George Mason ( Experience in Morocco )
Prof: Fatima Hadji
Location: Morocco

Event report

New York University March , 2010 
Location: Morocco

Study Day on"The Challenges of international
youth in a globalized world"

 Report by: Karima Rhanem

In conjunction with the Washington Moroccan Club 20/20 celebrations, the Club, in partnership with the Moroccan NGO The Media Observatory for Youth, the Casablanca-Chicago Sister Cities, the Idmaj Association, and the Ministry of Youth & Sports, organized on March 14, 2010 at the Centre for Youth and Democracy in Rabat, a study day under the theme "Challenges of international youth in a globalized world."  A delegation of 25 young American students from the State University of NY and about 30 Moroccans as well as youth from other nationalities took part in the event.

Andrew Raymond; chair of the US student delegation, expressed his enthusiasm about the discussions to be generated from the study day and said: “we’re so excited to learn about how youth in Morocco can engage in civil society programs in a thoughtful way.  We hope to be able to share some of what we are learning in graduate school with you.  In the same way, we hope to learn from you and your culture."

Moh Redjali, former president of the Temara city municipality and the main speaker of the conference, gave a general overview of civil society in Morocco, outlining the recent changes in the new communal charter, which stipulates that each commune/municipality should be following a participative approach in designing projects, thus involving more civil society organizations in the planning and identification of community programs.

Karima Rhanem, former president of the media observatory of youth, spoke about the role NGOs can play in alternative diplomacy by taking initiatives, opening dialogue with authorities and elected officials, and advocating for the country’s hot bottom issues nationwide and abroad. She specified that the future of many countries lies in their youth. Youths should be better able to draw the future they want to see, and governments should provide them with better opportunities to achieve this goal.

A hot discussion followed the presentations. Moroccans and Americans had the opportunity to learn from each other about civil society organizations in the two respective countries and suggested ways to empower youth to be more engaged in political life.

The American delegation then had two animated workshops --. one on “The culture of entrepreneurship among youth and the management of small businesses, and the other one on “social entrepreneurship: how youth can help society through socially focused business.

Participants by the end of the day came out with several suggestions on how to turn their ideas into real projects.

Study day program

Morning:

9:00- 09:45: reception

10h00-12h00: Open debate on "civil society and alternative diplomacy

12:00: coffee break  

12:15 – 14:15: workshops organized by American students from NY. 
The culture of entrepreneurship among youth and the management of small businesses (3 simultaneous sessions)

Social entrepreneurship: how youth can help society through socially focused business (3 simultaneous sessions)

Closing:

14H15-14h45: Large group discussion and closing remarks.