Egyptian NGO Empowers Youth in Old Cairo

“The role of Labor Unions in Citizen Awareness.” This is neither an academic lecture given to University students nor a political speech addressing intellectual adults; this was the “Topic of the Day” for approximately 20 adolescent girls gathered in one of the most underprivileged parts of Old Cairo. 

Crammed in a tiny dark room of Batn Al Ba’ara, an anarchical city to be soon smashed down by authorities, the little young ladies were carefully listening to their not much older teacher talk about syndicates and the need for people to gather in order to be heard.

Few of the young students, aged 15 to 20, with some carrying babies on their laps, could read and write, but none had ever earned a living. Their husbands are either rock breakers or dump collectors. The young adolescents had no other alternative but look after their household until the New Horizon Association opened this class in the framework of the Citizen Participation Project in Old Cairo run by the New Horizon Association. The purpose of this project is to sensitize Egyptian youth from different horizons about major social topics including Freedom, Justice, Gender Equality, Local Councils, Syndicates and political parties.

Addressing these topics in this context may seem unrealistic, but the trainers’ approach and efforts to motivate their students are simply outstanding. The young girls were constantly asked about their everyday activities, to help them identify tasks where their rights may be flouted. “I now feel I have someone to listen to my problems … I can have dreams again” said L. a 17 year young mother attending the course with her sister.

When designing their curriculum, NH focuses on local contexts to vehicle messages about universal principles and values. In a different group entirely made up of young Christian University students, the same topics are addressed but with a different approach: roundtable discussions, brainstorming sessions and group activities. As R., a young Law student put it “thanks to this project, we now have a better understanding of the notion of tolerance and difference of opinions” and adding “I see my community differently and I am more ready to negotiate different views.”

The NH project targets 10 Civil Society Organizations and 3 churches. It reaches out to 900 young adolescents and youth through well trained educators. In addition to civic education concepts, students are taught communication skills, group interaction, leaders’ responsibilities and non verbal communication techniques. Among the major contributions of this project to local communities we cite changing youth mentalities, a deep understanding of the meaning of freedom and human rights, participating in 2005 presidential elections, obtaining a voting card, positive participation in all aspects of public life, an increasing feeling of loyalty and belonging, and applying the principle of citizen participation in board elections for local youth centers.

The project’s challenges include the low educational standard of students in some classes,  disagreements of youth about concepts, and social resistance to train young girls mainly about taboo issues. But the project leaders turned them into strengths by lobbying youth to have their voice heard in their communities and choosing the best methods to do so. This can’t be better expressed than by what K. a young 19 year old girl said to MEPI visitors: “This project opened up our eyes to show us how much we can do for our society, time has come for us to be actor and not merely passive consumers at the mercy of social powers such as traditions.”