Regional meeting is latest in series of Silatech civic engagement activities.
Amman, Jordan - February 15, 2014: Over 40 university presidents and senior administrators from throughout the Arab world gathered in the Jordanian capital of Amman on February 9-10 to share experiences and discuss how to better integrate concepts of civic engagement and citizenship within Arab universities. Convened by Silatech in partnership with Innovations for Civic Participation (ICP), "The Role of Civic Engagement in Higher Education" focused on the role of civic engagement in advancing student educational success and university priorities, as well as strategies for embedding civic engagement within university curricula and building sustainable and effective engagement initiatives.
University leaders also discussed capacity building for the Ma'an Arab University Alliance for Civic Engagement. Founded in 2008 by the American University in Cairo, in partnership with the global Talloires Network and Innovations in Civic Participation, the Ma'an Alliance brings together Arab universities with the collective goal of encouraging and integrating civic engagement in higher education. The Alliance currently includes 13 universities and institutions from Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Qatar, Palestine, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.
Based in Doha, Silatech is a regional social initiative that works to boost employment, entrepreneurship and civic engagement opportunities for young people throughout the Arab world.
According to Silatech Senior Advisor for Civic Engagement Dina Sherif, "When young people are actively engaged, motivated and empowered to participate directly in building their societies, everyone benefits. By working to mainstream civic engagement on university campuses, we are helping to lay the foundation for a generation of positive change makers."
She continued: "Not only do young people become motivated to improve their societies through civic engagement, but they also can learn important skills and gain invaluable experience that will benefit them in the search for employment."
The Amman consultation is the latest in a series of civic engagement-related activities undertaken by Silatech. In late 2013, Silatech conducted a series of discussions and focus groups with youth, representatives from youth-focused organizations, as well as entrepreneurs and business executives, to discuss ideas relating to the development of "Lead with Purpose," an innovative regional program which aims to develop a new generation of socially-conscious and responsible young Arab leaders. Silatech is also creating an online database of youth-focused NGOs throughout the region, as well as exploring various ways to support social entrepreneurship in the Arab world.
In January, Silatech and ICP launched a Small Grants Fund under the umbrella of the Wajibi Program, under which universities in Egypt, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia, and Yemen may apply for grants to assist in developing and implementing policies and programs that advance institutional change and enhance civic engagement on their campuses and in their communities.
© Press Release 2014
