Fresh young faces, busy schedules and a fast-paced lifestyle that seem to polarise society: youth account for 35 per cent of the population. This is but one of the statistics published in the sixth annual Arab NGO Network report. The publication, focussing on 13 Arab countries, is the first of its kind to highlight the link between Arab youth and civil society. The fact that 35 per cent of the country's population is between the age of 15 to 35, puts Egypt's youth into the limelight. At the start of summer, Al-Ahram Weekly speaks with young people who kill time and those who treasure it. 'Willing to try' Dream dispenser? Well, almost, writes Nader Habib Egypt, particularly Cairo, was once known as Al-Mahrousa (the Protected). The moniker, along with glory and initiative, to some, are part of the country's historical past. On 22 November, 2002, a group of Egyptians and expatriates took the initiative to bring back that youthful vibrancy; and the result was Nahdet Al-Mahrousa (NM), a non-profit NGO committed to the "renaissance of Cairo" through enhancing the quality of life of the young. The project has its roots prior to 2002, as founding member and chairman Ihab Abdu explains: "In college we realised there was a serious flaw in this country. Most Egyptians tend to lack a spirit of initiative, especially the young. They've lost the capacity for imagination. And that's how NM came about, with the object of engaging mainly educated young people and helping them to bring about change." As one of 303 NGOs registered under a 2002 NGO law, NM has sought to address young people's social problems as defined by the Arab NGO Network report, beginning with unemployment (11-18 per cent and rising) and covering a broad range of issues from literacy to political participation. In line with its goal of engaging youth and society, anyone with a new and innovative idea can contact NM: "our doors are open so long as the idea is legitimate and useful to a significant portion of society. Then we try to get institutional and technical support. With a bit of luck, the dream turns into reality," says Abdu. In other words, the idea is pencilled into the NM agenda for consideration and development should it warrant inclusion. The NM, which already benefits from three multiple-project funds sponsoring, respectively, career planning, local arts and crafts traditions and divers wonders of community work. One of the projects, the Fund for Young People's Skill Development tries to bridge the gap between education and the labour market, with a programme dedicated to sharing entrepreneurial experience, for example. Another programme, offering research grants, is the brainchild of Luay El-Shawarbi, a young, American-educated lawyer working with NM and Cairo University's Faculty of Communications to promote business- oriented research; having obtained donations from businessmen, El-Shawarbi seeks to set up his own fund. For its part, the Culture and Art Development Fund, in a programme called "Masriyati" (My Egyptianness), focusses on oral traditions, including street vendor chants; according to Abdu, it also promotes cultural and religious diversity. "Children aged 12-15 participate in field trips to the Religions Complex in Sinai and take part in activities to familiarise themselves with creeds other than their own." The programme, inaugurated three years ago, involves participants spending four weeks together discovering different aspects of the local culture; it has proven so successful other parties are considering replicating it. The Economic Development Fund, on the other hand, which aims to expand Egypt's international market share and promote fair trade, sponsors a programme for handicraft production, another for small businesses and a third for bringing expatriates (who make up 30 per cent of NM membership) together with Egyptians in the context of business. Supervised by Noha Hatata, the latter, with the cooperation from Egyptian-American Professional Society and the Egyptian-American Technical Association, encourages the sharing of knowledge. More recently, NM signed an agreement with Cairo University's Faculty of Engineering to set up a career development centre for state university students. Undertaken with backing from the Egyptian Partnership for Education and Employment, USAID, and the Arab Youth Leaders Organisation, the project provides graduates with extracurricular skills relevant to the labour market and other career-related matters, bridging the gap between education and commencing a career: a function which proved indispensable in the experience of NM members Ahmed Al-Badawi and his associate Omar Al-Baghdadi. If successful, the centre will serve as a pilot project for other academic institutions. NM has teamed up with similar organisations to form the thus far 10-member Egyptian Federation of Youth Society. Abdu is enthused: "we're in the process of putting together the regulations, confident that we can work together in a spirit of cooperation and on an equal footing. We don't have all the answers, but we're willing to make mistakes and we're willing to keep trying."
