The European Union is a strong promoter of the importance of Skills, which are especially relevant in today’s market. Through a number of initiatives, the EU supports young women and men across the Southern Neighbourhood to develop their competences and secure a promising future. 

In this Flashback series, we spoke to youth who benefited from these projects. Today, they reflect on the positive impact this support has had on their life.

Amidst the darkness of war, Yasmine and Sereen Khass aspire to shed light on the brighter side of Palestine. The light of talent, creativity and beauty of its resilient heritage. With the support of the EU, the sisters sought to resurrect Palestine as a pioneering force in the fashion industry.

When you embarked on this journey, what were your dreams?

Our goal was crystal clear: we wanted to make a meaningful impact by showcasing Palestine’s rich history as a pioneering creative industry even in the early 20th century.

For that, we had the goal of creating a platform to show modern designers from Palestine who shared our commitment to sustainable design and worked towards the Sustainable Development Goals for a better future.

Ultimately, we wanted to provide them with a seamless experience to feature their creations with the world. This initiative sought to go beyond borders, making Palestinians’ creative work more easily accessible to a global audience.

The current reality poses significant obstacles for Palestinians, including those in the creative sector. Yet, we believe that creativity can serve as a powerful tool for resilience and empowerment, particularly in the face of adversity. Our work aimed, and still aims, to amplify the voices of Palestinian designers and innovative creators.

What skills did you gain through the EU-funded programme All Around Culture and how did they help you advance your dreams?

They gave us the ‘push’ we needed to translate our ideas into action. The programme helped us contextualise and refine our idea through mentorship from various cultural and entrepreneurial perspectives. We learned both the technical aspects of project management and gained a deeper cultural and artistic understanding of our country.

They supported us to really finetune our project’s purpose within the community. Because that was our goal: to benefit the community the best we could.

Their support extended beyond advice; they also provided financial assistance for our exhibitions, which helped us showcase our project to the community and a broader audience across the entire Arab region.

What’s very important is that our relationship with AAC also endured over time. They continue to offer us guidance and share opportunities to help us expand our project. 

Today, what is your proudest achievement?

Our biggest achievement, undoubtedly, was the success of the exhibition we set up in parallel to the platform. It felt like a mission accomplished, a real milestone in our journey. When we reflect on it, we realise that we were very young when we embarked on this journey, armed with nothing but a lot of ideas. 

Through the accompanying publication, we showed that Palestinian designers had been pioneering sustainable methods long before the global fashion industry caught up.

We are very proud to have shown that, and we hope that others can draw inspiration from our culture and heritage. 

Our aim has always been to resurrect Palestine as a pioneering force in the fashion industry, sending a message to other aspiring designers that they too can transform their dreams into reality by creating something intimately connected to their roots and deeply impactful on a global scale.

Flashback to: https://south.euneighbours.eu/story/yasmine-and-sereen-khass-the-palestinian-sustainable-entrepreneurs/