Eight students from American University of Sharjah (AUS) took part in the Youth Café Meeting held recently in Beirut, Lebanon. AUS students Alia Al-Mehairi, Hayaa M. Azzam, Hichem Aichour, Mahmoud Riad Ghandour, Razan Munir Majdalawieh, Yousef Khalifa Al Ghufli, Yusur Y. Abbas Al Bahrani and Zaid Ousamah Al Rayes joined a group of 40 youths from various Arab nationalities to debate, exchange ideas and experiences, and share thoughts in order to generate the most innovative and creative ideas that will contribute to enriching the Arab Thought Foundation’s conference agenda.

A brainstorming session organized by the Arab Thought Foundation, the Youth Cafe Meeting is a pre-conference meeting intended to incorporate the voice of the youth in the agenda of the foundation’s upcoming FIKR8 conference, which will be held December 9–10 in Kuwait.
“The trip to Beirut to attend the Youth Cafe Meeting was one of the most amazing experiences of my life,” said Razan Munir Majdalawieh, a marketing major at AUS. “I met people from all over the Middle East, including Palestine, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and many other countries.”

“The Arab Youth Café was a panel discussion where we, the youth of the Arab region, met and discussed ideas about the affairs of the Arab region and its economic integration project. It provided us with an opportunity to share and develop our ideas with other students drawn from across the region,” said Alia Al Mehairi, a student of international studies.

The Arab Thought Foundation conducts a number of activities in the fields of education, art and culture, youth empowerment and others. It also offers Arab communities a unique, annual platform to exchange ideas, to think creatively and focus on innovation during its annual conference, entitled FIKR. Every year, FIKR addresses major issues of the Arab region through a particular theme. This year, it will engage in a debate on economics under the theme of “Integrating Arab Economies: Partners for Prosperity.”
The students’ participation in the event was arranged by the Student Leadership Programs of the Office of Student Affairs, AUS, and sponsored by the Arab Thought Foundation.

October 12, 2009