Despite the political roller-coaster of 2014, many young Egyptians have decided to be proactive and change their world by changing themselves. The fact that, according to a 2013 UN women study, 99.3 per cent of Egyptian women have been subjected to sexual harassment has made young Egyptian women more determined than ever to change things, for example. The Igmadi (get tough) initiative combines Zumba Fitness, by instructor Emeline Lavender, “wendo” self-defence, by instructor Schirin Salem, and information sessions several times a year. The “wendo” defence technique focuses on the physical aspect of this in addition to body language to help women protect themselves from sexual harassment, while Zumba focuses on women's fitness in a fun way. Some children in Egypt, both girls and boys, are not exempt from sexual abuse, but there is a helping hand available in the form of Safe and 7emaya, both NGOs. Safe was established in 2012 by a young mother with the aim of raising awareness and empowering sexually abused children to speak up. It offers one-to-one therapy for abused children, targeting children up to 18 years old, along with teachers, parents and other caregivers. Since 2012, Safe has trained around 26,000 children and more than 10,000 caregivers, visiting dozens of both private and public schools. It has trained 1,350 children in the Minya governorate alone, having 20 core teams that include four professional trainers and four teachers. Children are educated through activities, games and songs. Sarah Aziz, a founding member, is the author of Ana Ghaly (I am precious), a book which targets children aged between three and ten to raise awareness of possible sexual abuse. The 7emaya campaign was founded by Eman Ezzat to raise children's awareness through photographs, songs and plays. The campaign is carried out in nurseries, schools and orphanages and targets children, parents and everyone who interacts with children. It has trained around 25,000 children in 11 governorates, around 600 with special needs, and it has worked with more than 1,000 Syrian children and their parents in cooperation with the Tadamon Organisation for Solidarity with the Syrian Refugees. 7emayaa has worked with 150 children with the Kainuna NGO and more than 500 children and 300 parents in the Egyptian community in Kuwait City. It has also raised awareness on violence against women and female genital mutilation for 100 women in Manshiet Nasser and many other informal areas. Another initiative has focused on encouraging young people to express themselves. An annual event entitled the RiseUp Summit has given entrepreneurs an opportunity to connect with business, find an investor or benefit from the experience of a veteran businessperson on how to deal with a range of projects and start-ups. This year's three-day event included around 2,000 start-up projects and 150 investors, drawing many high-profile public figures. The RiseUp Summit was launched on the birthday of the pioneering Egyptian businessman Talaat Harb. TED is also an inspiring initiative for young people that has been working in Egypt. It is a global community that stands for technology, entertainment and design. The three fields were covered in TED's first conference in 1984, intending to explore “important ideas from any discipline, exploring how they all connect.” Upper Egypt has also not been inactive this year, and a group of Upper Egyptian young people called Saeedy Geeks (Upper Egyptian geeks) has aimed to create a new entrepreneurship and technological community in the region. The initiative was founded in 2011 in the Upper Egyptian governorate of Qena with a view to spreading new technologies to communities outside Cairo. Saeedy Geeks has many different activities, including Malaksh 7egga (You have no excuse), an online activity that encourages self-learning through courses in different fields.
