Fostering Civic Participation among the Youth in Parcelles Assainies and Grand Yoff

This comprehensive endeavour encompasses citizenship training and mentorship in conceiving and implementing initiatives. Enabled by a dedicated fund aimed at supporting civic ventures within the project’s framework, this document outlines the structure of the citizenship training and provides examples of civic actions undertaken by the youth that CONCEPT have mentored.

What are the objectives of this training ?

The general objectives could be summarised as such :
→ To raise awareness among young individuals about their citizenship status.
→ To empower young individuals to assume their role as active citizens in society.
→ To familiarise young individuals with global citizenship issues and their potential avenues of influence
→ To enable young individuals to formulate a concept of civic action.
→ To equip young individuals with the ability to identify themes or subjects for intervention.
→ To guide young individuals in devising and implementing tangible civic actions.
→ To help young individuals recognise their potential to effect change through civic actions

To get detailed information about the content of this training, download the document below. :

Examples of civic actions carried out by young people after the training

After this training, a support workshop is offered to the youth to encourage them to undertake a civic action as a group. After a recap of the key elements of the training (definitions of citizen/citizenship, rights and duties, civic action), the workshop focuses on guiding the participants through the process of creating and organising a collective initiative.
They are encouraged to mobilise a fund dedicated to support civic initiatives, which involves filling in a commitment form before carrying out the action. This form should outline the details of the action, their material and financial requirements, as well as the composition of the group responsible for conducting the action.

Here are some examples of actions that these young individuals have already carried out :

– Distributing food and drinks (juice, coffee, milk, sandwiches, dates) to children at a Quranic school, a hospital, and around a market
– Collaboratively cleaning up a school and a mosque in their neighbourhood
– Conducting awareness campaigns in schools about waste management and the environmental impact of consumption

Throughout the implementation of these initiatives, CONCEPT’s mentors are the initial points of contact for the young participants. They empower the youth to organise themselves (assigning roles and responsibilities), all while ensuring the participants have fully grasped the various concepts covered in the training. The mentors act as guides and resources to support the youth who are at the forefront of their projects. These actions foster a stronger sense of belonging among the youth within CONCEPT’s project and their community. By involving fellow residents of their neighbourhood and realising their collective ability to effect change, the participants become more attuned to their shared capacity for action. These initiatives also reinforce group cohesion among the youth and inspire them to contemplate new collaborative endeavours for the future.