Equitas - International Centre for Human Rights Education

Purpose

This project seeks to address the political, social, and economic exclusion of youth, particularly young women, youth living with disabilities, and other marginalized youth in the Middle East and North Africa region, particularly Jordan, Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt. The aim is to equip civil society organizations (CSOs) and youth leaders with the tools and know-how to effectively use technology to broaden the spaces available to engage in the democratic processes that promote transparency and human rights, as well as hold public officials accountable. The project makes use of accessible technology (e.g. mobile phones, short message services-SMS, and social media) and seeks to develop the digital literacy skills required to understand and manage online information and tools. These new skills provide civil society organizations and youth leaders with the ability to create digital content, and influence decision-makers. Project activities include: (1) delivering training and online support on how to implement collective actions to address socio-economic issues, through the use of technology; (2) developing and piloting an online interactive toolkit to promote and support increased participation in the democratic decision-making process; (3) designing and delivering training sessions on learning modules to equip intermediaries with the necessary strategies and tactics to effectively influence existing or new socio-economic programs and policies; (4) providing coaching to beneficiaries on implementing community actions to influence program and policy development process, through the use of technology; and (5) disseminating innovative approaches and good practices for advancing participation in democratic processes and influencing programs and policy developed during the project.