The Hillary Clinton Center for Women’s Empowerment at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation in Rabat are pleased to organize the International Symposium, "Crossing Boundaries: Youth, Migration and Development" on March 2-3, 2017 in Morocco.
The symposium looks at the intersection of youth, development and migration in North Africa. Focus is on North Africa as sending, receiving and transit place for migrants. Common to migrating youth is the lack of development in their home country, which is symptomatic of structural issues common to Africa north and south of the Sahara. Broadly speaking, development is most often defined and assessed by international and national policy makers and donors with limited consideration of fundamental rights, transformations and needs on the ground. This contributes to increasingly swelling numbers of marginalized youth who migrate and/or turn to alternative, destructive modes of living.
The symposium brings together scholars, civil society activists and spokespersons of youth and migrant associations with the goal of ascertaining the specific needs and debates of these issues. The goal is to devise new, creative models for conceiving participant-based development and international partnerships that benefit the young generation.
The symposium is seeking contributions in English, French or Arabic for sessions around the following themes:
-
Refugees/Migrants and fundamental rights
-
Are development policies failing the youth?
-
Left behind: single parent households as result of migration
-
Gender in the development discourse
-
Youth and sexuality
-
Youth, education, and employment
Deadline for submissions: January 10, 2017
Please submit to: hccsymposium2017@gmail.com
Travel funds available for scholars from Europe and North Africa, lodging for all participants