As part of their ongoing efforts to deepen understanding of local communities’ needs during the transitional period in Al-Hasakah Governorate, Nextep Organization and the Nextory Platform convened an online dialogue session entitled “Youth of Serekaniye/Ras al-Ain: Safe Voluntary Return Needs” on 16 July 2026.
The session brought together a group of displaced youth from the city to explore their perspectives on the conditions required for safe voluntary return, the factors shaping their decisions to return, and the role youth can play in the city’s recovery and reconstruction. Discussions focused on a range of key issues, including security and legal guarantees, the restoration of rights and property, the rehabilitation of public services, education, employment opportunities, and civic and political participation.
Following the session, Nextep and Nextory published an analytical paper presenting the key findings from the dialogue and examining the needs and priorities identified by participating youth. The paper also offers a set of recommendations for relevant stakeholders and highlights key research and programmatic gaps that warrant further exploration and dialogue.
This publication forms part of the ongoing efforts of Nextep and Nextory to foster a shared understanding of the challenges facing local communities in Al-Hasakah Governorate and to generate evidence informed by the perspectives of local stakeholders, thereby contributing to the design of more responsive and context-sensitive interventions for the next phase.
Download the full paper here.
