We agreed that we will agree!!

Photo by (M.B(palestine) taken from Facebook)

Two days ago, the first League of Arab States Youth Forum drew it's last lines ending year 2007 with a new event collecting Arab youth in a rare (meaningful) gathering.

Actually when i received the invitation i was really reluctant about joining, scared of the "usual" bla bla, but i was proven a little bit wrong!

I didn't join, the fact is i just went to meet my Euro-Med youth parliament friends, but going there i felt i really need to be a part of this atmosphere, with north african arabs meeting with sham meeting with gulf youth, it's everywhere! and everywhere i want to be...Leaving on that day i went was hard going back home was even harder that i just decided i will go back the next day attend all the event till the end and pay for myself!

I could have stayed with my dear Algerian friend in her room and "no one would have known" for God's sake 300 participant ill be among the flock lol but still it felt better paying for myself!!

Flaws! being in "Stella de Mare" is the worst thing for this forum, it's one of the best resorts in el ain el sukhna (Red Sea) very fancy and so not Egypt, it was for a good image but not for facing truths.

Despite the fact that there was major negative issues concerning organizing, the forum still succeeded in bringing Arab youth on one table discussing their very own issues, with freedom and sincere devotion for a better future...It's true (UNFPA/UNDP) were sponsors thus we needed to discuss issues that these organizations had set for us (like reproductive health, sex education, discrimination against women, etc...) but that hadn't prevent us from thinking out of the box, discussing these issues and much more!

I was personally happy to talk with youngesters from the gulf, breaking each and every stereotype image i had for them, an amazing Omani woman, a wonderful Bahraini girl, and a brilliant Qatari guy,were enough to show me how we needed to sit together and see what has been going through our heads that we never knew existed..Major changes had happened in the way i perceive gulf societies at the moment, away from money they are fighting for same freedoms and rights we are trying to achieve, money was more of a curse than a blessing to those who believe in a better future! (not economically of course;-)

I believe in the Arab youth, how this forum showed us how similar we are, and how WE can sit together talk seriously no fighting, no one leaving for no reason, it was different this time...

We agreed that we will agree...no matter what...

Love,

Enyita