YOUTH > ALGERIA
I am a citizen, so I can have my say www.enpi-info.eu Having gone on a series of training courses, they have elected an executive board, organised a number of activities, visited a hospice, organised a youth festival – ‘they’ are the Youth Advisory Board of the Eucalyptus district, in a suburb of Algiers. They have created a space for discussion and learning: their aim is to give young people a voice and to involve them in facing and debating local issues. The initiative, supported by the European Union, is part of a programme seeking to “increase democratic discussion and civic participation among young people in the management of local development policies.” This concept is spreading through other regions in Algeria. A journalist from the EU Neighbourhood Info Centre sends us this report. Text by: Tarik Hafid Pictures by: Farouk Batiche, AFP © EU/Neighbourhood Info Centre
ALGIERS – Khawla, Hiba, Meriem and Toufik are nervous. On this Tuesday, they have the job of presenting to the Jeunesse Plus (Youth Plus) association and to secondary school pupils in the town of Draria their new initiative: the Youth Advisory Board (CCJ – Conseil consultatif des jeunes) for the district of Eucalyptus. The meeting takes place in the Draria national sports school. The “Eucalyptans”, who come from a low-income neighbourhood, step up to the challenge. Microphone in hand and facing the audience, Toufik Kourtaa starts This publication does off: “I met the people behind the Advisory Board at an information day: initially, I didn’t really understand some not represent the of the concepts, but I realised that being a citizen allows me to influofficial view of the EC ence the future of my district. Today, I can have my say,” he emphasises. or the EU institutions. EU Neighbourhood Info Centre Khawla Ghalem, a management secondary school student, takes over, The EC accepts no Feature no. 102 explaining the various steps leading to the creation of the Advisory responsibility or This is a series of features on projects liability whatsoever Board: “We took training courses to consolidate our knowledge. With funded by the EU, prepared by with regard to its this theoretical basis, we developed the internal rules and were able journalists and photographers on the content. to organise the election of the executive board.” ground or the EU Neighbourhood At the back of the room, Selma Khelif, the project leader of the InterInfo Centre. national Committee for the Development of Peoples (CISP), is smiling © 2013 EU/Neighbourhood Info Centre as she listens to Meriem Attia, who is usually very reserved, listing the
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n In the space of a few months, nearly 250 young people have taken part in various Youth Advisory Board (CCJ) activities
“I realised that my being a citizen allows me to influence the future of my district. Today, I can have my say.”
Board’s achievements: “We have organised several activities, notably a visit to a hospice for the elderly, a youth festival, and we took part in the ‘Knowledge Day’.” The discussion session begins. Questions come from all sides and the members of the Board answer them all. The audience is impressed by the CCJ concept. The need to speak out The establishment of the Board was the result of a long process. “A significant characteristic of Eucalyptus is the low age of its population, with nearly 70% of the people under 30,” explains Selma Khelif. An agricultural village until the mid-80s, Eucalyptus became a large town following the rural exodus caused by terrorism. Although it is only around 15km from the capital, living conditions are sometimes difficult. Violence is often the only form of expression young people have. “The Board enables local concerns to be raised and proposals put forward for solving issues. In Eucalyptus, the first step was building a firm partnership with local stakeholders. We were able to meet the mayor, Abdelghani Ouicher, who has a special interest in civic participation. With the El Manar association (The Lighthouse), our local partner, we then began to raise awareness and get young people to join. These activities took place in various locations, notably the library, the youth centre and the professional training centre.” 250 young people are involved in activities In the space of a few months, nearly 250 young people have taken part in various CCJ activities. From these, a strong core of 20 members was created. To assist them and increase their skills, they took training courses. These sessions were adapted to the situation on the ground and dealt with issues around civic participation, elections, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Family Code, handling conflicts, etc. The success of this phase was essential for later stages of the process and, above all, for establishing group cohesion. In addition, the El Manar association’s actions made it easier to increase diversity. In the summer, the “Eucalyptans” travelled to Oran, the main city in the west of Algeria, to discuss their experience with members of the Le Petit Lecteur association (Little Readers), which is also part of this programme. The local elections on 29 November 2012 and the preceding electoral campaign were an excellent learning opportunity for the members of the Board. They met representatives of the registered political parties, learned about various programmes and had the opportunity to express the views of young people in the town. After the vote, Mayor Abdelghani Ouicher, who had helped with the creation of the Board, was re-elected. Then, in February, it was the turn of the young
“The Board allows local concerns to be brought up and proposals to be put forward for resolving issues.”
n Ghalem Khawla, a secondary school student studying management, member of the Youth Advisory Board (CCJ) for the Eucalyptus district
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people to elect their leaders. The Youth Advisory Board of Eucalyptus has an executive board, a president and a vice-president. The initiative launched by the CISP - with financial support from the European Commission was soon emulated – by the Draria Jeunesse Plus association, for example, which received a sub-grant to increase the skills of local associations. Mohamed Amine Seghier, president of the Jeunesse Plus association, is quick to show his satisfaction. “The CCJ concept was a success in Eucalyptus and this encouraged us to recreate it in Draria. We presented the project to n Selma Khelif, project leader of the n Lamine Seghir Mohamed Amine, president of the mayor, as we believed the involvement of the International Committee for the Development the Jeunesse Plus association. public authorities was essential for the success of the of Peoples (CISP) initiative. In the short term, the aim of our Advisory Board will be to train project promoters and put them in contact with elected officials and public services. Currently, we have attracted around 60 young citizens. It is really encouraging.” So how is the political involvement going? Khawla, Hiba, Meriem, Toufik and even Mohamed Amine have mixed opinions. Today, their priority is not to become a political party; only to do all they can as citizens.
“In the short term, the aim of our Advisory Board will be to train project promoters and put them in contact with elected officials and public services.”
“Increasing democratic discussion and civic participation by young people in the management of local development policies in the Oran and Eucalyptus districts” https://www.facebook.com/LeConseilConsultatifDesJeunes In the Wilayas of Algiers and Oran, the quality of civic participation in improving decentralisation policy is supported through improving the definition, monitoring and implementation of local development projects. The partners: CISP (International Committee for the Development of Peoples), Petit Lecteur, El Manar (Eucalyptus) and in association with APC Eucalyptus. Project duration: 2 years (2012–2013) Budget: €131,556.84 For more information:
EU Neighbourhood Info Centre, Theme: Youth http://www.enpi-info.eu/thememed.php?subject=13 Délégation de l’Union Européenne en Algérie (EU Delegation in Algeria) http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/algeria/index_fr.htm
EU Neighbourhood Info Centre An ENPI project The EU Neighbourhood Info Centre is an EU-funded Regional Information and Communication project highlighting the partnership between the EU and Neighbouring countries. The project is managed by Action Global Communications.
www.enpi-info.eu