Arab Youth as Political Actors – Arab Reform Initiative

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program Arab Youth as Political Actors

AboutPublicationsVideosEventsProjects↑

The mass movements of 2011 saw the crumbling of “politics as usual” and the emergence of a new youth political generation, marked by new discourses of justice, equality, and citizenship, alternative practices of political participation and civic engagement, and distinct ideas and understandings of how meaningful change can and should occur. Despite setbacks, this political generation has not disappeared; rather, it has manifested itself in myriad instances of collective action, all of which continue to strive for radical change and transformed relationships between citizens and vis-à-vis the State. We firmly believe that this  youth must be supported and equipped with a variety of tools and opportunities to shape the collective conscience and see their agendas transformed into measurable and sustained changes.

Through our research and action programs, ARI work to empower youth activists through strengthening their modes of engagement and creating opportunities for direct political participation, so that their vision will have a greater ability to achieve change. Likewise, by building knowledge on good and contextually-meaningful pathways for youth in politics, we contribute to better designed policies and programming that contribute to effective political participation by youth.

The program Arab Youth as Political Actors includes four streams of work:

  • Research into youth political and civic engagement in the post-2011 and a reconceptualization of what constitutes “youth politics.” This includes research into how youth are currently entering the formal political sphere, including the vectors of participation and the impact of inclusion, and how they are trying to carve out political participation for themselves outside of the traditional political sector, including the variety of forms of social movements, mobilization, and activism.
  • Research into youth political socialization and democratic learning. This includes evaluating their values, behaviors, grievances, priorities, and visions for the reconstruction of their polities and societies, and working alongside youth and key stakeholders to ensure that these are addressed in political processes.
  • Research into international and national policy frameworks that seek to incorporate youth in decision-making through top-down vectors, and the opportunities and challenges these pose. This includes UNSCR 2250 “Youth, Peace, and Security” paradigm as well as youth quota schemes and other constituted bodies. The research critically assesses the effectiveness of these frameworks in order to provide recommendations for more meaningful youth inclusion that avoids cooptation and youth-washing.
  • Engaged scholarship and mentorship of emerging scholars to accompany them into the policy space. This includes deploying a variety of Action-Research methodologies designed for the purpose of achieving social and political change, providing avenues for youth to contribute to policy discussions and the public debate, and assisting youth in advocating for their own policy priorities.
Program Director
Sarah Anne Rennick

Deputy Director
Arab Reform Initiative

Program experts
Berfin Necimoğlu

Programme Coordinator
Arab Reform Initiative

Publications

Why Morocco’s Youth Employment Policies Continue to Fail
Bawader / Commentary
9 February 2023
#Morocco#Public Policy#Social Protection#Youth
Youth and the Future of Libya
Bawader / Commentary
17 November 2022
#Libya#Political Participation#Youth
Perceptions and Trajectories of Youth in Baghdad, Al-Basra, and Mosul after the 2014 Conflict with ISIS
Research Paper
13 September 2022
#Conflicts#Iraq#Youth
Iraqi Youth in Flux:   Survey of their Perceptions and Trajectories after the 2014 Conflict with ISIS
Press Release
13 September 2022
#Conflicts#Iraq#Youth
Youth participation in Tunisia’s elections:   Some possible solutions  
Bawader / Commentary
17 August 2022
#Political Participation#Tunisia#Youth
Iraqi youth in contexts of conflict:   Fragmentation, divergent strategies, and the impossibility of inclusion
Research Paper
8 July 2022
#Conflicts#Iraq#Youth
Youth perceptions of politics in the post-2011 Tunisia:   Giving the floor to millennials and Gen Z
Report
25 May 2022
#Political Participation#Tunisia#Youth
Youth political participation in post-2011 Tunisia:   Exploring the impact of the youth quota system through the prism of local municipal councillors
Report
25 May 2022
#Political Participation#Tunisia#Youth
Youth perceptions of gender equality in Tunisia
Bawader / Commentary
7 April 2022
#Gender#Tunisia#Youth
National ambition, divergent vision:  Consensus and fracture among Iraqi youth activists of the Tishreen Movement
Bawader / Commentary
30 March 2022
#Activism#Iraq#Youth
Libya:  Youth transition to adulthood amid the conflict
Press Release
15 February 2022
#Conflicts#Libya#Youth
Libyan youth in limbo:   Coming of age in conflict
Research Paper
15 February 2022
#Conflicts#Libya#Youth
Tunisia:  Youth take a stand for/against the president’s decisions and watch in limbo
Bawader / Commentary
10 February 2022
#Political Participation#Tunisia#Youth
From inside and outside:   Palestinian youth reshaping old electoral systems
Bawader / Commentary
3 February 2022
#Elections#Palestine#Youth
Youth, peace, and security in Iraq:   Creating new spaces for youth activist voices and engagement
Report
15 January 2022
#Iraq#Security#Youth
Youth, peace, and security in Iraq:   Operationalizing youth peacebuilding priorities in practice
Report
7 January 2022
#Iraq#Peacebuilding#Security#Youth
Libyan Civil Society and Youth Programming:  Promoting Economic, Political, and Social Integration - Policy Dialogue Report
Conference Report
17 November 2021
#Libya#Reform#Youth
Assessing What Meaningful Syrian Youth Inclusion in Peacebuilding Looks Like in Practice:  Policy Dialogue Report
Conference Report
5 November 2021
#Reform#Syria#Youth
Lebanon’s Student Movement:  A New Political Player?
Research Paper
7 September 2021
#Elections#Lebanon#Political Participation
Has Tunisia’s Democracy Failed to Convince its Youth?  The Slow-Going of Democratic Socialization
Bawader / Commentary
24 August 2021
#Reform#Tunisia#Youth
Youth Employment and Livelihood in Syria:  Assessing the Impact of Conflict and Preparing for Recovery
Conference Report
9 August 2021
#Conflicts#Syria#Youth
Tunisian Youth and Political Life:  From Stagnation to Revival?
Research Paper
14 January 2021
#Elections#Tunisia#Youth

Videos

***
Ebtisam (Syria) - Young women navigating conflict in MENA
14 July 2022
#Conflicts#Syria#Women#Youth
***
Jihan (Syria) - Young women navigating conflict in MENA
13 July 2022
#Conflicts#Syria#Women#Youth
***
Maisoon (Iraq) - Young women navigating conflict in MENA
12 July 2022
#Conflicts#Iraq#Women#Youth
***
They Persist: Arab Youth Reinventing Politics
5 June 2019
#ActivistToolKit#Algeria#Egypt#Lebanon#Social Movements#Syria#Tunisia#Youth

Events

31Oct
2018
Decentralization and Local Councils in Post-Conflict Syria:  What Role Can Youth Play?
Policy Dialogues#Conflicts#Decentralization#Syria#Youth
25Nov
2018
Engaged Algerian Youth:  Living in Diaspora, New Approaches to Political Action?
Policy Dialogues#Algeria#Diaspora#Political Participation#Social Movements#Youth
1Oct
2018
Tunisian Engaged Youth  New Approaches to Political Action
Policy Dialogues#Political Participation#Tunisia#Youth

Projects

Arab Youth as Political Actors
Project
Arab Youth as Political Actors
Promoting Youth Participation in Democratic Consolidation in Tunisia
Project
Promoting Youth Participation in Democratic Consolidation in Tunisia
Youth Trajectories in Contexts of Conflict
Project
Youth Trajectories in Contexts of Conflict

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