Forum gives young Moroccans tools for social change
2009-09-10
Young Moroccans exchanged ideas and mingled with their peers at the first-ever Civil Society Forum in Rabat.
By Siham Ali for Magharebia in Rabat – 10/09/09
 [Siham Ali] According to participant Abdelwahed Ziat, more young Moroccans should involve themselves in addressing problems in their country. |
Some 200 young Moroccans from sixteen regions around Morocco attended the first Civil Society Forum from September 8th-12th in Rabat. The forum was organised by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), with co-operation from the youth ministry, under the theme "Mobilise, plead, change".
According to Robert Jackson, chargé d'affaires at the United States Embassy, the goal of the event was to encourage young people to become effectively involved in political and social life and to reinforce the values of democracy, rule of law and good governance.
In the coming years, the event will help to establish a space for exchange, dialogue and debate between Moroccan and American youth, with the involvement of some young American members of the Peace Corps.
Karima Ghanem, director of the Civil Society Forum, said the young participants came from NGOs and that the vast majority were university students. This forum, she continued, will aid them in improving their communications and have an impact on their associates.
Youth and Sports Minister Moncef Belkhiyat said at the opening ceremony that the meeting was aimed at promoting young people and giving them an opportunity to express themselves. He said this initiative will make an undeniable contribution to setting up young people as real actors for change.
Discussion at the forum centred on a number of issues: participatory democracy, local management, social mediation, and communication for social change, among others.
The young participants appreciated the initiative. Mohamed, a young man from Salé, said this kind of seminar allows young people to find out how they can access information and develop their abilities.
"They teach us to persevere, and to be active," he said, adding that exchanges with the young Americans were proving fruitful, enabling them to see where each person's interests are focussed.
Rachid Belghiti from the Young Moroccans' Forum for the Third Millennium said that young people from different backgrounds need time together to discuss the communal charter and local policies in order to become active participants.
The chairman of the Young Moroccans' Forum for the Third Millennium, Abdelwahed Ziat, said it was necessary to involve young Moroccans in the developmental challenges facing their society.
Rachid Badouli from the Orient-Occident Foundation said young people must immerse themselves in the principles of critical thinking if they are to be able to mobilise themselves behind social projects.
According to USAID, the success of the event demonstrates a great desire among young people to meet together and discuss their concerns. The American agency was unable to accommodate all the young people who wanted to take part in the Forum, receiving two applications for every seat.
Sociologist Samira Kassimi said that young Moroccans need to express themselves to one another so that others can hear their concerns. "In Morocco, the culture is to keep quiet and not to express your feelings or your worries," she said. "From an early age, we force children to be silent. Fortunately, young parents have started to change that culture."
For young people in Morocco to flourish, Kassimi said, efforts like these must be stepped up.
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BEN Posted 2009-09-10
The young, Anglophone Moroccans rarely find a place where they can intelligently express themselves and their understanding of the environment surrounding them. A lot of attempts have been made to this regard, but nothing has stuck. Let us hope that they will find out about this initiative, for which they have been looking for so long.
hakkar ramzi rabia Posted 2009-09-11
In order to have social change, we need to first do away with the bars and pubs in our Islamic Moroccan cities. In my opinion, if we are officially in a purely Islamic, Arab country, then why do we find bars and pubs in Casablanca or even here in El Jadida? This is strange. For me, even if we are open, we do not need to exaggerate too much. Our parents are true Muslims. Our parents do not place a single bottle of beer or vodka on our dinner table during the fast of Ramadan. So, let us be a little serious. If we want to be open, then we need to maintain our limits in order to avoid aggression and criminal activity. So, it would be better for us to avoid opening these bar clubs. We cannot do anything if most people like to drink alcohol or win. There you have it: everyone is free to live in their freedom. Long live love! Long live sex! Long live Europe! Long live French and European and even American culture! There you have it: long live clarity and long live transparency, just as was said to us by Our Late Majesty, Hassan II, my God protect him in his beautiful, heavenly paradise!
moroccan patriot Posted 2009-09-12
The second that any of these kids gets the courage or gains the wisdom to truly understand the root causes of Morocco's real problems, they will get jailed or worse. Those in power want to remain in power. They can put on shows to get funding from USAID, but when it comes to allowing real freedom of expression or Democracy; this will just not happen. Anyone who dares to express themselves will be jailed and tortured. This will not change. The only option available for these free thinkers is exile in Europe or North America.
Moroccan Patriot Posted 2009-09-14
The Laws on the books in Morocco must be changed. They are essentially apartheid Laws. They set down one set of laws for Moroccans/Muslims and another set of laws for foreigners. The funny part is that the people who have more freedom in Morocco are not the Moroccans, rather it is the foreigners. It is shocking that Moroccan officials responsible for creating the laws in Morocco would so publiclly show their self loathing and their ingrained hate for everthing Moroccan and everything Muslim!!! It is clear that those in charge of reforming the Laws of Morocco think Moroccans are animals who do not deserve to have access to the rule of Law. It is equally clear that White people are treated much better than Moroccans in Morocco. If you are white in Morocco, you can share a hotel room with your girlfriend. If you are Moroccan and do the same thing, you go to jail. If you are white in Morocco, you can go to a bar and drink as much as you want. You also have the right to buy alcohol or sell aclohol in Morocco. Moroccans and Muslims do NOT have the legal right to Buy or Sell Alcohol, they do not even have the legal right to be served alcohol in Morocco. Many of you will say, that you see many bars occupied by Moroccans and you see many Moroccans buying alcohol in the supermarkets... Yes you are absolutely correct. Most of the Alcohol consumed in Morocco is consumed by Moroccans. Yet, they are all in CLEAR VIOLATION of the current Laws of Morocco. Do not take my word for it, do some research!!! This is not by accident. There is no rule of Law in Morocco. There is no equitable enforcement. Can you imagine Spain passing a law saying it was ok for Moroccans to smoke Hashish and still illegal for Spaniards?? Nope. never happen. Moroccan Govt.hates Moroccans
Free spirit Posted 2009-09-22
In away it is scary to live in Morocco, you are always threaten to be bitten, jailed or worse if you speak up and seek change for better living... Morocco is occupied by people from Fez who in time when other Moroccans were fighting the French colonial power, Mr Allal al-Fassi advised his people to go to France and seek education and leave the task to liberate Morocco to "3rubiya and Berber" and unfortunately that is exactly what happened, we were pushed to the curve, they have the highest position in power and in the business and we have to risk our lives riding high waves in the ocean and be humiliated in the foreign lands to make a living and their banks benefits in the end as well because we have no choice other than wiring hard currency to support our poor families.. To Allal al-Fassi people, you made Morocco what it is now; poor, illiterate and their miserable while you and your kids are living large...are you proud of your selves???…any free spirit will never accept such oppression...
Opinion Posted 2009-09-24
It will still be an opportunity for a political and social debate, These forum could be a very good tool of sharing information or passing on your ideologies and opinions, its time for young people to be involved in activities concerning your needs, the parliament has proved its position for decades of its failure, when it comes to raising its issues, Political disagreements and bullying against other parties from opposition would always be the case, Even during the elections, they have no action plans for developments, The voice of young people honestly needs to be heard just like European countries, What has these governments done for us to have them again, we need a young party who cares about this country and love its people and willing to protect and provide to its citizen’s , You have a duty to fight for our vulnerable people who suffers from poverty without any social benefit what so ever and our corrupted judicial system ruled by a by a bunch of criminals .
my vewpoint Posted 2009-10-06
It's very hard to talk about a social change and ignore the education system's problems. schools that are considered as one of the socity pilars have been one of the social change failure.how? why? that's what we have to be interested in.i can say from my little experience at schools that i've noticed that students are not allowed to express themselves in classrooms .and when we 've asked some teachers for the reasons.they said" we are pressed by the program and followed by the final exam . if we gave the opportunity to each student we wouldn't finish the program" .as we know discussions are as important as the curriculum. we can't imagine a resousful student who is very smart while dealing with the curriculum when discussions are absent.students without expressing themselves will react as robots .they receive data ; try to understund it then give it back without having the right to add any viewpoint.and this makes the student very frustrated.and as a result they will be bigheaded and fanatic people in the future.
Moroccan patriot Posted 2009-10-08
There is a solution to some of the issues that face teachers in Moroccan classrooms. Many complain that because of large class sizes (30 -50 students) and a curricullim that is forced down their throat and must be completed to prepare for exams, they cannot allow students to express themselves in class... they are simply making excuses for their own short comings and the evil ways of the ministry of Education. Before I continue, I want to tell you that I teach junior high school students in Morocco. I place 60% of the fault with the Ministry of education, 35% with the teachers and 5% with the kids. Most teachers do not really care about their students. They do not want to do extra work, like grading papers at home and would rather teach extra hours for extra money. As for the ministry of Education, they are a ministry with one purpose.... TO PREVENT MOROCCAN CHILDREN FROM GAINING ACCESS TO AN EDUCATION. This decision was clearly made by higher ups who want to keep all the posh spots in Moroccan society for their own kids. Teachers should split their large classes into teams and have them work as groups and then make individual presentations on solutions to problems that exist in their subject matter... this strategy can work for Math classes, French Classes, Histroy classes etc... Thinking outside the box works. Teachers need to work around the Ministry of Education to educate children in Morocco... The ministry of education clearly does not want them educated, so it falls on us as teachers to fill the void.
moroccan patriot Posted 2009-10-10
First and foremost, I believe that the Ministry of Education does not WANT Moroccan kids to have access to education. They want Moroccan kids to grow up smart enough to follow directions, but dumbed down enough so that they do not ask too many questions. The ministry of educaiton serves as an occupation army for the minds of the youth. There are some teachers who are willing to fight the machine, but they are far and away the exception. Although about 5% percent of all teachers are AMAZING, 95% are worthless. They are lazy. They are greedy. They perpetuate the cycle of moral decline by accepting and expecting less from students. They are also poor role models for the kids in many ways. They have little back bone, and little sense of ingenuity or a desire to improve the status quo. This is my expert opinion.
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