Amira Fouad reviews a unique youth initiative in Alexandria Alexandria hosts more than 75 non-governmental organisations. Of these the "Step Up Youth Initiative" stands out. Brand new, yet one of the most prominent, Step Up is a group of youths aiming to enhance capabilities across society. It targets young Egyptians of all ages and backgrounds in a bid to attain sustainable development. Founded in March 2010 by Moataz Hussein, a 27-year-old lawyer, Step Up pioneered in holding major, widespread youth models including Alex MEU (Alexandria Model for the European Union) as well as the Students Union Exchange Project in April 2011. Although it was created basically to target youth aged 16 to 25, Step Up can step down to those under 16 via Alex MSC (Alexandria Model of the Security Council ) held in September and the Step Up Junior Project (in between the age of six and 11). "Step Up is a dynamic entrepreneurship that aims at harnessing and directing the positive energy of youth," explained Ahmed El-Sheikh, 22, a student in Alexandria University who believes the NGO became different after the revolution. "Youths before the revolution wanted to join Step Up to fill their CVs with social activities, asking us first about the certificates we issued. However, after 25 January they really wanted to learn and wanted to help us in civil work. They no longer care about any certificates. They genuinely care about educating themselves and educating everyone around them." Hence the establishment of new projects. "The first project was Alex MSC, the first model in Egypt that targets children and youth 11 to 15 years old, all belonging to different schools and various social classes." As El-Sheikh put it, they were keen to choose students belonging to a vast array of school systems -- private and governmental. With the help of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina's Young section, they picked 100 students. "You cannot imagine the workshops we had and the creativity which came out of them," El-Sheikh said. "Children were able to grasp difficult issues like the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the crisis in Darfur, drought in Somalia and our domestic problems. The outcome was awesome. What added to the whole experience was the holding of a talent show at the end of every session. The show's upshot was unimaginable. Students sang, danced, drew, wrote poems, played musical instruments and sports and most importantly, could say what they were dreaming of." Reliving some of their dreams, Menna Essam, 14, said she wanted to be an astronaut. "I want to fly into the wide space above and reach the unreachable. I want to raise my Egyptian flag everywhere." "The second thing we did," El-Sheikh said, "was called Ana Fani Habni Watni [I Am a Technician and I'll Build My Country]. Our main goal was to change stereotypes people have about technicians. More often than not, people look down upon them and underestimate their work." Thus, with the help of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Step Up managed to train undergraduates of industrial secondary schools and technical institutions. Sessions that ranged from how to write your CV to how to start a business, as well as an introduction to the concept of entrepreneurship, were taught. By the end, the 200 members submitted more than 10 projects in a contest, the outcome of which was genuine creativity. The winner was an independent power supply battery, a source of electricity that does not need to be connected to any electricity conductor. A self-energised battery. The Egyptian Development Foundation is literally bringing this invention to light and developing it into a global business. Said El-Sheikh: "By 2017, I want Step Up juniors [now seven years old] to establish a much better Step Up in a much better Egypt. It's all about developing sustainability."
