Youth Empowerment Program

The fellowship is offered by the Gerhart Center in partnership with Lazord Foundation, this one-year fellowship program provides fresh graduates interested in pursuing a career in civil society with professional experience in socially engaged organizations. The program provides the fellows with weekly training sessions and mentorship. A bi-annual exchange takes place between the three chapter partners in the form of conferences. These meetings allow the fellows to evaluate and reflect on their experiences as well as identify the challenges encountered in order to move forward with planning for a better vision and future.

Founded in 2008, the Ma’an Alliance of Arab Universities for Civic Engagement seeks to cultivate civic engagement on university campuses across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Ma’an is a regional affiliate of the International Talloires Network, and the Ma’an secretariat is currently based at the John D. Gerhart Center. Ma’an encompasses 13 university members across 8 MENA countries, while outreach plans aspire to expand the regional network of Arab universities. By collaborating with the alliance, universities encourage their students to be more than mere employable individuals, but real agents of social transformation with both academic tools and a spirit of social responsibility.

The competitions seek to acknowledge the efforts and amplify the voices of civil society leaders, providing them with a platform to share their endeavors with specialists in the field. It encourages the exchange of best practices, offers experience in overcoming challenges, and bolsters youth potential through civic engagement.  The finalist universities have the opportunity to present their projects and compete for a grant to help them implement innovative solutions and guarantee sustainability for their civic engagement venture.

The main objective of the community-based initiatives is to equip Egyptian youth with the knowledge, skills, and on-ground experience to actively and positively participate in developing their societies and their own personal skills. Participants work together to develop innovative ideas and learn how to bring these ideas to life in teams to create a positive and sustainable social impact on a local level. Throughout a year, they get trained on project management, leadership, team building, problem-solving, and using open-source technology in social innovation.

These camps are intensive, focused, short-term learning programs that aim to equip learners with specific skills that have immediate relevance to career or academic goals. Teaching or training methods are experiential, hands-on, and dynamic, with real-world relevance, problem-based learning, teamwork, and individual development.

To raise awareness of the difference between philanthropy and charity and boost the engagement of our alumni in different areas to build a sense of community and engagement among different segments of youth while participating in many activities.