Workshop on Youth, Democracy, and Politics
In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region countries, such as Morocco, political and social democracy are incomplete and and are still in its infancy. In general, the political landscape characterized by vague political and ideological identities and practices. That is why, the role of young people in political participation and policy-making is of great importance. However, with the exception of the ‘Arab Spring’ wave of protests, there is a general lack of interest in political participation and activism. This is a multi-faceted phenomenon, one attributable to multiple factors, including lack of trust in the state, political actors, and democratic institutions, as well as lack of understanding of political processes and activist work.
The Youth, Democracy and Politics project aims to help improve the political processes in the country with modern democratic and political concepts. The project also seeks to support the strengthening of democracy and good governance in the country by engaging young people in policy-making. This project will contribute to the political education of youth by increasing their knowledge of ideological matters both in the philosophical and practical dimensions of policy-making. It will give them a broad framework to judge and evaluate public policies and assist youth political organizations to develop their ideological and political identity and to develop policy-making capacities.
The project will run in the form of a series of seminars and will be held in three Moroccan cities.
- Part I: Theory and Overview: The first part will provide an overview of some theoretical concepts and principles of left- and right-wing politics. The lectures will be delivered by field experts based on four main issues of concern to youth: a) Economy (Employment), b) Governance, c) Education, d) Social (environmental) Policies.
- Part II: Application and Practice: The second part will focus on small group work activities, in which participants can apply some of the theoretical concepts overviewed in part I. Each Group will be asked to build a society according to leftist and rightist principles and ideas. Expert trainers will guide and supervise participants in their activity. The findings of each working group will be featured in a special session, followed by general discussion.
