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As part of the J-MED Call for Projects, the Mediterranean New Chance Network organized two Mediterranean Encounters in recent months in the target countries of the J-MED – Morocco and Tunisia – bringing together J-MED laureats, active youth-focused associations, institutional actors, international organizations, and young laureates to address the common challenges facing the region. These encounters facilitated a meaningful dialogue on important topics for the future of youth and civil society in the Mediterranean: entrepreneurship, youth civic engagement, and inclusion through arts and culture professions.
The Mediterranean Encounters of Casablanca
On July 4th, the Moroccan laureates gathered in Casablanca for a day dedicated to discussions on youth entrepreneurship and engagement. This meeting provided an opportunity to explore various innovative projects currently underway in Morocco, with six speakers sharing their experiences and perspectives.
Among the initiatives highlighted was the ASETE project, led by the AERDD and a J-MED winner in 2021, which demonstrated the impact of entrepreneurship support for young people. Other notable examples included the Anamoukawil program from Anapec, which supports project holders, as well as the “Ensemble vers la relance entrepreneuriale” program developed by IECD Morocco, which works to strengthen the entrepreneurial skills of youth in the country.
The second panel focused on youth engagement and its role in developing essential skills for socio-professional integration. Speakers, including Abdeljallol Bakkar, Mohamed Aloua, and Karima Bouchehboun, emphasized the crucial role of associative action in underserved neighborhoods. They also stressed the need to include women from rural areas in partnerships between civil society actors and institutions to ensure genuine social and economic inclusion.
Throughout the discussion, a key point emerged: the importance of youth training, not only to empower them as change-makers in their communities but also to equip them with the necessary tools for constructive and effective civic engagement.
After Casablanca, the next meeting took place in Tunis, continuing this dialogue among engaged actors across the Mediterranean.
The Mediterranean Encounters of Tunis
In Tunis, on September 27th, the laureates gathered at the IHEC Carthage, where the coordination team and participants aimed to create a space dedicated to the expression of youth. The day began with an artistic work created by young people from the Nouvelle Chance program in Sousse, a wonderful initiative that highlighted their talent and symbolized the importance of active youth participation in shaping their future. They presented their interpretation of the concept of “Mediterranean youth.”
The first panel then explored the theme of inclusion through art and culture, particularly from the perspective of self-employment in the cultural and creative industries. This issue, which was also discussed by civil society organizations (CSOs) in Morocco a few months earlier, provided an opportunity to discuss the opportunities and challenges related to the inclusion of youth in these sectors, while highlighting the potential of the creative industries as a lever for the economic and social empowerment of young people in Tunisia.
Later in the morning, young people took center stage during a panel focused on youth involvement in association-based projects. This discussion brought together three young people from different projects: Fatma from the Nouvelle Chance program, Alaedinne, a master’s student at IHEC, and Khalifa from the E2C Rafiq program. Their participation shed light on their active role and essential contribution to social and associative engagement.
In the early afternoon, the associations’ forum provided an opportunity for participants to better understand the Tunisian ecosystem dedicated to youth inclusion and to discover numerous local initiatives that support young people in various fields such as art, civic engagement, dance, audiovisual media, and the environment.
The capacity building of laureats associations
These days also provided an opportunity for the laureates to attend training sessions on “How to use indicators, the key to success for your project?” and “How to effectively communicate your project,” focusing primarily on institutional communication. This training cycle, delivered by the teams of the Mediterranean New Chance Network, is the result of a survey sent to all the winning associations, which helped identify each association’s skill development needs and best address their expectations.
In conclusion, these Mediterranean Encounters were a privileged moment to share best practices, strengthen synergies between civil society actors, and encourage youth engagement in the socio-economic development of their country. The next Mediterranean Encounters will take place in Mauritania at the beginning of 2025!
The J-MED initiative supports civil society actors working in favor of youth in the Mediterranean. The call for projects is managed by the Mediterranean New Chance Network (MedNC) and is supported by the Government of Monaco, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Fondation de France, in partnership with IECD – European Institute for Cooperation and Development. A special thanks to the French Institute of Casablanca and IHEC Carthage for their support in organizing the Mediterranean Encounters in Casablanca and Tunis in 2024.
