AEGEE-München organizes European-Arabic Youth Exchange
Virtually all Mediterranean neighbor countries of the European Union have undergone dramatic political and social changes in the past years. With the Arab Spring sweeping away long-established dictatorships, democracy is on the rise across northern Africa. Many young Arabs have now, for the first time, the chance to participate in elections and contribute to shaping the policies of their countries.
However, these political changes have put the Arab world on a crossroads between liberal democracy and religious theocracy in a time where Europe is struggling with problems of illegal immigration, xenophobia and racism. With the lines of religion, politics, and violence increasingly blurred, this event seeks to bring together young people from European and Arabic countries to share their perspectives and help each other overcome stereotypes in order to reach a better understanding of one another and for promoting better cooperation between the two cultures.
AEGEE-München, part of the European student network AEGEE-Europe, will host a multilateral youth exchange, joining young people from three European and three Arabic countries. For that purpose, we will be cooperating with the youth organizations ‘AEGEE- Debrecen’ (Hungary), ‘AEGEE-Alicante’ (Spain), ‘Leaders of Tomorrow’ (Amman, Jordan), ‘Action Positive’ (Sfax, Tunisia), and ‘Abbar Youth Initiative’ (Alexandria, Egypt). For one week, 30 participants will gather in München for workshops, discussions, cultural activities, and getting to know one another. The main focus of this event will lie on the interplay of religion and politics, touching on aspects such as religious extremism, the role of Islam and Christianity in our governments, and the meaning of religiously motivated politics for the lives of young people in Arabic and European societies. The goal is to bring the different views of the participants together and discuss them, to create a mutual understanding, to overcome prejudice and promote an intercultural and interreligious exchange.
For further questions or if you would like to provide us help with carrying out the event, please contact us: euroarab@aegee-muenchen.de
For the financial support, we thank Youth in Action, the Programme the European Union has set up for young people. It aims to inspire a sense of active European citizenship, solidarity and tolerance among young Europeans and to involve them in shaping the Union’s future.