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Be Heard NowYouth & Digital Campaigning

September 18th

to October 1st

2010

Rabat, Morocco

By Manal Elattir

The MEPI Alumni Network - Morocco Chapter - launched for the first time in Morocco

Be Heard Now initiative on digital campaigning introducing new media tools and innovative

methods to organize, implement and lead successful awareness campaigns tackling important social

issues. Be Heard Now program selected, among a pool of 60 applicants, 16 bright MEPI Alumni

(ages 19-26) from 6 different regions of Morocco already active in NGOs and equipped with a strong

ambition to change their community positively. The participants formed three groups and for a week

worked on organizing three campaigns addressing three different topics: corruption, social

entrepreneurship and women empowerment. This initiative aimed at:

(To view Be Heard Now video, visitwww.youtube/mepinetmorocco)

Linking the young campaigners to

important networks and partners thus

creating the synergy needed toimplement their campaigns

Building the capacity of the young civil

society actors to understand the new

social media techniques and advocacy

tools to construct their own campaigns

Fostering youth creativity

and their effective

participation in bringing

change to their community

Contact MEPI Alumni Network:mepinetmorocco@gmail.com

+212(0)611142702

Website:www.mepialumni.org

Facebook: MEPI Alumni NetworkMorocco -

YouTube Channel:www.youtube.com/mepinetmorocco

Skype: mepinetmorocco

Be Heard Now on the news:

http://www.map.ma/fr/sections/social/appel_a_une_meilleur/view

http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/fr/features/awi/features/2010/10/03/feature-01

http://www.lematin.ma/Actualite/Journal/Article.asp?idr=116&id=139980

http://www.youtube/mepinetmoroccohttp://www.youtube/mepinetmoroccomailto:mepinetmorocco@gmail.commailto:mepinetmorocco@gmail.comhttp://www.mepialumni.org/http://www.mepialumni.org/http://www.mepialumni.org/http://www.youtube.com/mepinetmoroccohttp://www.youtube.com/mepinetmoroccohttp://www.youtube.com/mepinetmoroccohttp://www.map.ma/fr/sections/social/appel_a_une_meilleur/viewhttp://www.map.ma/fr/sections/social/appel_a_une_meilleur/viewhttp://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/fr/features/awi/features/2010/10/03/feature-01http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/fr/features/awi/features/2010/10/03/feature-01http://www.lematin.ma/Actualite/Journal/Article.asp?idr=116&id=139980http://www.lematin.ma/Actualite/Journal/Article.asp?idr=116&id=139980http://www.lematin.ma/Actualite/Journal/Article.asp?idr=116&id=139980http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/fr/features/awi/features/2010/10/03/feature-01http://www.map.ma/fr/sections/social/appel_a_une_meilleur/viewhttp://www.youtube.com/mepinetmoroccohttp://www.mepialumni.org/mailto:mepinetmorocco@gmail.comhttp://www.youtube/mepinetmorocco

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During her visit to Be Heard Now program,Mrs. Tamara Wittes, Deputy

Assistant Secretary and head of MEPI, had a great exchange with the young

trainees. The MEPI Alumni voiced their ambition for positive change in their

community and their exciting

projects. Mrs. Tamara recalled

MEPIs mission as one that wants

to support citizens like them in the

MENA region who are trying to

empower themselves, You dont

lack the ideas and you dont lackthe confidence to believe that you

can make the change; but the

challenge is how you take that idea

and how you take that confidence in your abilities and turn those into reality. She encouraged the

youth to think of MEPI as an ongoing resource as they continue to grow in their community activism.

Furthermore, Mrs. Tamara explained the need to build bridges across the MENA region to learn from

each other and form more regional networks in different issues. This training is one concrete example

of the use of regional expertise by bringing new media expert and blogger Mohamed G. Beshir from

Egypt, who benefited himself from a MEPI program, to give the necessary new media tools that

proved to work in his country. As Mr. Beshir trained the youth, they could easily relate to the different

examples and case studies presented, which helped in developing their own campaign action plans.

During the training phase September 18th

to September 23rd

2010, the participants MEPI

Campaigners embarked in an adventure learning the strategic planning of a campaign, the secrets

behind mobilizing people to advocate for an issue, how to make a podcast and how to use such cutting

edge technologies as Twitter, Eblogger, flicker,

Facebook for social activism and to raise

awareness about the three issues they have

chosen: corruption, social entrepreneurship and

women empowerment. Within one week, the

three groups applied simultaneously what they

have learned during the training onto their own

campaigns planning. They conceived strategicaction plans for each of their campaigns, they

chose and personalized social networks towards their targeted issue and they produced podcasts

further explaining and supporting their campaign message. You can watch the 3 youth podcasts on the

MEPI Alumni Network - Morocco Chapter - YouTube channelwww.youtube.com/mepinetmorocco .

A camera, a computer with internet and you are set for change! Through the Be

Heard Now training, I grasped the concept of campaigning and the tools for social

media. I am excited with my group to implement the Social Entrepreneurship

campaign in Morocco. Zakia Arich, MEPI Alumna

http://www.youtube.com/mepinetmoroccohttp://www.youtube.com/mepinetmoroccohttp://www.youtube.com/mepinetmoroccohttp://www.youtube.com/mepinetmorocco

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On October 1st2010, MEPI Alumni Network organized a conference: New media and youth:

the way to social change to debate about the role of youth as agents of change in the Moroccan

society and to talk about the new media and its vibrant role in raising awareness about important social

issues. This conference was a chance for the youth to expose

their products to other youth and civil society actors. They

diffused their podcasts and explained how they will

implement their campaigns with the help of the partners

through their strategic action plans. Mrs. Judith Chammas,

Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Rabat gave

the opening address highlighting that programs like this

have great impact because when these young people are

given the right tools, they can make a real difference in theirsociety. She recalled President Obamas speech at the UN where he stated that the purpose of

development is creating the conditions where assistance is no longer needed. He also emphasized the

importance of partnering with young people, who in many developing countries, including Morocco,

are more than half the population.

Followed by Mrs. Judith speech, a panel took place moderated by MEPI Alumnus Ali Fahim,

CEO of Intellia, discussing youth as agents of change in Morocco. Mrs Debby Orsini, Technical

Director of MSI (Management System International) spoke about her own experience with the Excell

Camp program and the importance of developing youth leadership. She also described the success of

MEPI youth programs in the MENA region and

especially in Morocco. Mr. Mohamed Beshir, new

media expert and blogger, spoke about Egyptsexperience of youth mobilization and the important

role that new media plays recently. Mrs. Manal

Elattir, director of MEPI Alumni Network, urged the

need to develop a culture in Morocco that boosts

youth self confidence as it is the key to their success in the community. And Mr. Ahmed AitHeddouth,

Secretary General of REMESS network, gave concrete examples of the state of youth in Morocco

today and he incited the youth to take advantage of networking opportunities to build their projects.

Following the panel, the partners for the campaigns spoke about their organizations and how the youth

will be involved with them. Mrs. Chadia Bennis spoke on behalf of the women mentoring network and

Mrs. Fatima-Zahra Guedira spoke on behalf of the Central instance for prevention of corruption.

This training made us realize that any young person can indeed make a change. We just needed

the tools. Using our daily internet networks, we know now that we can effectively mobilize other

youth to do more than just chat and mingle on the net; but also raise awareness about important

issues that concerns us all.Abdellah Bourti & Rachid Eddib, MEPI Alumni.

Special Thanks to Mrs. Judith Chammas, Mr. Mohamed Beshir, to MEPI at the US Embassy: Mrs. Joan Ahmed and Mr.

ad Berdayi, to Mrs. Debby Orsini, to all the MEPI Alumni Volunteers in this project and to the Centre Culturel de lAgdal.