A little more than 5 months ago, the world stood in awe as the demands for freedom and democracy resonated out from downtown Cairo. In only 18 days, the youth packed into Cairo’s main square changed the path of history and their country. These are the same youth that had been dismissed by all the experts as “passive” and in perpetual wait for their future to change. The experts were wrong, and this same youth who grew tired of waiting decided to take their future into their own hands.
"Forsa"
Those initial days of unrest demanding change and democracy have now passed. In the aftermath of the revolution, youth aspire to materialize their dreams into tangible results such as jobs, something so crucial in order to have a “normal” life in a “normal” country. From Plan International, we were betting on youth even before the revolution. They didn’t need to take to the streets for us to believe in them and that the change had to come from themselves.
These events confirm that youth represent something more than just the future of a country. They’re here, now, and the present belongs to them.
“Forsa” means “opportunity” in Arabic and is the name of the youth employability program implemented by Plan International. It supports the most vulnerable and least educated youth so that they can acquire the skills and knowledge required to obtain jobs. It connects them to the job market and gives them the opportunity to escape the circle of poverty they otherwise would be doomed to.
Youth unemployment has been one of Egypt’s worst problems in the past years and one of the reasons thousands of youth went out into the streets to demand change.
The Story of Rasha
Rasha, a teenager who lives in a marginalized neighborhood of Cairo, couldn’t continue her education because of financial hardships and her parents’ not allowing her to. “I would stay at home doing nothing, spending hours watching T.V. or doing housework. It was impossible for me to find work because I didn’t have the skills or the experience required, and my parents were opposed to me being away from home.”
Rasha is one of the thousands of girls who stays at home, waiting for their parents to take decisions for them or for a suitable husband to come along.
The Forsa program helped this Egyptian youth to participate in a free, three month training which was located close to her home. “In those three months, I gained the skills required to become an assistant nurse. For the first time, I learned how to use a computer and speak some English. They also taught me how to write my C.V. and how to present myself during an interview. But overall, I learned how to be myself, to speak in public, and to take my own decisions.”
The parents of another young woman, Shaimaa, didn’t see any sense in sending their daughter to the university if in the end she would just end up as a housewife. “I practically never left home, and became very shy and hated being in large groups. Then, a community volunteer told me about the Forsa program. I liked the idea of it, but it was very difficult for me to convince my parents to let me join. Finally I enrolled in the program; I felt like I was at home. I made many friends and it changed who I am. Now I’m working in a restaurant. I am very proud of myself and how much my life has improved since then."
More than training
Small community centers, which up until now have been inactive, are being converted into youth centers, full of life, with classrooms decorated according to the types of training these same youth are receiving. Some youth specialize in hostelry, others in customer service, while many girls prefer the field of cleaning and sanitation. All youth are trained for jobs which are in high demand and most of them are able to find work once their training is complete.
More than just training, this program puts youth into contact with companies which encourage teaching youth important work values such as punctuality, hygiene, responsibility, or the ability to work in teams. These values are linked to principles such as solidarity, community work, and a sense of civil duty.
Since the program has begun, hundreds of youth have attended the classrooms of the four centers which currently exist in Egypt. Plan International hopes to inaugurate 15 more such centers all over the country in the next two years.
If the revolution is an opportunity for democratic principles to extend to Egypt, Forsa is for many youth an opportunity to acquire professional skills for their future, and above all, build a better country.
Virginia Saiz Gomis from Plan International Egypt