* Hala bin Yousef wrote an article on Le Maghreb Newspaper in which she discusses the prospects of Tunisian youth in politics. She argues that 11 years after the revolution, the political elites solidified their grab on politics and led the country toward failure. This failure, Bin Yousef argues, with its many negatives and the bitterness of its impact on the lives of Tunisians, carries a positive dimension in its intellectual depth, as it re-introduces an original and necessary topic: youth and politics. The term youth has become a commercial term used to decorate electoral programs and furnish propaganda speeches, as she states that we are all tired of hollow slogans such as “the youth of tomorrow,” “the joy of Tunisia’s youth,” and “youth are an active partner in building the nation.” She clarifies “we did not see anything from these slogans, and ultimately youth and politics became parallel lines that never meet.” She then explains that it is time to explore this matter from a different angle. She states that the disregard with which the authorities deal with youth’s needs heralds a dangerous social explosion, especially in light of the continued absence of any evidence or step towards finding the required solutions to the concerns of the youth. 

* The former representative in the Tunisian Parliament, Fatima Al-Masdi, confirmed that the verdict of acquittal in the case against her by the Ennahda following statements that exposed the movement’s position behind networks that deport young people to hotbeds of tension, foremost of which is Syria, and its relationship to terrorism, demonstrating the movement’s first judicial defeat. She added that the former Minister of Religious Affairs, Noureddine El-Khadmi, who is affiliated with the Ennahda movement, brazenly calls on social media to send youth to Ukraine, saying “the government must intervene to limit these calls because this is a crime.”

* Jihad al-Momani of the Independent Election Commission in Jordan called on young people to engage in the political process through active participation in the elections and not to pay attention to rumors or calls for boycotting what would push towards change and reform. During the meeting, an in-depth dialogue took place about what the upcoming elections are and the necessity of using them by young people to change the reality. The attendees’ questions focused on the challenges youth face along with their desires to get out of crises that lead them to feel marginalized and frustrated.

* The All Jordan Youth Commission organized a panel discussion in Madaba in cooperation with the Independent Election Commission to encourage youth participation in the upcoming municipal elections. Ammar Al-Husseini, a member of the Board of Commissioners of the Independent Election Commission, addressed the laws regulating elections and the commission’s preparations to ensure the smooth and easy conduct of the election process. The Coordinator of Madaba Governorate, Dr. Hassan Al-Shawabkeh, stressed the importance of youth participation in the elections and their involvement in political life in general, in order to enhance the process of political reform. Qafqafa Youth Center in Jordan implemented a workshop entitled “The Rule of Law”, within the youth, security and rule of law axis.

* Shady Francis wrote an article for CBN News discussing censorship in the MENA region. He states that while government censorship of media channels and newspapers is still widely practiced in the region, the growth of social media has provided youth with a virtually unstoppable network of uncensored, unfiltered news and opinion. They are following trends, hashtags, and joining open and closed online groups to discuss any topic. They are clamoring to have their voices heard and are determined to let others know, “I am here.” Francis adds that the average time youth in the region spend on social media is 3.5 hours every day. He concludes by saying that there is no longer a “deafening silence”, instead, youth found their voices, and social media is the medium.

* In Algeria, the government decided to extend the deadlines for registration and candidacy for membership of the Supreme Youth Council to an additional 8 days, starting from March 17th. While each municipality is different, the decision obligates the governors to inform the youth of the extension by all available means to enable them to participate in the electoral process. It was decided to extend the deadlines for an additional 4 days for registration and another 3 days for candidacy, and the digital platform will be automatically reprogrammed.

* The parallel youth government (a civic body) launched the “Mobile Parliament” initiative in Morocco, which aims to bring young people closer to the work and roles of the legislative institution. The initiative, which was carried out in partnership between the parallel youth government and Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom aims to train and mentor young men and women in the field of analyzing and tracking public policies and providing them with the opportunity to emulate the experience of the constitutional parliament. It is worth noting that youth participants are selected by filling out a form containing questions on their demographic information and the extent of their interest in public affairs and the evaluation of public policies, before sitting through an interview.