Gençlik Platformu Koordinatörü Haya Önügören’in Newyork’da Uluslararası Gençlik Gününde Birleşmiş Milletlerde Konuşması.

Her interests are not limited to her country, but extend to the Sharq region. Haya thinks that youth must “come together and think how they can stabilise the region.”

Haya is also an accomplished researcher – she holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the American University of Beirut and a Master’s Degree in International Relations from Boğaziçi University – interested in the psychological well-being of Syrian refugees.

Often people who are forced to flee their country present Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), not only because of their displacement, but also because of refugees often suffer from oppression and the distress caused by war. Others, Haya says, show an incredible resilience and recover from the trauma.

“If the Syrian conflict is resolved there is a possibility that the country might fall into a conflict again, because of PTSD and the current state of mental health of many Syirians”, found Haya in her research.

That is why in post-war Syria you need not only to rebuild the country and its infrastructure, but also its people and specifically its youth, who will eventually be responsible for the country’s fate.

“It is very important to help youth cope with what happens around them because this is the best way to develop peace. Peacemaking is about resolutions and politics, yes, but it is also about helping human beings cope” said Hata at the event.