Conference: The Covid-19 pandemic and Youth

The conference began with a presentation of youth programs including Youth for Change (Y4C), Generation A'Venir (GAV) and the School of Politics (EP)as well as the announcement of the launch of the Tunisian Democracy Lab (TDL) program. A new program for alumni of the various programs that focuses on the importance of digital influence and political mobilization.

The conference was also an opportunity to present the national study "Behavior of Tunisian youth in times of crisis: between solidarity and resilience to the pandemic Covid-19" developed under the program Generation A'come by Selim Kharrat. The study, presented by Saida Machat, focused on the impact of the pandemic on young people, their relationship with the authorities and civil society actors in a context of crisis as well as the lessons learned from the ability of youth to mobilize.

In a broader sphere, a regional study was developed by Jörg Gertel and David Kreuer entitled "The Impact of the Pandemic on Youth: A Survey of "Young Leaders" in the Middle East and North Africa". This study targeted young men and women in the MENA region who are or were part of the FES Young Leaders programs. It highlighted the perceptions of educated and engaged youth about their lives, those of their families, and the impact on the environment as well as on their mental health.

The conference was followed by workshops on relevant topics from which recommendations were collected aimed at converting the ideas into action plans and integrating them into FES programs and projects.

The workshops focused on the use of technology and social networks in the involvement of youth in public life, institutional support for "spontaneous" youth social movements at the local level, and the environment and climate change in relation to the implementation of the local government code.