facing a genocide[2] perpetrated by the State of Israel. Daily life in Gaza is marked by relentless violence, displacement, and famine—conditions rooted in decades of military occupation and settler colonialism.[3]
People around the world are rallying against this persecution. Many Jewish people stand among them, declaring “not in my name.” Our commitment to youth justice compels us to raise our voices in solidarity, especially in this moment of ceasefire when an end to the violence feels more possible than it has been in the last two years.
Youth are Visionaries, Creators and Builders of the Future
Young people are more than the crises they endure—they are visionaries, creators and builders of the future. Even amid devastation, youth in Gaza are resisting oppression in extraordinary ways:
● Diaa’ Abu Assar has helped Palestinian farmers access solar energy, enabling agricultural production.
● Shahd Rajab has created powerful new symbols of Palestinian culture and identity through her art.
● Yaqeen Hammad, known as “The Maker of Good,” has taught children how to cook without gas, conserve and purify water, and find moments of joy amidst bombardment and trauma. Yaqeen died in an airstrike on May 23, 2025.
Calls to Action
Phoenix joins youth, community, and international leaders in calling for:
● An end to the humanitarian blockade, with full access to food, water, health care, and education.
● An immediate end to the violence and to the siege of Gaza.
● Ongoing learning and action against systemic injustice and discrimination worldwide.
Let’s Learn and Advocate
Meaningful change requires collective learning and action. Here are some resources we’re learning from as a team and welcome others to explore:
● How the Gaza Strip came to be | A brief history of Gaza | CBC Kids News
● Canada, Stand up for Palestinian Children’s Rights
● Migration Policy Centre: Palestinian Children's Struggle for Rights
Here are some steps people can take in solidarity:
● Seek out humanizing stories of youth in Gaza that highlight Palestinian culture, identity, and rights—and affirm that each young person is seen, valued, and cared for.
● Share one of these stories with a couple of friends or colleagues, and invite them to join you in discussing and amplifying it—change often begins in small groups.
● Join collective campaigns by signing and sharing petitions from credible human rights organizations, like Amnesty International, calling for peace, respect for human rights and an end to the humanitarian blockade.
● Engage with grassroots groups like the Humanti Project, using their directories or email-templates to raise awareness with policymakers.
● Learn more about the Arms Embargo movement and write to your Member of Parliament urging them to support an arms embargo, highlighting the harm being done to children.
● Attend local rallies, vigils, or teach-ins as an expression of care for youth in Gaza and invite others in your community to join you.
At Phoenix, we believe every young person has the right to safety, dignity, human rights, and joy. Our 2025–27 Strategic Compass commits us to walking an IDDEA Pathway—centering inclusion, diversity, decolonization, equity, and access. Standing in solidarity with youth in Gaza and their allies is an extension of this commitment.
[1] As of September 5, 2025, Save the Children reports that at least one Palestinian child has been killed every hour on average by Israeli forces since the war began, with the death toll now exceeding 20,000.
[2] On August 31, 2025, the International Association of Genocide Scholars passed a resolution declaring that Israel’s policies and actions in Gaza constitute genocide. The resolution specifies that these actions, which commenced in response to the horrific Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, meet the legal criteria for genocide under international law. Shortly afterward, a United Nations independent international commission of inquiry also concluded Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
[3] Cornell Law School defines settler colonialism as “as a system of oppression based on genocide and colonialism, that aims to displace a population of a nation (oftentimes indigenous people) and replace it with a new settler population.” https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/settler_colonialism
