Student Leaders Reconvene in Cairo

Some student leaders were interviewed by Egyptian television, and local newspapers and magazines also wrote articles about the alumni conference. Reporters were eager to hear about the civic engagement projects planned by the participants.

 U.S. Ambassador to Egypt Frank J. Ricciardone delivered remarks and met with students to learn about their civic engagement projects, featured in displays they created. These projects included starting a student newspaper in Algeria designed to promote free press; advocating for increased respect for human rights in Egypt; empowering women to become more active in their communities in Bahrain; and organizing leadership workshops in Morocco, among many others. MEPI will provide small grants to some of the participants to support their civic engagement work.

One of several guest speakers at the alumni conference, Khodr Mekkaoui, of MEPI-funded AMAM 05, described the situation in his home country of Lebanon, while telling students about overcoming obstacles and urging them “to choose to make a difference with their lives.” As Mekkaoui said, “From two tents in Martyr Square, we soon had 69, and we were able to achieve great things from small beginnings.” Another speaker, Abdelmalek Kettani, director general of Galaxy Electronics in Morocco, advised participants to move away from the “age issue,” explaining that “there is a drive now in the region to rejuvenate political parties and civil society organizations.”

The student leaders posed with program coordinators from their host universities last summer — Benedictine, Delaware, Dickinson, Georgetown, and Montana State — as well as conference organizers from the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, MEPI, the State Department's Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, and AMIDEAST. The next student leaders program is scheduled to take place this summer in the United States.