American University of Beirut

A Generation on the Move: Insights into the Conditions, Aspirations and Activism of Arab Youth

Issam Fares Institute, AUB, with the support of UNICEF MENARO

Understanding the state of mind of the activist young men and women throughout the region provides a window into the challenges Arab societies are facing today, and into the recent revolts that are driving the national social and political transformations in the Arab world. With the aim to identify and better understand key elements of young Arabs' perspectives on themselves and their place in society, in 2009 the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut initiated a two-year partnership to produce an updated and forward looking situation analysis on youth in the Middle East and Northern Africa region with the support of the UNICEF Middle East & North Africa Regional Office.

The report chapters cover the following areas: Youth Identities and Values, Youth Civic and Political Participation, Arab Youth and Media Expression, Youth Autonomy in the Arab Family, Young Women and Girls, Arab Youth Sexuality, Migration of Arab Youth, Youth in Situations of Violence and Armed Conflict, National Youth Policies in MENA.

The report has a foundation of more than 30 background papers and case studies looking into: Suburban neighborhoods and social marginalization in Algera. Adolescent girls: decision-making, perceptions and values; Hip hop and self-expression in Lebanon, The Virtual Voice: Arab Youth’s Activism through Facebook; Migration: attitudes of Egyptian youth towards migration to Europe, Mapping Youth Community Engagement In the Region, Development and Expression of Sexuality; Identities and Values, Marriage, Political Participation, Policies and Laws; Armed Conflict and Violence, The New Media Revolution, Dubbed Soap Operas and Iraqi Youth.

The raison d’être of the youth movements in the Arab citizen revolt? (2011). Is a study conducted by Dr. Rima Afifi and Dr. Ziyad Mahfoud, initially as part of the working group on youth and dignity at the Abu Dhabi Gallup Forum-2011 (Abu Dhabi). The study looks at dignity as a key concept to understanding the attitudes and actions of young people in the Arab world. The study used Gallup data to validate an adapted conceptual framework on youth and dignity. The framework posits that personal and societal factors interact to provide feedback to individuals resulting in validation or invalidation of their sense of dignity and leading in the latter case to consequences such as feelings of a lack of self-worth, anger, depression, powerlessness, hopelessness. Such feelings lead to coping mechanisms such as migration, or actions such as rebellion.

This comparative qualitative study is conducted by Dr. Roseanne Khalaf and targets university students from three Arab countries. The researcher explores the views of youth through creative writing workshops and discussions.

An online survey covering various questions on the sexual knowledge, attitudes and practices of young Arabs, and explores the effect of the internet and cyberspace on their sexual development.

The recently established steering committee of AUB Youth Working Group working group conceptualized a framework for the well-being of youth in the Arab world following an ecological and holistic approach that acknowledges the multidimensionality of well-being and goes beyond the dominant medical model. The framework is intended to provide a comprehensive road map to factors that impact youth well-being and to guide cross-sectoral research. The steering committee is currently designing and developing a pilot community action research project to further revise and test this framework.

A comprehensive literature review of available scholarly and technical knowledge related to family in the Arab world. The review will include both academic and non-academic resources in three languages: English, French and Arabic. Following the review of existing resources, a preliminary analysis will be conducted to identify key knowledge gaps and areas that are well-documented.