The Arab Spring and the Wisdom of Youth

To spur grass roots change in Arab Springs countries, international development experts want to hear what youths and children have to say.

Policy makers and analysts say local youth councils play a crucial role facilitiating Arab Spring countries' difficult and -- to date -- not entirely successful transition to democratic regimes. The implementation of local youth councils in Morocco was the focus of a Tuesday panel discussion moderated by International Development Group Vice President Aaron Williams. The panel included Duke history professor Robert Korstad as well as Harry Birnholz and Andrew Baird, senior development officials with RTI International and USAID.

Birnholz, who is the RTI Chief of Party for the USAID financed Local Governance Program in Morocco, said youth councils act as liaisons between young people and municipal or regional governments. Since 2010, Birnholz has seen the number of Moroccan youth councils double as they actively network with one another and the government. He said youth councils serve numerous functions within a community.

"Our programs are designed to empower youth to engage with and speak up in their communities," Birnholz said. "At the same time, the community gets to listen to the next generation's vision of the future."

Williams said being in touch with this "vision" became especially significant after the 2011 Arab Spring revolts spread across the Middle East and North Africa. Because most of the protestors were unemployed young people, Williams said governments around the world should take notice of youth demands.

"No one anticipated that young people could topple entire governments," Williams said. "That was when it became clear that engagement with youth is essential to facilitating peaceful transitions to democracy after the Arab Spring."

Although the youth council initiative in Morocco has been largely successful, Korstad, who is an expert on civic and political engagement in the United States, said such programs are most desperately needed within our own borders.

"I don't see anything like this going on in the United States," Korstad said. "If we want to raise a new generation of leaders and have a more robust civil society, we need U.S. youth and the government to intentionally engage with one another."

Andrew Hanna, a third-year public policy student at Duke, said the panelists' experiences abroad have given him a fresh perspective on the international implications of local civic engagement.

"I've found that organizations like the UN are too big to give youth a voice, so it's critical that youth get involved on a local level," Hanna said. "While it might not seem as exciting to work with the city council or a your local representative, they’re the ones providing youth with basic services. That's where you have the most power to make lasting change." 

 The panel was part of a series called "Professors & Practitioners in Conversation: A Collaboration Between Duke Univeristy & RTI International." Over the course of the 2013-14 school year, Duke will host a series of discussions on microfinance, gang and youth violence, global health and other topics.