Environmental problems were at the top of the list in schools participating in Project Citizen 2012 in Gaza, implemented by the Teacher Creativity Center in Gaza with 30 participating public schools. These problems included waste accumulation around schools, the use of agricultural pesticides, flooding of rain water in the streets and gathering of animals near schools. Finding solutions to these problems, that concern that the community, is at the top of the list of the community’s priorities, such that the students took action via Project Citizen to find reasonable solutions, proving that it’s the right of the students to have a clean and safe school environment.   

Traffic problems, car accidents, broken roads and road paving were also the interest of some schools near main roads, demanding the presence of traffic lights to provide a safer environment. Other schools were further to discuss the lack of secondary schools for girls, smoking and child labor in addition to numerous social problems affecting the students and community. 

Talat Bathatho, Director of the Teacher Creativity Center in Gaza, clarified that this is part of enhancing good citizenship among the community, such that the center believes that these projects increase the awareness of students in regards to problems that affect them, providing them with the opportunity to find solutions by addressing officials and decision makers in official and civil society institutions. Bathatho also emphasized the need for schools to be open to the external and surrounding environment, particularly official, civil, and private sector institutions, to complement the Palestinian community regarding social responsibility and adoption of community issues in general, in order for Palestinian citizens to become aware of their rights and duties.