CAIRO: A Swedish program aiming to bring influential young people from the MENA region together to promote mutual understanding held its first information and consultation session at the Swedish Embassy in Cairo Tuesday. The Young Leaders Visitor's Program (YLVP), a project of the Swedish Institute in Stockholm, will bring participants to Sweden for three weeks of dialogue, leadership training and social media education. The YLVP seeks to "lay the foundations for a long-lasting and mutually rewarding relationship between Sweden, the Middle East and North Africa by connecting influential voices in both regions, organizers say. The YLVP is looking for young media professionals and opinion-makers working for democracy and human rights from Egypt as well as from Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine. Twenty-five participants between the ages of 20 and 35 will be selected from the MENA region along with 10 from Sweden. Javeria Rizvi Kabani, project manager of the YLVP, said that the program has sparked interest among the youth in Sweden "Many Swedish youths have connections and roots in the MENA region and they know that there are a lot of misunderstandings between these societies. . There is a thirst to build bridges in Sweden. Despite a strong desire for dialogue and mutual understanding, Kabani said there has been a lack of programs like the YLVP. "Europe is not very far away from the MENA region yet there have not been many forums where youths can meet. The YLVP wants to empower the participants by giving them the tools to shape public opinion through social media while strengthening intercultural and leadership skills. This will be done through technological training, lectures by prominent Swedish media figures and human rights advocates and two-day internships with leading Swedish print, radio and television organizations. Kabani is careful to explain that the Swedish Institute does not intend to dictate the path of the program to participants. "This is a dynamic process, we want the participants to help shape the program. It is not our job to decide what the results will be. While the YLVP is still in the opening stages, there are already hopes to expand the program to include other countries and eventually bring together 150 youths from the MENA region and Sweden. The YLVP of 2008 will take place between the October 24 and November 16 in different venues in Sweden. The deadline for applications is August 29.
