October 2017 was a very enriching month for me. During 3
weeks, I lived the same experience I lived last year but with a different
perspective : SDG Camps. Last year, I was one of 250 young citizens who
went to a random event they found on social media, without having any clue
about its mission or output. When presenting my team’s idea that day (August
2017), I didn’t think in three months, I’ll be presenting it again in front of
more than 1000 persons as a winner (December 2016), or presenting my own
country’s youth one month later (January 2017) in the UN Headquarters, or even
working with students and professors
from Hult international business school one year after (July 2017) to improve
my idea and finalize it even more. SDG Camps and Youth Leadership Programme
after, were a huge adventure full of mystery and constant surprises. Every time
I thought this will be the last chapter, a new challenge appears and bring with
it a big flood of positive energy and knowledge. Whether the local and national
workshops in Tunisia, the regional one in Kuwait, the ECOSOC forum in NY, the
online course With Hult University or my current volunteering experience with
the third edition of the programme this Ocotber. During the last three
weekends, I saw all the stress, the lost and the excitement I felt last year in
the faces of the 70 particiants I met in Djerba, Tunis and SidiBouzid. But
also, I was getting out of my comfort zone, by sharing with them all the
lessons and the messages I was tought during my experience last year. I felt
responsibility of transmitting to them all I have learned in make them engage
like me even thought we didn’t share the same backgrounds, problems or goals.
Actually when I participated in the first camp in Djerba, I
expected that youth will share the same ideas in the other two workshops, and
to be honest, I was sure that Tunis camp will bring the most innovative ideas
as i twill gather youth of the capital who are the most privilieged and open
the the international community. After these 3 weekends, I found out I was
completely wrong for thinking in such way. In fact, almost non of the camps had
the same problems like the others or even the same fields of problems. I never
thought that culture, geographic localisation and surroundings can affect the
perspective with whos youth see matters this much., because I was always
convinced that internet and media will make people equal whether they live in
the heart in the capital or the most isolated desert of the country (if they
have internet access of course). From what I noticed, Tunis camp participants
were more aware of the SDGs and their context comparing to the other camps. And
yes, they were more open to the international community (NGOs, companies,
international political scene , etc). But surprisingly, this made the
problems brainstorming exercice more difficult for them. I think capital youth
is more distracted by youth in other countries issues because of the intense
exchange they are living with them whether throught exchange programmes,
regional programmes, or even studies. Not only that, the fact they knew a lot
about the SDGs and how they were established made them look to the problems in
a very general way like diplomats and world leaders. It was very challenging
for them to specify what are their OWN personal problems that they are living.
They got used to solve other people’s problems by starting projects, but not
seeking solving their own ones. (And I believe I was one of them unfortunately
and last year’s SDG Camp changed me in a way). On the other hand, in Djerba and
Sidi Bouzid camps, the problems brainstorming exercice was a lot less
challenging, and more exciting. Youth found less difficulties to share their
own problems that were very specific to their community. They easily communicated
with each other without seeking that global impact, that haunted most of the
capital’s young activists.
Something else surprised me a lot, was the huge difference
between the cultures of youth in every city of Tunisia. As if we are
disconnected. Why are we looking for exchange programs outside Tunisia, while
we don’t even know how people like us just 60 km away spend their day and
celebrate their holidays ? Djerba’s young community for example, don’t
know almost anything about what’s the civil society in the other cities is
doing. And there are almost no links between both groups. We spent a whole day
talking about partnership, and none of the participants suggesting anything in
collaboration with an NGO from outside the island. In Sidi Bouzid, things took
a different aspect. In fact, youth there only looked to exchange and cooperate
with the capital’s civic society. But nothing for the surrounding cities.
The last point I noticed was the profiles of the
participants of the three camps. In Tunis’s camp, the profiles were very
typical. Youth came from very commun fields of studies we can meet in the civic
society : Medical, business, engineering, and law. And all of them have
either participated before in a competition similar in a way, or at least informed
about how they work. While in Sidi Bouzid and Djerba, profiles were very
diverse and unusual (for someone from the capital who is used to work with
people from the fields mentionned above). For example, a part of my friend
Adnen (who was a finalist with me in the SDG camps representing Kairouan), in
these two camps I met for the first time people who didn’t have university studies.
It was my first time seeing unemployed people, youth who didn’t have a
scientific education but more like field work (agriculture, couture, daily
workers) participate in such projects. I got used to see these profiles as ones
who « recieve » a solution or they are its « target » as
they are « vulnerable » by giving them trainings to « acquire
soft-skills ». Well, I admit that when I mentionned the word
« softskills » these participants didn’t knew what it meant, but when
preparing and presenting their ideas at the end of the day, I discovered that
they do have it and use them perfectly.
So to conclure, this phase of my adventure with the SDG
Camps showed me that for more than 5 years I was engaged in the civic society,
all the insitutions made me believe that I am privileged and that I am
responsible of changing the conditions in my country thanks to the
« skills » I have and that I have to transmit to the
« vulnerable groups » as an « active citizen », while in
fact, everyone has the needed potential to be the leader. It’s just that not
everyone met the right person to tell him that « he can do it » and
supported him in his path with insipration or encouragement. So maybe what I
see as a small solution that can help solving this issue, is to work on the
exchange between the youth groups in all the country and empower the existing
network with new « inter-tunisian cities » programmes before thinking
of the regional network in the MENA or the the other ones.
