TEHRAN – Launched by the Welfare Organization, the Parliament of Students is set to develop a network of 5,000 volunteers who are all under the organization’s support services.

The main objectives of the Parliament of Students are to recognize and acknowledge the fundamental right of adolescents to actively participate in making decisions that affect their lives, IRNA quoted Arezou Zokaeifar, an official with the Welfare Organization, as saying.

It aims to engage with the target community to accurately identify challenges from their perspective, and to transform the students from passive beneficiaries to active agents, she noted.

The output can lead to revisions to directives and changes in the way services are provided to suit the real needs of adolescents, the official highlighted.

The Parliament of Students will contribute to strengthening different skills such as conversation skills, critical thinking, teamwork, emotional intelligence, effective communication, strategic thinking, media literacy, problem-solving, and meeting management. It will also help them get familiar with administrative and governance laws, Zokaeifar said.

The long-term goal of the Parliament of Students is to train and empower a new generation of managers who have first-hand experiences of challenges in Welfare Organization and are capable of managing different social sectors in the future, she added.
 
The creation of participatory organizations, such as the Parliament of Students, will have a great role in boosting social participation and collective policymaking among students.

Studies show that those students who have the experience of activity in participatory organizations will be more prepared in the future to take social responsibilities and roles.

The resident representative ad interim for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Iran, Ayshanie Medagangoda-Labé, has commended the Welfare Organization’s services, which have materialized commitment, inclusiveness, and hope over the past 45 years.

Being highly reliable, the Welfare Organization has offered services everywhere from metropolises to the most remote villages, ISNA quoted the official as saying.

She made the remarks while addressing a ceremony for the deployment of harm reduction mobile centers in Tehran on Monday.

The relentless efforts of the organization are based on Article 29, which guarantees the right to social security for all citizens, she noted. Article 29 specifies that everyone is entitled to social security benefits related to retirement, unemployment, old age, disability, lack of a guardian, accidents, and the need for healthcare and treatment, and that the government is responsible for providing these services and financial support, using national revenues and public contributions, as outlined by law.

The organization has brought dignity and care to those facing deprivation and social exclusion by providing services such as mobile clinics, harm reduction centers, and conducting programs for women, children, and those in need of special services, Medagangoda-Labé added.

The UNDP has had the honor of cooperating with the Welfare Organization through Global Funds to fight against AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, Medagangoda-Labé stated.

The partnership has led to the development of a resilient and people-centered infrastructure, with over 430 service centers and 58 mobile vans. Over the past year, committed medical staff directly offered services to some 19,000 vulnerable people in remote areas through mobile clinics, the official highlighted.

She went on to say that these efforts and services were not ceased even during the 12-day war imposed by Israel on the country, which indicates not just resilience, but the highest commitment to public health.

MT/MG