Summer University: The role of the third sector in the inclusion of the young in Tunisia

The “Association Culturelle Mohamed Ali de Culture Ouvrière” is a Tunisian NGO that is aligned with the trade union movement. The organization has been a partner organization of FES in Tunisia for a very long time and organizes an annual Summer University. For 2016 the subject of the Summer University was the role of the “third sector”, which is the solidarity sector of the economy, for the Tunisian economy and the inclusion of young people into the labor market.

With different discussion formats, the Summer University wants to help find solutions for the economic hardships suffered by many Tunisians, especially youngsters. In this situation, it is urgent to think about new models for economic and social development. During the Summer University, the participants tried to find alternatives for the dominant neoliberal economic model of development by looking into different development models of a strategist state.

The participants discussed the possibility of partnership development, marked by strong cooperation of the state and the actors of civil society. In such a development model, the third sector and the solidarity economy would play a major role. These sectors could be paramount for the inclusion of young Tunisians into the labor market.