Dr. Hossam Badrawi Official Website
A stable modern civil state.. A dialogue about youth and with youth
Hossam Badrawi
Young people have opened up with me a topic that has occupied me for a long time, which is the state’s policies in dealing with young people.
The young doctor, old in mind, said:
Have the intellectual premises governing dealing with young people changed over time, Doctor, and have you experienced them as a young man, a man, a politician, and an academic?
I said: With a historical review, I can say that the main pillars of the July 52 Revolution depended on the state apparatus playing the role of guardian over the ideas and visions of the youth. The regime and its ruling party, whatever its name, intervened in defining the goals of working with the youth in order to prove a specific ideology that tends to the socialist left in its consciousness, with a focus on marginalizing the role of youth affiliated with any current or any other orientation that has an opposition or even a different policy.
The state’s orientations were linked to the use of youth to serve the goals of the political system at every stage, as happened during the era of President Nasser and his dependence on the vanguard organization of the youth organization, then the era of President Sadat and his policy of pushing the Brotherhood and Islamic currents to confront the Nasserist movement in universities, which ended with his assassination by them. And then, during the Brotherhood’s rule, by relying on the Brotherhood’s youth to impose control on the street, besiege the Media Production City and the Constitutional Court, and create a quasi-regular army parallel to the police force, imposing obedience and punishing those who disagree with them.
However, this vision, which its owners thought was valid during the period of government during the three eras of the July Revolution, and then the era of the Brotherhood, is no longer valid in the current period and the stage of rebuilding the state.
I now see old new attempts, for the same approach in coordinating parties, and assigning one party, without ideology, to play the role of the ruling party formally, and we all know that it is a reformulation of what failed previously, as if we do not learn from the past.
The diversity of ideas and visions that society is witnessing represents a serious challenge in itself, and it is necessary to develop a vision to deal with it positively, not through prevention, coercion, or the creation of a new unilateral trend, but with science, knowledge, experience and hard work with young people within the framework of a new vision.
The challenge lies in the fact that the different parties are not accustomed to the existence of the other, and at the same time, the state agencies concerned with youth and security are not accustomed to dealing with pluralism, which is the basis of the modern civil state.
Another young woman said: Is it necessary for the state to have a direction with the youth, or should they be left to their own ideas?
I said: I think it is necessary to formulate a new general policy for youth that state agencies are committed to, in the face of the increasing attractiveness of ideas of extremism and violence, and facing real dangers related to the absence of values in dealing and the creation of opposing binaries between religions, even within the framework of one religion, and the absence of the foundations of citizenship and the choice of non-belief. With the legitimacy of institutions and resorting to the street to take what is believed to be a right through violence and sabotage to express demands and needs.
If the country does not politically create the atmosphere for this, others will do it. There is no vacuum in politics, which will always be filled by the most organized, financed and prepared.
A third young man said: Explain to us more. Does not the existence of a declared policy for young people mean that they are directed to specific ideas from an older generation that may not be suitable for the future?
I said: The existence of a holistic vision for dealing with young people must be based on the creation of a modern civil state, approved by the constitution of countries that live without emergencies or exceptions, and in which young people enjoy equal opportunities and equality regardless of their political, religious or intellectual affiliations within a framework Ordinary law.
We must realize the difficulty of young people rallying around a vision that talks about pluralism, respect for difference, and the exchange of power in front of visions that use ignorance and need to attract young people to religious or worldly ideologies in a single-minded approach that ends with blind obedience and stiffness in confrontation and leads to reaction.
The young doctor said: Who do you mean by youth?!
I said: I mean the stage from 14 to 29 years old, as dealing with young people before the age of 24, (where everyone is present in educational institutions and can be reached and grouped), and it is a stage in which sharpness, growth and movement, differs from a stage after the age of 24 years, where they begin In employment, starting a family, searching for housing, and taking responsibility. And the two stages differ from what comes after that of years.
A young woman said: What are the obstacles to setting policies for each stage, as things seem easy and possible?
I said: The formulation of this policy faces challenges, the most important of which are:
The culture of dependence on the state, the father and the mother, which spends, supports, employs and guarantees, has taken root, something that has become impossible in all the economies of the world, not to mention the countries that spend more than they produce. that.
The second challenge: It is a bilateral challenge, represented in the small number of youth NGOs entrusted with discussing this policy and then implementing it, and the lack of confidence of the ruling regime in these few associations, and the fear of security in any activity they have that includes young people, and then not funding them to the extent that allows them to participate in these policies.
The third challenge: The philosophy of government formation in Egypt makes the various ministries isolated islands from each other, which may require at an appropriate time the inclusion of education, culture, media and youth files in one crucible that speaks the same language and supports each other in defining the identity of children and youth and working to inculcate positive values in them .
The fourth challenge, and the most important, is to agree on a common understanding of what the country’s constitution and political system call for in terms of the meaning of freedom and how to build a modern civil state in which the youth fall in the heart.
The young man who opened the conversation said: What is the vision for the youth of Egypt that you would like us to participate in?
I said: I have met with different groups of young people, students, parties, and the rest of civil society, within the framework of the “Dreamers of Tomorrow” association, and we came out with a vision that says: “Our vision is to enable the country’s youth to reach their full potential.
Hossam Badrawi
Young people have opened up with me a topic that has occupied me for a long time, which is the state’s policies in dealing with young people.
The young doctor, old in mind, said:
Have the intellectual premises governing dealing with young people changed over time, Doctor, and have you experienced them as a young man, a man, a politician, and an academic?
I said: With a historical review, I can say that the main pillars of the July 52 Revolution depended on the state apparatus playing the role of guardian over the ideas and visions of the youth. The regime and its ruling party, whatever its name, intervened in defining the goals of working with the youth in order to prove a specific ideology that tends to the socialist left in its consciousness, with a focus on marginalizing the role of youth affiliated with any current or any other orientation that has an opposition or even a different policy.
The state’s orientations were linked to the use of youth to serve the goals of the political system at every stage, as happened during the era of President Nasser and his dependence on the vanguard organization of the youth organization, then the era of President Sadat and his policy of pushing the Brotherhood and Islamic currents to confront the Nasserist movement in universities, which ended with his assassination by them. And then, during the Brotherhood’s rule, by relying on the Brotherhood’s youth to impose control on the street, besiege the Media Production City and the Constitutional Court, and create a quasi-regular army parallel to the police force, imposing obedience and punishing those who disagree with them.
However, this vision, which its owners thought was valid during the period of government during the three eras of the July Revolution, and then the era of the Brotherhood, is no longer valid in the current period and the stage of rebuilding the state.
I now see old new attempts, for the same approach in coordinating parties, and assigning one party, without ideology, to play the role of the ruling party formally, and we all know that it is a reformulation of what failed previously, as if we do not learn from the past.
The diversity of ideas and visions that society is witnessing represents a serious challenge in itself, and it is necessary to develop a vision to deal with it positively, not through prevention, coercion, or the creation of a new unilateral trend, but with science, knowledge, experience and hard work with young people within the framework of a new vision.
The challenge lies in the fact that the different parties are not accustomed to the existence of the other, and at the same time, the state agencies concerned with youth and security are not accustomed to dealing with pluralism, which is the basis of the modern civil state.
Another young woman said: Is it necessary for the state to have a direction with the youth, or should they be left to their own ideas?
I said: I think it is necessary to formulate a new general policy for youth that state agencies are committed to, in the face of the increasing attractiveness of ideas of extremism and violence, and facing real dangers related to the absence of values in dealing and the creation of opposing binaries between religions, even within the framework of one religion, and the absence of the foundations of citizenship and the choice of non-belief. With the legitimacy of institutions and resorting to the street to take what is believed to be a right through violence and sabotage to express demands and needs.
If the country does not politically create the atmosphere for this, others will do it. There is no vacuum in politics, which will always be filled by the most organized, financed and prepared.
A third young man said: Explain to us more. Does not the existence of a declared policy for young people mean that they are directed to specific ideas from an older generation that may not be suitable for the future?
I said: The existence of a holistic vision for dealing with young people must be based on the creation of a modern civil state, approved by the constitution of countries that live without emergencies or exceptions, and in which young people enjoy equal opportunities and equality regardless of their political, religious or intellectual affiliations within a framework Ordinary law.
We must realize the difficulty of young people rallying around a vision that talks about pluralism, respect for difference, and the exchange of power in front of visions that use ignorance and need to attract young people to religious or worldly ideologies in a single-minded approach that ends with blind obedience and stiffness in confrontation and leads to reaction.
The young doctor said: Who do you mean by youth?!
I said: I mean the stage from 14 to 29 years old, as dealing with young people before the age of 24, (where everyone is present in educational institutions and can be reached and grouped), and it is a stage in which sharpness, growth and movement, differs from a stage after the age of 24 years, where they begin In employment, starting a family, searching for housing, and taking responsibility. And the two stages differ from what comes after that of years.
A young woman said: What are the obstacles to setting policies for each stage, as things seem easy and possible?
I said: The formulation of this policy faces challenges, the most important of which are:
The culture of dependence on the state, the father and the mother, which spends, supports, employs and guarantees, has taken root, something that has become impossible in all the economies of the world, not to mention the countries that spend more than they produce. that.
The second challenge: It is a bilateral challenge, represented in the small number of youth NGOs entrusted with discussing this policy and then implementing it, and the lack of confidence of the ruling regime in these few associations, and the fear of security in any activity they have that includes young people, and then not funding them to the extent that allows them to participate in these policies.
The third challenge: The philosophy of government formation in Egypt makes the various ministries isolated islands from each other, which may require at an appropriate time the inclusion of education, culture, media and youth files in one crucible that speaks the same language and supports each other in defining the identity of children and youth and working to inculcate positive values in them .
The fourth challenge, and the most important, is to agree on a common understanding of what the country’s constitution and political system call for in terms of the meaning of freedom and how to build a modern civil state in which the youth fall in the heart.
The young man who opened the conversation said: What is the vision for the youth of Egypt that you would like us to participate in?
I said: I have met with different groups of young people, students, parties, and the rest of civil society, within the framework of the “Dreamers of Tomorrow” association, and we came out with a vision that says: “Our vision is to enable the country’s youth to reach their full potential.
Mentally, physically and spiritually, and through them, enabling Egypt to achieve its development vision and find its rightful place among the peoples of the world.”
In order to achieve this vision, five general goals were monitored, specific priorities within each goal and the policies to be presented and implemented in each priority.
1- Creating productive forces capable of sustainable addition to the Egyptian economy.
2- Developing a strong, healthy, technologically-enabled youth generation, proud of themselves and their country’s history, responsible, respectful of citizenship, creative and enlightened, and capable of regional and global competition.
3- Implanting a set of specific positive values in the conscience of young people, developing a desire to serve society, and a positive sense of belonging to the homeland.
4- Facilitating youth participation in civil work and NGOs, and even motivating them.
5- Supporting disabled youth or those who are threatened with health risks in integrating into society, and ensuring that they are not marginalized.
The attentive young woman said: Does the state have a guiding document that includes what you say, Doctor, and did the youth conferences discuss any of them?
I said: This is a topic that we must give a new space for dialogue, and I wish the ministries of youth, education, culture and information would provide us with their declared and documented visions, if any, so that we can support them as a civil society.
In order to achieve this vision, five general goals were monitored, specific priorities within each goal and the policies to be presented and implemented in each priority.
1- Creating productive forces capable of sustainable addition to the Egyptian economy.
2- Developing a strong, healthy, technologically-enabled youth generation, proud of themselves and their country’s history, responsible, respectful of citizenship, creative and enlightened, and capable of regional and global competition.
3- Implanting a set of specific positive values in the conscience of young people, developing a desire to serve society, and a positive sense of belonging to the homeland.
4- Facilitating youth participation in civil work and NGOs, and even motivating them.
5- Supporting disabled youth or those who are threatened with health risks in integrating into society, and ensuring that they are not marginalized.
The attentive young woman said: Does the state have a guiding document that includes what you say, Doctor, and did the youth conferences discuss any of them?
I said: This is a topic that we must give a new space for dialogue, and I wish the ministries of youth, education, culture and information would provide us with their declared and documented visions, if any, so that we can support them as a civil society.
