Ismail Abu Arafeh is a board member of Shiam and one of the early supporters of the Youth Local Councils initiative. He has managed a broad range of programs in various sectors that include local government, civic engagement, and economic development, and is currently Economic Justice Programme Coordinator at Oxfam, working with civil society partners to improve market functioning for small-scale farmers. Ismail holds an MA in history and cultural studies from Freie Universität Berlin and a BA in international studies from the University of Denver, Colorado.