Ahel supports those pursuing change in the Arab world in organizing their power and leadership to achieve justice in their causes. We do that in three ways. We accompany and coach campaigns in their collective action. We teach participatory leadership and community organizing practices to leaders online and offline. And we connect leaders in the Arab world with each other. Our success is when leaders and campaigns build their own people’s power and when they win the change they seek for freedom, justice and equality.
Our Values
People power: Ahel’s first value is its belief that the people with the cause are the most deserving and the most capable of bringing about the change sought. Ahel believes that they are resourceful and powerful, and helps them realize, organize and activate that power through collective leadership and action.
Justice and freedom: Ahel believes in justice and freedom as core values for how it runs its organization, who to partner with and what campaigns and organizations to train and support.
Collective shared leadership: Ahel believes that leadership is enabling the others to achieve shared purpose in the face of uncertainty. It believes that leadership should be shared. Not only should it be shared within a team but also among multiple teams. This provides for a growing community, and a growing campaign and movement. It allows for sustainable effort and impact.
Accountability: Seeking change requires every one of us to hold those in power accountable. To lead collaboratively without “the one leader”, people also need to hold each other accountable. Holding power accouble, holding each other accountable and holding ourselves accountable is one of Ahel’s core values.
Learning: A mindset open to learning, a team open to learning and a community open to learning is the secret for wellbeing, as much as it is the secret for success and sustainable effort. Learning capacity is plasticity and agility and the reason for Ahel’s success and the successful campaigns, movements and leaders it coaches.
Coaching Campaigns
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Community Campaigns
Building people’s power is the reason we exist. Therefore, we accompany leaders, whether they are groups or organizations in their campaigns and movements. Our goal is to support their collective leadership and capacity as leaders of their cause. Our accompanying campaigns has different stations and different duration depending on the context and the people. Throughout, we work with the leaders on their campaign’s strategy, structure, community organizing and dominant discourse. We do not lead their campaigns on their behalf, but we intervene to support their leadership when needed. We contribute to their success but we don’t own it. More here
Building people’s power is the reason we exist. Therefore, we accompany leaders, whether they are groups or organizations in their campaigns and movements. Our goal is to support their collective leadership and capacity as leaders of their cause. Our accompanying campaigns has different stations and different duration depending on the context and the people. Throughout, we work with the leaders on their campaign’s strategy, structure, community organizing and dominant discourse. We do not lead their campaigns on their behalf, but we intervene to support their leadership when needed. We contribute to their success but we don’t own it. More here
32
Community Campaigns
Teaching and Learning
How do we lead collective action for change? How do we organize our people and our resources to solve a problem that affects our community? How do we change the narrative around our cause? How do we motivate commitment and protect motivation? How do we set campaign goal, analyze power, and develop effective strategies and tactics? Ahel offers online and offline courses and workshops to answer these questions and build leadership skills. More here
6300
Graduates
Athar Network for Community Organizing
130
Members
During the past ten years of working with campaigns and teaching community organizing and participatory leadership, we have worked with many leaders from the Arab world. We believe that together they constitute a great force. They are activists in the same political reality, even if the circumstances are different. They are also supportive of each other’s causes and rally around the same values. That is why two years ago, we created Athar Network for Community Organizing in the Arab World. We created it to link leaders together to enhance their organizing and for their resilience.It is still nascent and in pilot mode but with so much promise.
During the past ten years of working with campaigns and teaching community organizing and participatory leadership, we have worked with many leaders from the Arab world. We believe that together they constitute a great force. They are activists in the same political reality, even if the circumstances are different. They are also supportive of each other’s causes and rally around the same values. That is why two years ago, we created Athar Network for Community Organizing in the Arab World. We created it to link leaders together to enhance their organizing and for their resilience.It is still nascent and in pilot mode but with so much promise.
130
Members
International Associations
Ahel is an associated member of the Leading Change Network and an active contributor to its online learning spaces. The Leading Change Network that has more than 6 thousand members and gives Ahel access to a variety of international experiences and knowledge. Ahel is also associated to Beautiful Rising and Beautiful Trouble which opens access to international creative experiences in struggle and change in the global south. Ahel has always been associated with Harvard University through its association with Professor Marshall Ganz. Harvard Kennedy School documented Ahel’s work as case studies to be taught and featured Ahel in multiple school publications and learning gatherings. We are especially thankful to Marshall Ganz for teaching us the methodology and for his mentoring and constant support during the last nine years.
