Point of View

MEYI is launching the Youth Ambassador Think Tank: a forum to encourage active discussion on topics of timely relevance to Middle Eastern youth. Our first topic deals with concepts of participation and the "generation gap."

Joulan Abdulkhalek is our Youth Ambassador from Beirut, Lebanon, where he is obtaining his Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the American University of Beirut (AUB).

Navtej Dhillon, Jad Chaaban, and Tarik Yousef share findings on the staggering costs of youth unemployment and youth exclusion, noting that the combined costs of youth unemployment for 11 countries in the Middle East region can reach as much as $25 billion a year, or 2.3% of the region’s GDP. These costs emphasize the urgent need for institutional and programmatic reform to invest more in the young people as assets for the region's growth.

Waleed Sadek joins us as a Youth Ambassador from Egypt where he is a lecturer at the National Institute for Planning at the Ministry of Economic Development.

Sarah Zaaimi joins us as a Youth Ambassador from Morocco, where she is a master's degree candidate in international studies and diplomacy at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane.

Alaa Al-Mizyen is our Youth Ambassador from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. She is currently a student in the College of Business Administration in Jeddah working toward a bachelor's degree in Marketing.

Radwan Wetti joins us as a Youth Ambassador from Damascus, Syria, where he is a Business Experience Program Manager for the SHABAB Project at the Syria Trust for Development.

MEYI Director and Fellow Navtej Dhillon and MEYI Research Assistant Amina Fahmy reflect on urbanization in the region and how city-to-city collaboration on urban development can help improve the lives of young people.