Young mediterranean voices: A flagship youth network

1. YOUNG MEDITERRANEAN VOICES: A flagship youth
network
CreW - Cultural Relations at Work - Jean Monnet project
Stuttgart, 25 April 2019
Eleonora Insalaco, Head of Intercultural Research and Programming

2. Overview
Young Mediterranean Voices (YMV) is the Euro-Mediterranean
region’s flag-ship debate programme aimed at empowering
young people to:
ü Enhance a culture of dialogue, to contribute to public
policy, shape media discourses
ü Create a shared understanding with peers, civil society,
education institutions and policy-makers across Europe
and the Neighbourhood South on how to address issues
of common concern to their communities.
The programme builds on its successful predecessor, Young
Arab Voices (YAV), co-founded by the AFL and the British Council
in 2011 and is being expanded with the support of the European
Commission and a consortium of strategic partners.

3. Objectives
ü To create a cadre of young influencers with enhanced skills
for dialogue and debate
üEmbedding debating practices in education institutions and
CSOs
üEnhancing platforms and mechanisms for young influencers
to shape public policy, influence decision-makers and shape
media narratives;
üEnhancing exposure among young debaters for shared
understanding and capacity to develop shared responses with
peers to socio-cultural challenges

4. Beneficiaries and Stakeholders
ü Young people principally aged 18 to 25
ü Youth leaders (“YMV Ambassadors network”) – after they
passed the first level of YAV
ü Young Mediterranean trainers principally aged between
18 – 35
ü Governmental and non-governmental organisations;
Educational Institutions – Schools and Universities
ü Media, organisations in the domain of digital media and
digital debate facilitation
ü Public sector institutions
ü Decision-makers

5. Partners
ü Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland
ü British Council
ü Center for Mediterranean Integration (CMI).
ü World Leadership Alliance-Club de Madrid.
ü Friends of Europe.
ü Euro-Med Media Network (EMMN)/Global Thinkers
Forum
ü Facebook.
ü Mediterranean Academy for Diplomatic Studies
(MEDAC).
ü Soliya-Search for Common Ground

6. Young Arab Voices
ü YAV: a successful pan-Arab precursor, launched in
Alexandria in 2011
ü More than 100,000 young people in eight Arab
Mediterranean’ countries ( through formal training or
participation in locally organized ‘debate clubs’, or through
non-formal education programmes)
ü Programme expansion announced in October 2016 by the EU
High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini,
on the occasion of the landmark MED FORUM in Malta

7. Intercultural Trends Research
üFor 81% of Europeans and 86% of SEM countries: fostering
youth-led dialogue initiatives is the most efficient measure to
prevent and deal with radicalization and conflict
üFor 80% for European countries and 85% for SEM countries:
support of youth participation in public life is the second most
efficient measure

8. Other studies
ü The research implemented by the Chatham House in the
framework of ALF led “Debate to Action” – highlighted the
importance of taking into consideration the different social
and political contexts of young people in each programme
country – need to go beyond debate training
ü Broader findings of a number of other reviews of youth
programmes in the Mediterranean region and beyond since
2011: commissioned by EU, World Bank and OECD -
highlighted the global interconnectedness of youth activism,
youth-led debate and need to be better reflected in policies
and programming

9. Euro-Mediterranean dimension
On the basis of lessons learnt and research results:
ü Centrality of debate skills development in formal and non-formal
education programmes
ü Strengthening South/North partnerships in recognition of the global
interconnectedness of youth activism
ü New programming objectives on “shaping policy and media
narratives”

10. YMV – Theory of change
ü YMV based on the theory of change: youth empowerment is
the core of the process. Empowerment is widely used to
explain:
§ the Purpose of youth work, by referring to intended
results of that work
§ the Process of youth work, by referring to a way of
working with young people
ü The theory of change sets out expected interventions to lead
to desired changes in outcomes at three levels: individual,
group, and social

11. Change at individual level
Level focus: INDIVIDUAL Desired changes in these
areas
Knowledge, dialogue skills,
behaviours, attitudes
Short to medium term: Enhanced
capacity in terms of critical thinking,
self-awareness, cultural intelligence
Medium to long term: Individual
transformation

12. Change at group level
Level focus: GROUP Desired changes in these
areas
Short to medium
term for
Medium to long
term for
For cross-border networks Enhanced
capacity for
exercising
leadership
Peer-to-peer
learning
For CSOs development Participatory
decision-making;
ability to review
progress; ability
to provide
feedback
Embedding
reach
To shift media narratives Contribute to
policy change
Shaping
narratives

13. Change at social level
Level focus: Society Desired changes in these
areas
Culture of dialogue Short to medium and long term of
enhanced capacity: Transformation of
social context (peaceful communities,
reduction in discriminatory practices, in
crimes …)

14. A New Theory of Change

15. Youth main concerns and challenges
ü Lack of involvement in decision making & policy implementation. Youth
disengament
ü Lack of opportunities to practice debate with peers & with policy
makers
ü Stigmatization of youth through the media as unemployed, vulnerable
to violent extremism or potential threats
ü Lack of knowledge of trust-worthy media sources
ü Young people feel they face shared challenges across the Euromed
region

16. Strands to Address Youth Issues
ü Equipping youth with foundational 21st century skills through training in
debate techniques, capacity building, engaging with formal education
systems and non-formal education programmes
ü Providing opportunities to Influence public policy through equipping
youth to engage with policy makers & media and providing leadership
development opportunities (YMV ambassadors)
ü Contribution to positive narrative about young people & combatting
radicalization through social media campaigning and skills development
for « YMV ambassadors »
ü Breaking down stereotypes and barriers to diversity through building
networks for future North-South collaboration across the Euromed
region to foster intercultural dialogue

17. Ladder of participation

18. Guiding principles
ü Building on what works: YMV builds directly on five years of
experience on existing good governance and management practice of
the YAV model with further refinements.
ü Using evidence-based approach: YMV is based on tried, tested and
independently evaluated methodologies, such as digitizing debate as
a complement to face-to-face dialogue: (e.g. Erasmus + Virtual
Exchange (EVE), linked-in ..)
ü Creating and strengthening synergies: YMV is built with coherence
with existing EU-supported regional programmes, notably: MED
MEDIA, NET MED YOUTH, EuroMED Migration 4, and MED
CULTURE. Mapping existing initiatives to create synergies,
harmonize approaches and leverage impact and sustainability
ü Quality control and innovation: A mechanism of quality assurance
is established and monitored. Feedback are continuously gathered,
training and capacity building are evaluated, weaknesses re-
addressed and improvements introduced.

19. Guiding principles
ü Creating owneship: Creating young people’s ownership of
decisions, policies and narratives at different levels (e.g. governance
and management, to maximise the resources, networks, ideas and
inputs of the partner organisations and networks).
ü Working trough partnerships: Creating partnerships as a key to the
long-term sustainability to embed dialogue skills development in the
education and CSO sector, and ensure a greater geagraphical reach
trough implementing a ‘Hub’ structure for YMV affiliated to the EU
headquarters.
ü Multiplier effect: multiplying effects through and embedding good
practices, e.g. advocacy work with the Ministry of Education in Tunisia
who has committed itself in a MoU to embed debate practice across
public schools and consequently significantly scaling-up access to
debate opportunities.

20. Guiding principles
ü Youth leadership: as a “ladder of participation” empowering young
people to share in policy-making, through introducing methodologies
to refine youths’ skills for leadership, advocacy, and media literacy,
building their access to networks and support frameworks, and
contributing to reaffirming their role as “agents of change”.
ü Learning organisation: investment in capacity-building of HR
involved, in research, monitoring and evaluationto benefit institutional
knowledge in ALF and BC.
ü Progressively embedding the EuroMed scope: Engaging
transversally North and South actors and enlarging the scope of the
programme and creating strategic hubs in identified priority locations
linked to strategic communications, partnerships coordination, and
regional events management. Empowering partner institutions and
networks to deliver components of the work programme.
ü Intercultural Dialogue is transversal: embedded in different
components from a new edition of the debate manual to the Euro-
Med leadership and exchange components, e.g. an annual regional
leadership seminar.

21. Models of skills transfer
ü Debate training: UK Parliamentary debate. Critical thinking. Quality
assurance. Exchange of innovative practices
ü Advocacy training: media mentoring, digital media campaigns,
exchange with world leaders.- day face-to-face and online interaction
ü Creative campaigns: development of campaigns by social media
influencers on positive perspectives about their socities. Access to
tools and networks to multiply the reach and impact
ü Peer-to-peer learning: self evaluation of the training. Online learning
platform to complement face-to-face training to learn together. Sub-
regional campaigning on issues of common concern
ü Digitising debate: promote the culture of debate to larger and more
diversified youth through virtual exchange, as a sustained learning and
structured exchange

22. Since 2018
• 8 national youth forums in Tunisia (60 participants); Morocco
(87 participants); Libya (180 participants); Lebanon (100
participants); Palestine (81 participants); Jordan (32
participants); Algeria (90 participants); Egypt (120
participants)
• 8 National Debate Championships
• 3 Languages of debates (English, French and Arabic)
• 6 Virtual Exchange Workshops (Palestine, Jordan, Algeria,
Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia)
• 5 policy dialogues with EU officials and National policy
makers (Jordan, Algeria, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia)
• 96 motions debated throughout the forum

23. Since 2018
Eight (8) policy papers produced through our alumni who participated as
policy rapporteurs during the forums
Pilot Policy Dialogue Events:
üJordan - Public debate and policy dialogue with the EU Ambassador and
ALF Executive director
üAlgeria - Policy dialogue with the EU Ambassador and UK ambassador
üTunisia - Policy dialogue with EU delegation representative (Head of
Governance) and President of ALF
üLebanon - Policy dialogue with Members of Parliament and the British
Council director

24. Looking ahead
From 2019 strategic focus on widening access to
intercultural dialogue with young people who do not
traditionally access large-scale mobility programmes via
Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange and engaging the ALF Network
of Networks

25. Thank you
https://www.annalindhfoundation.org/young-mediterranean-voices-0