The Tamkeen program was launched in June 2020, and received over 1,000 requests to join after the online registration form was shared on various platforms. The selection process was subjected to specific criteria set by a specialized committee, which included diversity in nationalities, countries, areas of interest and work, level of experience and knowledge, and gender representation. The selection process reflects the willingness of participants to work on effective human rights initiatives in their countries as part of the outputs of the program.

Over 120 applicants were shortlisted, and 44 participants from 11 different countries were selected  after conducting online and in-person interviews. Selected participants were divided into two groups that started in parallel the program stages in September 2020, provided that each group passed the first four stages of the program separately. The two groups gathered together in the fifth and final stage.

The COVID-19 pandemic coincided with the launch of the program, which posed many challenges related to implementation, especially in regard to the travel of participants to participate in training workshops or meetings with experts and specialists.  Nevertheless,  the program, which was launched late due to the pandemic, was able to harmonize between the challenges of the pandemic and the requirements of communication in its first three stages. Until COVID-related travel restrictions were lifted,  the program relied on advanced technologies and online platforms to implement training programs in an interactive way, and organize virtual meetings with participants. In the fourth and fifth phases, participants were able to travel and meet face to face.

Participants became acquainted with the most important basic knowledge related to human rights, and the international bodies active in human rights protection. This was followed by an introduction to the different types of human rights defenders and their specific roles, together with the study of social change and its various tools; on the basis of education on/for/and through human rights, using participatory methodology and experiential learning.

This stage included three online training programs (20 training hours), based on self-learning, in cooperation with the Amnesty International educational platform.

Participants were introduced to the meaning of participatory approaches or initiatives based on human rights principles and frameworks, and rights research, targeting diverse groups in society, and working within a clear value and behavioral human rights framework.

Participants began researching the topic of their approach or initiative in a 5-day workshop, following a training on how to conduct analysis and research from a human rights perspective and design their own vision for  reaching the required change.  Participants were detailed about the planning stages for the participatory initiative, from the initial stage of identifying the issue or topic and its target groups, to the stages of design and implementation, and culminating with the stages of evaluation and follow-up.

At this stage (the applied education stage), participants initiated practical application of the knowledge they acquired on managing participatory human rights initiatives. They prepared and presented data on the objectives of their initiative in their respective countries and the anticipated results. This encompasses contextual analysis of challenges and opportunities, the work team, and different stages of the action plan, according to a sequence of objectives for each stage, the budget and costs, the available resources, potential challenges, and the media plan for disseminating the initiative.

Completing the third stage is contingent upon the development of each initiative -whether individual or joint – as well as a coherent action plan ready for implementation at the national level. This plan should take into account the data and conditions of the changing context and the reality in each country, and includes a participatory approach based on alliances and networking with various stakeholders. This stage is implemented under the supervision of one mentor or framer responsible for each initiative, to participate in the discussions and analyses necessary to prepare the plan, and to facilitate follow-up, direction, and guidance during the implementation stages.

The working mechanism at this stage relied on 4 pre-prepared models to help participants in defining the basic concepts related to each initiative (the basic concepts model), the work plan, and its stages. This is according to a specific timeframe (the work plan template), an estimation of the budge  and expenditures (the budget template), the media plan, and the timeline and platforms for dissemination (publishing template); all according to direct communication between the work team and the supervisor of each initiative. This stage included the organization of meetings between the work teams and experts in specific fields according to the needs of each group, including experts in advocacy, and media campaigns.

This stage depends mainly on direct interviews with different actors, and field visits to active civil society institutions around the Mediterranean Sea with the aim of exchanging experiences, cooperating on a practical level with work mechanism,  and following up on the implementation stages of participatory initiatives in different fields. The program chose the French city of Marseille as the field for implementing this phase. This is due to its cultural diversity and pluralism in the fields of civil society and human rights work in Mediterranean countries, in a way that intersects with most of the topics or issues addressed by the participants' initiatives.

Thanks to the partnership with the Réseau Euromed France (REF) in France, an influential French network that includes 32 active human rights organizations, participants were able to communicate directly with other influential actors in French civil society in the city of Marseille, over a period of six consecutive days for each group. These actors are institutions and people who are interested in issues pertinent to countries around the Mediterranean and have inspiring human rights and political experiences and initiatives. They include: Théo Challande Névoret, Marseille's Deputy Mayor for Local Democracy and Anti-Discrimination Policies; Delphine Borione, French State Ambassador for Human Rights; Deputy Mayor of Marseille for local democracy and anti-discrimination policies; the human rights defender Imam Lovodik Mohamed Zuhd, and the Marseille Legal Team. This is in addition to visits to the headquarters of the French League for Human Rights, the Réseau Euromed France REF, Radio Galère, PRIMITIVI TV, Le Refuge, SOS Mediterranean, Women's Solidarity 13, Kleber Social Center, Organization Baham Arts, AIDES, and l'Après M social restaurant.

At the end of this stage, each group drafted a joint statement declaring themselves as a new group of young human rights defenders from different countries, who have adopted various initiatives and visions for ways to bring about change and protect rights. All of these initiatives and visions stem from common denominators represented in confronting repressive regimes, discriminatory and restrictive legislation, and harmful cultural legacies, and aim to spread and strengthen human rights culture.

In this final stage of the Tamkeen program, participants have already launched local initiatives in their respective countries and have begun to gather its initial reactions, and have achieved some of its interim goals. All participants from the two groups attended an expanded 3-day workshop and exchanged visions of their initiatives. These exchanges included practical experiences and information related to design flaws or implementation challenges- and ways to address and  adapt to these challenges,  and the impact of the results. This joint exchange meeting doubles the collective benefit and enhances the exchange of experiences between participants;  revealing areas of similarity and difference between the country-specific contexts of human rights and civil society work in the region.

Hosted by the French Institute in Tunis, and in conjunction with International Human Rights Day on December 10, the program concluded its activities with the presence of participants from the two groups and a number of experts and actors in the field of human rights and civil society. In a joint meeting, they discussed ways and opportunities to double the effectiveness and ensure the sustainability of their initiative after the end of the program. This enhances the participants' ability to transform these simple initiatives into extended and impactful projects that advance a new generation of human rights defenders.

Participants launched 16 ideas for individual and joint human rights initiatives that dealt with various human rights issues in their countries. The Tamkeen program team provided technical support and guidance to the initiatives being implemented at its various stages, especially in light of the problems and challenges posed by local environments. In addition, 10 of their initiatives received financial support from the program.

The topics of the initiatives included women's rights, the rights of minorities and marginalized groups, freedom of opinion, expression and art, freedom of the media, and the protection of human rights defenders. Its geographical contexts also varied; encompassing the countries  of Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Jordan, Yemen, Morocco, Algeria, and Iraq.

It is worth noting that numerous human rights defenders in almost all countries of the region suffer from repression and threats, which has led some participants to launch their initiatives without revealing their identity due to fear of persecution and reprisals, while other initiatives were forced to delete some content after threats. In some countries, initiatives faced deliberate blocking or implementers have been threatened and targeted by smear campaigns, which has prompted us and them to completely remove the initiative and all of its contents.