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. And the living is easy What, asks Ahmed Morsi, does summer time mean to you? Sandy Mahmoud, 20, social work student In my leisure time, I log onto the Internet to chat with my boyfriend. I also help my mother clean the house and I go to the cinema with my friends. Mohamed Sayed, 21 Unfortunately, I have no spare time. My time is divided between work, study and sleep. Nourhan Safwat, 16 I don't believe in leisure. Nevertheless, I do whatever I feel like when I'm bored; it all depends on my mood, but I'm particularly keen on Star Academy. Mohamed El-Gazzar, 21, commerce student I get together with my friends, usually at a street corner, to gossip and chit-chat. Sometimes we talk politics. Gehad Ashraf, 17, law student I sometimes feel that all my time is spare time. I like to write things down: feelings, and things. I like walking, too, and people watching. Ahmed Magdy, 20, New Cairo Academy student I have nothing to do in my spare time so I either smoke, play PlayStation or just hang out at the street corner to kill time. Israa Mohamed, 18, commerce student I either sleep, spend time on the phone with my friends or watch a movie -- whether at the cinema or on my computer. Mohamed Hamdy, 19, arts student My friends and I ran out of hangouts. We just stay in now, chatting online or playing PlayStation. Radwa Mohamed, 19 I like to spend my spare time on something useful. From time to time I play basketball or run. I like to belly dance at home. Sometimes I go online and chat with my friends. Yehia Mohamed, 21, Shorouk Academy I am always playing football, whether real or virtual. Otherwise I'm online researching my graduation project. Ragia Mohamed, 16 Basically the whole day is spare time, and I spend it the way I want to, usually hanging out with friends or chatting. Ahmed Amin, 21, Civil Aviation Academy At PlayStation and cards, I'm the best. I like reading detective stories. Marwa Mohamed, 18, arts student I usually sleep my way through any spare time. Sometimes I'll go out with friends or go online. Yasmine Mohamed, 16 Romantic novels, Internet and sleeping. Adel Abdel-Azim, 22, engineering student I write poetry or listen to classical music. Samar Mohamed, 21, architecture student I like reading romantic stories and cooking. I also like to watch TV. Jena Mohamed, 18, medical student My favourite pastime is to read English classics like those written by Dickens. Otherwise I'm either drawing or working out at the gym. Moemen Badr, 18, secondary-school student Chatting on the phone, Internet and PlayStation.
