IIE Awards the Victor J. Goldberg Prize to YaLa Young Leaders for Peace in the Middle East

The 2016 IIE Victor J. Goldberg Prize for Peace in the Middle East was presented at a ceremony on June 2nd in Jerusalem by Victor J. Goldberg, a retired IBM executive who is a longtime Trustee of the New York-based Institute of International Education. The award, which includes a $10,000 prize, was awarded to Sarah Perle Benazera and Ohood Murqaten, Co-Chairs of the YaLa Young Leaders Core Leadership Group. An online movement led by young adults, for young adults, YaLa focuses on dialogue and engagement as a means to securing a safe, productive, and peaceful region, capitalizing on the catalyzing power of social networks, media and technology to lead their generation to a better future. Sarah and Ohood are part of a team that has made YaLa Young Leaders the broadest and fastest-growing Middle East peace movement today, with nearly 1 million members from all across the MENA region. During times of high tension in the region, the YaLa page provides a safe environment for young people on both sides to search for a different point of view on the situation, and to find partners for dialogue.