Casablanca- Many Moroccans have recently been examining and questioning the methodology employed in local talk shows and their applicability in solving the social problems that they attempt to bring to light.

However, the scandalous accusations that 'Qissat Al-Nass' (the story of the people) has attracted since it was launched in January of 2013 have allowed us to realize that there are some rudimentary assumptions that we have to question first. The most shockingly obvious assumption is: are the disclosed stories real or fictional?

A few months ago, a violent attack was launched against Qissat Al-Nass on social networks by various media outlets, stirring the disappointment and outrage of its loyal viewers. These rumors were sparked by the participations of some people who had acted as extras in local sitcoms and movies. Eventually Nohad Ben Aaguida explained in a radio interview that the professional actors took part in the show to open up their hearts and talk about their daily challenges exactly like the other dozens of ordinary men and women on the show do. Aaguida added that the show has targeted all members of Moroccan society, irrespective of their professions. This most recent development has split Medi1TV talk shows' viewers into two camps: believers and skeptics.

Skepticism in regards to the veracity of the interviewees' identities and the stories they shared with the public on the television show, has been called into question again due to an article published in Al-Massae. The article argues that the people behind the show send employees into the popular areas of Casablanca, Rabat and other Moroccan cities, neighborhoods where the rate of poverty is the highest in Morocco. These employees are charged with convincing poor people to share carefully constructed stories in the front the camera. The source uses the confessions of Abdelkhalek Elkhdissi, Mohamed Elgouach, and other people who reported that they were asked to memorize previously written stories and to rehearse them before the show’s broadcast for varying sums of money.

According to the same source, some of those who have participated on the show regret their decision. These former participants say that their collaboration with the show caused them immediate familial and/or financial problems. One of the victims, who told a story on the show about accidentally killing his relative, reported that his brothers abandoned him for “bringing the shame to the family.” This young man bitterly concluded that poverty is the only reason why he fell for the show’s offer. Another woman, who has lived on the charity of philanthropists her entire life, said that she lost her only source of income because her script required that she say that she did not receive any financial help. This example only demonstrates the extent to which individual members of Moroccan society live unprotected by any state apparatus. These vulnerable individuals can easily become prey for private companies that are able to convince them to do anything for a small amount of money. The Moroccan state needs to make more efforts to protect these citizens.

The repercussions of this being confirmed will be severe for the society in its entirety. What will happen when lower social classes realize that one of the few programs that has attempted to shed light on some of their daily struggles is bogus. What will happen when lower social classes realize that one of the few programs that has adopted and reinforced their principles in a popular language is employing fraudulent methods to win their loyalty, these former fans may lose trust for this talk show and all national TV channels. Consequently, members of lower social classes may be less susceptible to potentially beneficial programs and media campaigns.

When the members of these classes see that their problems are being exposed, listened to and discussed, the hope of a brighter tomorrow imbues. This hope will most certainly dwindle when individuals realize that the program that used to speak on their behalf is nothing but a fraudulent business scheme.

Even strategically, it is quite absurd how a relatively successful program on a national TV channel can play with the feelings of millions of its viewers for financial returns when the risks of the viewers discovering this scheme would be devastating to success. Instead of taking all of these risks, more resources could have been invested in perpetuating the viewers' trust and loyalty and thereby securing future success. Hopefully the lesson of Qissat Al-Nass will allow Moroccans to deal with the national TV channels more carefully in the future and will spark the development of a sense of criticism towards these kinds of programs and talk shows. Otherwise, citizens will not expect honesty and sincerity from a community that is shaped and programmed by dishonest and deceitful TV channels.

Edited by Beau Clark

© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed

By Asmae Azzamouri

Tangier - From 21-23 of March, the city of Tangier invites youth nationwide to discuss political participation in the younger generation.

Believing in the power of youth and the importance of civic engagement, "Takatoul Associations Grand Tangier" and Moroccan Center for Civic Education organized the first “Youth Days” forum.

“Youth Days” is a 3-day action packed, motivational and brainstorming forum. It gathers highly driven youth from all over the Moroccan kingdom to exchange and discuss ideas. Topics include citizenship, civil society and governance among others. The main theme of the forum is political participation of youth”.

Distinguished figures are attending the event ranging from parliamentarians and social activists to politicians and intellectuals. Among these important attendees, are: Mohamed Ouzzine: Morocco's Minister of Youth and Sports; Mohamed Najib Boulif: Minister Delegate for General Affairs and Good Governance; Mr. Fouad El Omari: the Mayor of Tangier; and Mr. Khiyi Mohamed: a Moroccan Parliamentarian.

As the voice of youth is tremendously important to the overall success of the program, in the short term and long term, "Youth Days" is supported by the United Nations Fund for Democracy (UNFD) who provided 30 young activists the opportunity to attend the programs' vital workshops.

The 30 selected participants will be trained under the supervision of academics and social activists for a two-day training workshop.

Participants will be learning about civic engagement and political activism to promote the social inclusion of youth in Morocco.

Edited by Sahar Kian

By Abdelaziz Askitou

Zaio, Morocco - On March 15, 2014, a group of nearly 95 girls lodging at Dar Taliba, administrative staff, and the Passport to Success program facilitators and participants attended the closing ceremony of the Passport to Success program, which was developed by the International Youth Foundation (IYF).

The program, which took place at Dar El Bir from November 11^th, 2013, through February 14^th, 2014, targeted 25 girls and was facilitated by Abdelaziz Askitou and Courtney Haueter with the help of their colleagues, Ahmed Lahmer and Mohammed Fdis.

The program has been very successful due to the substantial contributions of the Passport to Success facilitators and participants. The latter benefited from 35 sessions with special emphasis placed on personal competencies, problem solving and managing conflicts, and service learning.

The Passport to Success program facilitators attempted to help the participants achieve their main goal of developing skills and competencies to help them function productively in their daily lives and thus contribute to the development of their community. In addition, it was geared toward helping them achieve the following four main objectives:

1.      Strengthening personal competencies, such as communication, self-confidence, decision-making, and goal setting.

2.      Developing the participants’ skills in solving problems and managing conflicts.

3.      Fostering the participants’ connection with their community through planning, implementing and evaluating a community-service project of their choice.

4.      Instilling the positive attitudes and values of collaboration and cooperation among the 25 girls.

It should be mentioned that the Passport to Success program culminated in a successful community service project, in which the 25 participants actively engaged in selecting, planning, conducting, implementing, evaluating, and reflecting upon its meaning and its positive impacts in the community in which they live. The project focused on the rehabilitation of the garden adjacent to the boarding school, consisting of the decoration of the school’s walls  with paintings sensitive to the protection of our environment and world peace, and the planting of trees and cleaning of the garden.

The attendees of the closing ceremony included the Dar Taliba administrative staff, members of local associations, girls lodging at Dar Taliba, the Passport to Success facilitators, and the 25 participants. The members expressed a great interest in the Passport to Success program and appreciated the richness, usefulness, and practicality of the workshops presented also in addition to the dedication and devotion of the facilitators during the three-month program.

The participants praised the fruitful work that was presented and showed their great satisfaction with the content of the program and the ways in which it was facilitated. They fulfilled an important aspect of service-based learning by reflecting on and presenting all aspects of their final project to their peers, members of the community, and younger students. Additionally, on behalf of the facilitators, Mr. Abdelaziz Askitou urged the participants to share the knowledge, skills, and attitudes they had developed during the program with their colleagues and friends. He also thanked all of the members who contributed in the success of the program.

Tributes were also paid to the U.S Peace Corps- Morocco team for their support and efforts on behalf of Moroccan youth. In this respect, special thanks went to Mrs. Rosemary Traore, Mrs. Fatima Akebly and Mr. Tariq Doukkali for all the time and efforts they invested to make the Passport to Success training in Rabat a successful experience and to Mrs. Nadia Guerch, the country director of the International Youth Foundation-Morocco, and her staff for their continuous efforts to improve the conditions and prospects of Moroccan youth. The event concluded with the distribution of certificates to the 25 participants.

By Karima Rhanem

Rabat - Morocco new digital code*, which has been retrieved for revision from the official website of the State General Secretariat of the Government, is generally believed to put an end to anonymity on the internet.

This decade-long awaited digital law, originally designed to protect citizens and consumers from different abuses they may face online, sparked an intensive cyber protest by internet communities about some of its provisions seen as threatening individual and collective liberties.

To demand the changes in some articles in the cyber law, Moroccan activists launched an online protest campaign only few hours after the Minister of Industry, Commerce, Investment and Digital Economy, Mouay Hafid El Alami announced he will present the code to the government for ratification. The campaign used the Hashtags   #Code_Num, [#almodwana rakmiya lan tamor] on twitter and created a Facebook page attracting over 5500 fans.

Analysts said that social media in Morocco play a major opposition role and proved effective in impacting public policies. Its influence could be explained by the retrieval of the code by the government. Ayoub Errimi, author of the article “A Cyber protest in Morocco puts down the digital code” posted on DW website, quoted journalist Hamza Mahfoud saying that “with weak and dispersed opposition, internet became an alternative tool, playing a significant role with an effective power to influence policies more than what can institutions do.”

Freedom or censorship?

The articles that caused the protests are 24, 54 and 73. Article 24 stipulates that “online communications are free. Yet, they are limited when it comes to offending the King or the Monarchy, Islam, Morocco Territorial Integrity, public order, homeland security, necessities of public service, or public policy.”

The same content of this article is included in the current (non-revised) press code, and the Civil Liberties Code. The vagueness of this article gives unlimited and arbitrary powers to authorities to censor and sanction freedom of expression. This also made it difficult for judges in several past cases non-related to the internet to interpret the law to ensure a fair trial.

Privacy & Data Protection

Article 54 stipulates that “online service providers are responsible for the editorial content created by their clients based on specific terms of use.” This only means that these companies have the right to save their clients’ data allowing them monitor their websites and the content published. In other words, anonymity and privacy will no longer be protected. Yet Article 31 states that “Service providers are not subject to a general obligation to monitor the information which they transmit or store. This implies the existence of a comprehensive security system that does the work for them”. This could only be understood either as a contradiction or that these providers may use a third party to monitor content. In both ways, data protection of clients is not ensured and there is no reference to any clauses related to the use or misuse of this data from the service providers or any reference to the Data Protection Act.

These online service providers will not only save clients data but could potentially spy on them and release their information to the authorities if they asked by law or pressured to. In the meantime, Article 25 underlines that none of these service providers would perform any activity under anonymity. The article obliges them to identify themselves to the public in the website Home pages. The sanctions are even heavier if this article is not respected and could go from one month to one year imprisonment and a fine from 50,000 dhs to 100,000 dhs.

Article 28 also puts a condition to all service providers, pushing them to “work together to develop a code of good conduct within 12 months from the date of publication of this law in the Official Bulletin, otherwise this code of conduct will be developed by regulation”. The challenge of this article lies in the identification and mapping of these service providers and the entities responsible for the coordination and grouping of these companies to develop the charter. And if they fail to develop their own code of conduct, then the government will develop it on their behalf.

Big Brother watching you online

Article 77 of the same digital code gives the right to judicial police officers and administrative agents to take part in online discussions using pseudo names without any mention of a court order. This would allow police to gather necessary data and proofs.

This “big brother watching you” policy may affect the quality and freedom of online discussions by users who will start auto-censoring themselves. This means if you post something on Facebook and Twitter that goes against the general policy; these police may save a screenshot of your content and present it as a legal proof against you. This would also mean that the government could intercept your private communications whether via email or phone and present it to the court in a time when Morocco’s judicial system is still fragile and faces issues of transparency and independence. Besides, Morocco do not have specialized judges on internet legislations and cybercrime and this may affect the fairness of the trial.

One of the worst articles that offended internet users is Article 73 which allows the authorities to block the access to “offending websites” as they are seen “inconsistent with the public political beliefs”. This may put any user or service provider under threat of being jailed if these regulations are not respected.

Anonymous Mobile SIM cards to be disactivated  

Within the broader scope of the government policy to regulate the internet, the National Agency of Telecom Regulations (ANRT) has also issued a policy putting an end to anonymity. The policy states that all Mobile SIM cards of the three main Telecom operators in Morocco (Maroc Telecom, Meditel, and Wana Corporate) that are anonymous and not identified will be disactivated by April 2014.

This is due to many reasons: First in this time of uncertainty, many terrorism threats have been identified through locating conversations via telephones; second the government wants to regulate competition between the different Telecom agencies and oblige them to present accurate advertising and marketing proposals to identified numbers and avoid the release of fake exaggerated number of clients.  According to ANRT, Morocco accounts today more than 34,975 million GSM clients with over 41 millions SIM cards in circulation all over the country. Yet, the core question to be asked is how many GSM subscribers will remain after the disactivation of non-identified accounts. The same question is applicable to how many internet, social media users will still be active if the draft digital code is passed as it is.

Halt to anonymity 

It is worth to mention that some social networking sites including Facebook have recently launched a campaign to put a halt to all fake profiles in their platform. They have even requested ID cards from the users as the sole identification to regain a pre-disactivated account by Facebook. Also Administrators of Facebook pages received recently a notification that starting February 20, all pages posts will be identified by the names of the administrators and not the page name.  This is due, not solely, to the increase number of the use of fake profile or stolen identities to conduct illegal activities online.

Cyber crime war

On cyber criminality, Article 75 of the draft digital Moroccan code, states that “it is forbidden to use without permission the identity of someone else whether it be a moral or physical person or use any personal information to attack the person or entity on the internet or commit any crime especially scamming using others’ identities. This article would certainly help reduce the number of scamming activities. Yet, the biggest challenge is how to identify fake or stolen identities and gather necessary proof to judge the perpetrators.

While the code, through its article 63, will help protect minors by forbidding the publication of their images that are seen as “attacking moral values”, it doesn’t explain what do moral values mean and the conditions of posting minors photos, as this may be interpreted differently if there is no general agreement about the concept. Those posting images may face a sanction of imprisonment that goes from one month to one year and a fine that goes from 1200 to 3000 dhs.

Drafting the digital code needs a participatory approach 

The government, therefore, needs to revise this code, not only by posting a new revision but by launching a participative dialogue and consultation with internet users and stakeholders to amend more specifically the articles that caused citizens’ concerns. The government also needs to have an inter-sectoral coordination mechanism to ensure consistency with the Ministry of communication electronic press code and the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry in Charge of Relations with the Parliament and Civil Society draft bills related to citizens and civil society e-participation and access to information.

By  Saad Boulahnane

Casablanca - In partnership with Center for Studies and Humanities Research (MADA), Third Millennium Association (TMA) and International Republican Institute (IRI), Network for Democrats in the Arab World (NDAWORLD) organized, on February 22 and 23, a workshop on advanced regionalization and citizen journalism in favor of a group of activists, association actors and politicians in Imlil, Marrakesh. The workshops were aimed at establishing a friendly, cooperative relationship between civil society organizations and government with a view towards reaching democratic governance.

On the first day, Hayat Drai, NDAWORLD coordinator, prefaced the workshops by delving into the current roles and long-term objectives of the Network for Democrats. She then gave the floor to Ms. Dina Sadek, media consultant, who discussed IRI’s mission. The participants were soon allowed to introduce themselves as well as their associations' roles and objectives. After this introductory workshop, Hajiba Kababi divided the participants into groups, according to thematic workshops.

The first participant was Mr. Mohamed Elghali, who discussed both the concept of advanced regionalization in the 2011 constitution and the significant steps that advanced regionalization in Morocco has taken since 1959.

Mr. Faouzi Jalid emphasized the necessity for concerned peoples to take matters into their hands; cooperation between civil society and public authorities, he argues, is a crucial condition for a just distribution of national wealth. In this regard, Mr. Jalid refers to the importance of activating the role of advanced regionalization, for it represents a basic prerequisite for justice and equal opportunities.

The second day was opened by Ms. Dina Sadek, who dealt with the concept of citizen journalism, to which she ascribed an indispensable role in modern society. She insisted that citizen journalist is a fast and effective alternative, whose absence alludes to that of democracy in a given society. Ms. Sadek was also emphatic on the ethics and standards of this activity, such as inaccuracy and poor quality, which citizen journalism still lacks. She says that the absence of control and accountability account for the shortcomings citizen/alternative journalism suffers.

The subsequent presentation was made by Andy Yates, president of Resident Program Office, who deemed important to tell about the series of activities undertaken by IRI in different countries: Iraq, Afghanistan, Jordan and the United States. The activities were targeted for both governments and citizens. Mr. Yates enthusiastically mentioned the welfare-yielding projects IRI has initiated in favor of students, farmers, dropouts, individuals with disabilities, and others who have respectively benefited from books, cows, substantial projects and special help.

In his endeavor to discuss the challenges facing some associations, Mr. Jalid discussed the example of Amal Association, including its strengths, weaknesses, constraints as well as its opportunities. While its strengths, Jalid says, lie in the great deal of members and representatives belonging in the association, it still suffers lack of participation, lack of funding and poor communication, a negative conglomerate challenging the goals of Amal Association.

Later on, Ms. Hayat Drai attempted to define the regulatory laws, MADA's models of proposal laws and its leading experience in making models of popular and legislative petitions. She goes as far as to discuss the conditions of both making and signing legislative petitions.

The second-to-last workshop was held by Hajiba Kababi, who presented the website and Facebook page of Network for Democrats In the Arab World before Mr. Sohaib Barzinji, executive director of NDAWORLD, made a closing speech, in which he delved into the Network's role, the objectives it endeavors to achieve and how it funds other organizations in the Arab world, thereby providing a comprehensive idea about NDAWORLD.

© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed

Casablanca - Broadcast on Spanish channel Telecinco, a Spanish TV series called “El Principe” is the talk of almost everyone in Spain. One of the reasons appears to be the talent and attractiveness of a young Moroccan actor.

Adil Koukouh, has become a star in Spain, especially on social media, after he starred in Spanish TV series El Principe, according to Europe Press.

Koukouch has already become El Principe fans’ top favorite actor, and his fan base is quickly growing up in numbers. Thanks to him, the series is currently one of the most watched on Telecino channel.

Handsome, talented and full of life, Koukouch has easily lured the appreciation and love of many young Spanish fans. According to Europa Press, his followers on Twitter are mostly women and teenagers.

Koukouch’s popularity has tremendously increased thanks to his fans, who continuously share and like his “provocative” photos, according to Europe Press.

“He shares provocative pictures in which he shows off his wonderful body, and his followers make him one of the most desired boys in El Principe," the same source added.

Fhoto: EUROPA PRESS 

By Abdelali Hamieddine

Rabat - The institution of the family and its place in society is not an Arab or Islamic characteristic. Many civilizations have emphasized the “family” within their communities. For example, in Chinese culture the family includes the parents, children and elderly who all live in the same place. It plays an important role in the social life in China by preserving the historical achievements and creating social relations.

The subject of family involves several elements of reflection: social, legal, and religious. The social aspect looks at the society in which the family abides, the legal takes into account the rights of the family, and the religious aspect, perhaps, is one of the most important because there are laws made in regards to how a family should function.

In Morocco, there is an ongoing debate on the minimum age of marriage for minors. This debate must be conducted on the basis of a number of factors that distinguish the legislation concerning the family in relation to other laws that focus on various fields.

It is impossible to deny the parliament its legislative attributions about family responsibilities, and the parliament will, in all cases, have the last word.

In my humble opinion, though, the Islamic law does not set a minimum age for marriage. Rather, it is open to all options and suggestions that comply with society and lead to family stability, as long as it is in accordance with Sharia law and international legal texts.

The principle of law is first and foremost social; it is for this reason that the legislator must consider and take into account all the different opinions in the society and the social reality.  The subject is far more important than any ideological position. Let’s consider the case of marriages before the age of eighteen-- studies by the Department of Justice and Freedoms established that there were many of these marriages before 2011, but since then, their number has began to decline. Yet, is it enough to be reassured that these marriages are not happening?

No, absolutely not because the judge who may have refused to marry a girl under the age of 18 might see her again two or three years later, trying to validate her wedding, which she contracted herself by the simple reading of Surah-al-Fatiha. This not to mention that she might already even be a mother by the time she comes back at the age of 18.

In Casablanca courts, judges refuse to marry any girl under 17. This case law is as much commendable as brave; however, young people who are denied marriage in Casablanca migrate to other parts of the country where they can get their marriages approved by a judge.

Ultimately, let’s say that the magistrate with his professional conscience must keep in mind all the factors surrounding and governing the marriage. He has his power/exercise of discretion that leads him to judge each case according to its specificity, based on his own wisdom and his understanding.

The case, therefore, oversteps the narrow framework of an ideological struggle and affects public policy in the fields of education and rural areas development. Many young girls who don’t find a way to go to school or university eventually become an additional burden on their parents, which leads the parents to give them away as soon as the first suitor comes around.

Translated by Nahla Landoulsi. Edited by Saba Naseeem

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Morocco World News’ editorial policy

© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed

Goulmima - Over the last twenty years, CorpsAfrica has grown from a small idea in the mind of Liz Fanning, and the day it sees the light has now arrived.

Being a former Peace Corps volunteer in the high Atlas, Fanning feels the Moroccan drums beat so hard in her heart, bringing her back to a land that earned her love and respect. In 2013, she launched the first pilot year of Corps Africa in Morocco, modeling it after the American Peace Corps volunteering program.

The notion of volunteering has always been associated with Americans who come to Morocco and serve for two years in remote villages of high-poverty communities. Despite the amazing work that Moroccan language and culture facilitators do to help integrate these volunteers into Moroccan communities, the language and cultural understanding have remained a barrier to implementing the volunteers’ projects. Corps Africa reshapes this idea among Moroccans, choosing Moroccan fellows to serve in their own country for a period of one year.

It is worth noting that Moroccans do volunteer everyday with their neighbors, friends, and even strangers. It is a fundamental part of this country‘s culture and religion to provide unconditional help for other people in need, with the sole reward of a simple Lah Irhem Lwalidin- may Allah have mercy on your parents. Corps Africa takes this aspect to the next level and assigns volunteering tasks for Moroccan youth to serve in poor areas and bring positive change to their communities. It is a revolutionary endeavor to “promote community and cross-regional volunteerism, understand poverty that only comes from living it and encourage bolder philanthropy toward poverty,” said the official website of the organization.

Given its novelty and partially homonymous name with Peace Corps, Corps Africa fellows have often been assumed to be Americans; however, the unexpected fact that the organization recruits only Moroccan nationals has received a remarkable amount of appreciation and encouragement. In its first year pilot phase, Corps Africa received a large number of applications from Moroccan youths who were eager to serve in their country and gain new experiences.

Seven young women and one young man are the first volunteers who were chosen to embark on this amazing journey towards discovering another aspect of their country, as well as of themselves. Though the disparity between gender participation in the program is notable, the strict filtering process ensures that the individuals chosen earned their positions in the program due to their qualified resumes.

Corps Africa took into consideration the factor of cultural sensitivity. Being culturally sensitive is very important in gaining people’s trust. The volunteers need this trust because through it, they can pave the road toward fruitful community meetings with local authorities and individuals. Corps Africa has introduced an entrepreneurial element to the traditional practice of volunteerism, as the young fellows need to study the needs of their host communities, working toward changes the community wants and not the other way around.

A potential challenge to this experience for female participants would be the extent to which rural people might accept a woman as an actor of change. Given the conservative and strict practices in some of those areas, a woman might think twice before stepping into a gathering of men; however, as some volunteers have mentioned in their blogs, mentalities have changed, and men were often the first to voice their requests to female volunteers, while also providing remarkable support and assistance throughout their stay in the villages.

Malika Boukbout is one of the brave Moroccan Berber females who decided to devote one year of her life to occupying herself with other people’s concerns and trying to find a common ground and implement solutions. In an interview with Morocco World News, Malika shared the following insights about her participation in the program:

MWN: Why Corps Africa!?

Malika: That’s a good question. Because I worked for Peace Corps, I was inspired by Peace Corps Volunteers so I embraced this opportunity to get the full image of the life of a volunteer with all its ups and downs, face the challenges learn from them, bring change and give something back to my beloved country, be it small.  I chose Corps Africa to be the change I want to see in my own country, that being said, to be a role model for generations to come, to instill on them the spirit of volunteerism.

MWN: Was it easy to leave your life behind and give your time and energy to people you do not know? 

Malika: It is not easy to change and get out of your comfort zone. But I believe in what I want and I am persuing the path because I know that I will reap a lot from it, both on personal and professional level. I know that it is not easy to leave all the conveniences behind and live in a small village, but the more I integrate and see how people live, the more I become aware that the material world is not a condition to live a comfortable life. We cling a lot to money and salaries which we think will make us happy, but happiness is far beyond that. It is how you can dedicate your time to help people.  It is that joy that you make others feel that matters than the joy you try to make through materials.

MWN: How does Moroccans look at a Moroccan female volunteer in a remote village on her own?

Malika: As a female volunteer, and as far as our culture is concerned, to volunteer in a small village far from your home is a little bit frowned upon, which is heart breaking, especially when you listen to some comments or see some facial expressions from educated people that make you feel uncomfortable.

MWN: What about your family and friends? Did they support your decision?

Malika: My family did not agree 100% with this initiative, but with all my insistence and constant reinforcement of whims, inclinations, and the strong desire to embark on this journey made my family give up. On the other hand, there are some other people who seem very excited when I inform them about my volunteerism, they are very eager to know what I am doing and they encourage me fervently. Down the road, I find people who support me and I find solace in them instead of those who scorn and give me a look. As I mentioned before, I believe in what I do and I want to lead by example for generations to come and I will never give up.

MWN: How does it feel to be the pioneer with Corps Africa?

Malika: I hope I will be a good resource to other fellows, smooth the way before them to enlighten it because the will hold the torch and pass it on to the next generations of Corps Africa fellows. I want to instill the spirit of volunteerism- I know that it is in our religion “Islam” and people do it unintentionally and intentionally. Corps Africa is an opportunity to give it a professional frame. We need to leave a stamp in our beloved country, let’s contribute, all of us.

MWN: Do you think that volunteering is bound with age?

Malika: Age does not matter as long as you have a young heart and a you are determined. Traditionally, at my age, I am supposed to be married and get a stable job, that is why I was considered by many people who know me as derailed from the usual track, but they don’t know that I want to beat the unbeaten track in which I find happiness, felicity and bliss; and people perceive bliss differently.

MWN: What is your advice to future Corps Africa fellows?

Malika: My recommendation to the next group is to take into account the fact that it is not an easy endeavor. It is hard to get out of your comfort zone but by cracking its shell, you will reap a lot. You need to be very patient, and patient and patient.

Another Corps Africa fellow was eager to share her opinions. Bouchra Kouryani joyfully disclosed to Morocco World News her reason for joining Corps Africa: “I chose to be a volunteer with Corps Africa because I like volunteerism. I want to spread the sense of volunteerism in Morocco especially in the small villages. Also, it is hard for me to see poor people live in very bad conditions. I joined this NGO to do my best to help them live a better life because it is my duty to do that. I am young and educated ....I have to help them.”

Bouchra commented on the question of her surrounding’s reaction towards leaving home for a whole year, especially considering that she is a recent graduate, “It is a learning experience for me. I have the opportunity to challenge myself and make new friends, living in another place which is different than my hometown. It was hard for my family to accept that easily. My mother disagreed at the beginning but later on, and after a long discussion with her, me and the rest of the family had the chance to convince her and my father encouraged me the whole time. He loves traveling, he is open-minded, he agrees with my decisions.”

On her perception on volunteerism, Bouchra said, “I am already involved in a lot of volunteering activities in the Figuig Province, Eastern Morocco.” Her last word to MWN was, “I advise Moroccan young people to do their best and involve in volunteering activities and use their skills to help poor people because it is their duty to do that. I also recommend that they join Corps Africa because it is a good opportunity to live a new challenging experience to discover themselves.”

The program started on September 16^th 2013 and it will end on October 27^th 2014.

Edited by Melissa Smyth

On Friday, March 28, 29 students successfully completed INJAZ-Morocco’s Entrepreneurship Masterclass workshop at the Dar Taliba in Zaio. The workshop, which was for women, began on the evening of Thursday and continued Friday afternoon. The workshop was designed to familiarize Morocco’s youth with the world of entrepreneurship and develop their skills and talents.

INJAZ-Morocco is a non-profit association that works with the private sector on behalf of the youth to help a growing and newly emerging generation of entrepreneurs. Established in October 2007, INJAZ Morocco is a member of Junior Achievement Worldwide, which has been involved in entrepreneurship education since 1919.

Mr. Abdelaziz Askitou, a youth development volunteer and a facilitator at the workshop said that “Youth development implies that efforts should be made to help young people develop the necessary skills and competencies that will help them function effectively in their lives. Therefore, one of the main goals behind the Entrepreneurship Masterclass workshop is to engage Moroccan youth in thinking about their business ideas by providing them with information about what it means to be a successful entrepreneur.”

The primary objectives of INJAZ-Morocco’s Entrepreneurship Master workshops are to help the participants understand business challenges, acquire key entrepreneurial skills and attitudes, and test their entrepreneurial skills and strengths.

“It seems almost axiomatic that the development of organizational skills among young people will contribute to the development of both character development and community development." To that end, "Moroccan youth need to be equipped with the necessary tools, mechanisms and strategies that would help them become able to accommodate themselves to meeting the relentless changes taking place in today’s world. To succeed in this, the development of managerial and entrepreneurial skills among Moroccan youth then becomes a key issue,” Mr. Askitou stated.

The workshop started with a discussion of the participant’s goals and aspirations. The discussion focused on some challenges and obstacles facing women in entrepreneurship and ways in which to solve them. The participants went on to create a card-making company, which included their business name and logo. After identifying the main departments of a business, the participant-entrepreneurs identified their skills and strengths in order to determine their roles within the company.

Five businesses then competed to create a greeting card after having determined the direct and indirect costs of their production. They presented their products to a jury, which chose a winning company based on the criteria of price, creativity, and quality.

Special thanks went to INJAZ-Morocco for providing the materials and training, the Dar Taliba for providing the locale, and Peace Corps Morocco for facilitating trainings.

Rabat - Yassine Jarram, a Moroccan video blogger and musician, began creating videos in 2010 from his home in Casablanca.

Recently dubbed as one of the most influential YouTubers in the Middle East and North Africa, Jarram’s videos are usually humoristic in nature—gently celebrating and poking fun of daily life in Morocco. Jarram has become a familiar face, and voice, in all corners of Morocco, but his YouTube series “Marocains du Monde” (Moroccans of the World), now in its third instillation, seeks to share the power of the internet with Moroccans both in and outside the confines of the country.

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with Jarram as he explained the genesis of the original concept of the video series. “Every time I posted [a new video] I noticed that people wanted to respond to my ideas—maybe they agreed or they disagreed. I wanted to give all of these people the opportunity to share their ideas, opinions and to assemble all the Moroccans in the world into one place.”

The first Moroccans of the World, compiled in 2011, was an open call for Moroccans to share their thoughts and comments in response to the excess of attention on the region due to the Arab Spring. Jarram explained, “The first time I made Moroccans of the World was during a time where everyone was talking about Arabs because of the Arab Spring. I wanted to give the opportunity to real Moroccans, real Arabs, to say what they had on their mind. I didn’t want any Moroccans, or any Arabs, to be misrepresented.” Jarram then published a video on YouTube asking for Moroccans to send him video submissions. Jarram, pleasantly surprised, received over 100 video clips from Moroccans living in all regions of the world.

In the second installation of the series, Jarram again published a video on YouTube calling for submissions that answered the question, “What do you want from your country?” This time, Jarram received over 130 video submissions. Jarram noted that Moroccans all over the world wanted Morocco to change. Moroccans living abroad wanted to come home and wanted to be able to access the same opportunities in their home country that they were able to access in a foreign country. When I asked which submissions specifically touched him, Jarram lowered his eyes and sat deep in thought for a couple of minutes. After reflecting, Jarram began to vividly describe a video of a Moroccan man living in London who begged his country to make changes in education, social welfare, and professional development so that he could come home to his family. “He urged the youth of the country to become independent from their mothers and fathers and not to rely on the name of their parents to give them everything in this life,” Jarram concluded.

Jarram quickly began preparation for the third, and most recent installation, of Moroccans of the World. He asked Moroccans to share their dreams, to complete the sentence, “I dream…” Yet again, the number of video submissions that Jarram received climbed, this time reaching over 160. Jarram noted that it took months to watch each video and almost a year to compile and edit the final version of the twelve-minute compilation. When asked to summarize the video, Jarram concluded that Moroccans all over the world are dreaming of a new Morocco; there is a shared knowledge between all Moroccans that the country is in deep need of change, a change in “educational opportunities, availability of healthcare, security, and rights for all the people in the country, regardless of socioeconomic background.” Jarram emphasized again that Moroccans that are living outside of Morocco are dreaming of coming back to their country so “they can live with their families and their people once again.”

When I asked Jarram why he deviated from his regular humoristic commentary in order to create Moroccans of the World, he looked at me as though the question had an obvious answer. He began, “I make videos for fun to share my ideas and to share my humor because I’m young and, like all Moroccans, I have something to say. The point of Moroccans of the World is to give all of the people from this country the same opportunity that I have—to share their ideas in the same way that I do. I only organize these ideas and lend the video my name.” Jarram describes this project as though it is his most precious child because it is; it is his most precious and most important project—the one that means the “absolute most” to him.

Jarram says that he is inspired by the video submissions that he receives and he has come to learn about his own citizenship by watching and compiling submissions. “I now know that Moroccans are smart, motivated and excited for the future of Morocco. Moroccans from all over the world are prepared to make changes so that this country will be able to become what they want it to be.”

When asked what the goal of the project was Jarram responded, “Moroccans of the World isn’t really attempting to change something here. The number one priority is to share and to turn people who watch into people who produce; this is my real goal. I have the honor to be the editor and the leader of this movement.” Regardless of motivation or destination, the Moroccans of the World series certainly has a bright future with Jarram behind the computer. Moroccans of the World is truly the first project of its kind in the region.

The future of Morocco is in the hands of its citizens, citizens who have demonstrated they are ready for the future, braced for change, and motivated to share their opinions and ideas via the newest form of expression in the Middle East and North Africa—social media. Jarram is a young, generous leader of an international movement based in Morocco. Jarram uses Moroccans of the World to encourage citizens to embrace creativity, to spark dialogue about needed changes in the country, and to motivate the youth, who have formed his largest fan base. Most importantly, Jarram leads this movement with his own actions, urging Moroccans to share the blessings in life with their fellow citizens and to assemble ideas in order to ensure a bright future for Morocco.

By Karima Rhanem

New York – A delegation of 16 students from Morocco’s School of Governance and Economics (Ecole de Gouvernance et d’Economie, EGE) are taking part from March 30^th  through April 3rd in New-York Model United-Nations (NMUN).

The students’ delegation from Morocco, the only African country to participate for the second time in NY Model United Nations, will represent the Republic of Sudan. The delegates will take part in eight committees and will discuss diverse topics ranging from peace and security issues to climate change challenges.

Souleimane Jiddi, head of the delegation and chair of EGE Diplomacy Leaders Club, expressed his joy and pride to represent Morocco and the whole African Continent.

 “We are the only African country taking part in this MUN. We are proud to be ambassadors not only for Morocco but also for the whole continent and the voice of its youth," he told MWN.

"We are also honored to be among the few Arab schools participating in this huge annual UN youth gathering," he added.

As outlined by King Mohammed VI in numerous speeches, "Morocco needs more than ever a renewal of its elite to increase its active and important contribution to global governance." This involves training young people and providing them with various tools and mechanisms to enable them to better understand how international relations functions.

“Mastering the UN process, the development of UN resolutions, the ability to defend the interests of a country, while respecting the international conventions and protocols, represent a major asset for us as part of this training," says Bassam Chakrane, another Moroccan delegate.

“We are determined to come back to the Kingdom with many awards to honor our school, and our country,” he added.

The New-York Model United-Nations is one of the most prestigious and the oldest Model United-Nations worldwide. Each year, the simulation gathers nearly 5.000 students, as well as numerous United-Nations and Foreign Policy professionals.

This learning event is an opportunity for all the participants to witness, experience, and acknowledge the United-Nations system. The work provided throughout the simulation is subject to careful consideration by the United Nations apparatus such as the General Assembly and the Security Council.

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Taroudant, Morocco - While Moroccan women are often subject to clichéd judgments by people in Gulf countries, being alternately labelled as“husband takers, witches and prostitutes,” it appears that Moroccan male artists also are the target of assaults based on ignorance and stereotypes.

Young Moroccan singer Saad Lemjerred, who is very famous in the Gulf mainly in Kuwait, was recently verbally attacked and mocked by a Kuwaiti TV show presenter.

In a video posted on YouTube on April 2, the presenter of the program show “Alkuwait wa Annas” [Kuwait and People] was apparently outraged by the large number of fans who crowded to meet and have their photos taken with the Moroccan singer in the Kuwaiti Al Hamra Mall.

Incensed by the fame that the Moroccan singer enjoys in the Gulf, the presenter intentionally mispronounced the name of the Moroccan Singer Saad Lmjared several times, in an apparent attempt to defame and tarnish the reputation of the singer.

“We haven’t seen the last of the black magic of Morocco,” the journalist said. “They bring us this so called Almojared,”he quipped, intentionally distorting the singer’s name.

Saad Lemjerred appeared on Wednesday April 2 at Al Hamra Mall in Kuwait to promote perfumes for a famous brand.  A large number of fans attended, hysterically shouting his name and singing along on his famous song “Nti” sung in Moroccan dialect.  This apparently inflamed the rage of the TV presenter.

While some Kuwaiti media blamed the poor organization in the mall and the disorder of young people jostling each other on the arrival of Saad Lemjerred, the presenter of Alshahed TV Channel, Mohammed Al Mulla, preferred to hold the singer personally responsible for what happened, attacking him and his country, Morocco.

Reading aloud a tweet by “a Moroccan girl,” written in Moroccan dialect, the presenter displayed his seemingly narrow knowledge of Arabic variations and linguistic diversity, remarking, “Moroccans have problems with standard Arabic.”

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Rabat- Moroccan youth have been ranked 20^th in the Global Youth Well-being Index, released on Friday by the International Youth Foundation and the Centre for Strategic and International Studies. 

The study, which included 30 countries representing nearly 70% of the world’s youth population aged 10-24, has ranked Morocco in the 20^th place, ahead of Ghana, the Philippines and South Africa.

The index uses a set of 40 indicators that address the overall national environment, youth-specific outcomes, and youths' outlook and satisfaction levels across six interconnected aspects of their lives (domains): citizen participation, economic opportunity, education, health, information and communications technology, and safety and security.

According to the Global Youth Well-being Index, “Of the four countries in the Middle East-North Africa region, Morocco is third.”

Among the eight countries in the lower-middle income bracket, Morocco sits third behind Vietnam and Indonesia.

In Morocco, where young people represent 28% of the total population, the average domain scores indicate youth are more optimistic in citizen participation (19), health (13) and safety and security (11), while they are less optimistic in education (27) and economic opportunities (26).

Despite doing relatively well in three out of the six domains, the study says Morocco achieves bottom tier rankings in the three remaining domains.

Overall, the Australian youth have been ranked the happiest in the world, followed by Sweden, South Korea, the United Kingdom and Germany, while the U.S., whose youth, ranked 6^th.

The study authors said they hope to help stakeholders make sense of disparate, often conflicting data on “learning, livelihoods, community or political engagement, health, physical safety, and other aspects of youth well-being.”

Edited by Jessica Rohan

Casablanca- Local authorities appointed a new security cell specializing in informatics to analyze the terrifying pictures published on the Tshermil Facebook pages in order to determine the phenomenon’s origin, according to Assabah.

Since the local authorities started pursuing suspects who posted their pictures on the Facebook page Tshermil, over 30 suspects have been arrested.

The suspects have posted pictures of themselves armed with knives and swords, proudly displaying their loot. The posters alarmed the local population and destabilized the secure feeling of citizens in Casablanca.

Notably, most of the suspects in the pictures are teenagers, which made the police suppose that there may be movements or organizations behind these pages, attempting to destabilize the the country, according to Assabah.

Police are interrogating the arrested suspects to find out their motives for posting the pictures, and whether there are social elements encouraging them to post these pictures.

This security cell will analyze all pictures posted on the “Tshermil” Facebook pages to determine whether the pictures belong to the people in them, or if they were edited via Photoshop by certain organizations in order to terrify the inhabitants of Casablanca.

“Tshermil” comes from the Moroccan Arabic word “sharmal,” which means “to marinate” in reference to food. Tshermil in this context, though, refers to a criminal gang whose members specialize in extorting people’s belongings by threatening their victims using knives and swords. They are known for wearing expensive athletic clothes and having unusual haircuts.

Members of Tshermil are known for their hatred towards successful and rich people and for being ruthless with their victims.

Edited by Jessica Rohan

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By Youssef Bekkali

Rabat- ONCF (Office Nationale Des Chemins de Fer) is considered as the most frequent means of transportation preferred by a great number of Moroccan citizens despite the constraints and frequent challenges encountered.

Lack of punctuality, inadequate and unhealthy bathrooms, overcrowded compartments, and lack of air conditioning are a few, but not all the pitfalls of ONCF’s offerings. Any ordinary person, well-acquainted and well-travelled with ONCF, learns to anticipate that trains never depart on time.

Minutes are a legitimate time delay that any means of transportation might be subjected to. But hours of delay will automatically propel travellers to vehemently complain about such an issue. "I do not understand why the ONCF has not been able to solve this problem although it has been a problem forever," Simohamed, an ONCF passenger, commented while we shared a train from Rabat to Fez last week.

In case someone is in dire need to go to the bathroom, he/she will certainly be surprised at the conditions of the toilets on the trains in Morocco. The absence of water, toilet paper, and all hygienic items spark citizens to be extremely dissatisfied with the service provided by ONCF.

I ran into a lady with her child in-tow coming out of a so-called bathroom facility. She was furious and loudly commenting at what she observed. "Even if we were animals, we could be treated better." The same woman stood in the hall as, of course, there were no seats available. A few minutes later, the train officer was passing by and passengers shouted a series of angry statements at him, complaining about almost every negative aspect of the train’s service that they were forced to deal with during their journey.

His response was spontaneously and was stated as the following: "We do everything we can, and we always speak on your behalf, but you should all go and unanimously complain at the train station. Then, and only then, will your voice be heard and considered."

These words came from a responsible person, fed up with passengers mentioning the same observations over and over.

I assume the OCNF intends for passengers to feel at ease by fixing the air conditioner according to regular standards. However, somehow it is the most frustrating object in the train scenario. In the summer, the air conditioning on trains rarely functions, and when it does, it blows warm air, making passengers even hotter. This, of course, is the absolute last feeling anyone wishes to experience in this season.

Alternatively in the winter, passengers feel the cold breeze coming out of every vacant spot in the train. Frequent customers do not seem to be very annoyed by these stumbling blocks. "We get used to the situation. Apparently, these problems will not be fixed, at least not anytime soon," smiled Otmane, a friend of mine, who accompanied me during my trip.

Normally, when customers are not satisfied with a service, they either boycott the service or look for alternative services. Unfortunately, neither option is possible with the ONCF train system. In Morocco, we are forced to choose a means of transportation, which we require in order to visit relatives or go to work.

Traveling by bus or taxi could be considered alternatives in this situation but I believe that no one can substitute something uncomfortable, crowded or unclean by something that is worse.

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Safi, Morocco - Give teens leadership and see how well they manage it.

Nothing warms the heart and revives our hope and expectations more than action take by teenagers, especially when actions are completed in the name of solidarity. When I proposed a visit to the Elderly Hostel to my students, all of them were eager to participate in a charitable action.

As I was not able to take the entire class, I was obliged to decide who would actually have the chance to go on the field trip. The rest of the class would have to settle for a promise to accompany me to the hostel on another day. I then let my students take the responsibility of deciding and delegating tasks: who would collect the contributions and what was appropriate to prepare and buy for the elderly people living in the hostel.

My contribution went first, not as a leader, but only as a participant. In this situation, leadership was a joint responsibility as each of my students had something to say and to do for this project. Although the idea of the visit was not planned beforehand, the visit, luckily, went well. The hostel was a bit far from the students’ homes and we didn’t have enough time to ask the authorities for a means of transport. But the youth of my class decided to go beyond any obstacles that might confront them. I only fixed the time of our meeting in front of the hostel and withdrew myself to let them organize everything else about our visit.

I was the first to arrive, a bit before 3:00 pm, bearing in mind that adults should be an example of punctuality. The first students showed up, the rest of the group only meters behind, noisily yelling at the bus driver who hadn’t waited for them to get off and had taken them to the next stop. This is why my students were fifteen minutes late, because of a bus driver. I wasn’t angry at all as the tardiness wasn’t the of my students fault. My students arrived with heavy bags, having brought everything possible to offer elderly people who have no place to go to and who can’t get what they feel like having. The only people who provide for this population are people who visit them from time to time on Fridays and religious occasions.

I was so impressed by those 14-16 students dividing their gifts into equal shares and putting them in bags for men and women alike, then visiting to those who can’t leave their beds. My students took turns feeding each individual. Some changed socks, scarves and bonnets with new, clean ones. Some students even wiped away previously unnoticed tears. Afterwards, we planned to provide entertainment.

Students and residents gathered in a big sitting-room to have fun; some students stayed with the sicker residents in the dormitory, talking and telling jokes. The students provided music, accompanied by songs and dances; the entertainment had an overall good effect on the residents who quickly got involved in singing, dancing and telling jokes. The women had their hands dyed in henna by a particularly skillful student. We closed the visit with good-byes to the residents and promises to visit again soon.

Everything was so well-organized that both hosts and visitors were satisfied; the hosts were satisfied with the youngsters’ jovial presence and the students were satisfied with the pleasure they felt in donating their time to people in need. As one of the teens said in a moving speech, “these people could be our parents, grandparents, relatives, and even us one day!” I was personally very pleased with my students—so let’s give our teens the opportunity to act and let’s have a positive opinion and outlook about the future of Morocco in their hands.

Edited by Beau Clark 

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By Youssef Bekkali

Salé - WMD does not only stand for weapons of mass destruction. It might also stand for weapons of mass distraction. The latter is far more hazardous than the former as it involves subtle means to deflect the attention of the masses from having access to valuable information and prevents them from enhancing their critical thinking abilities.

I used to be a victim of the Moroccan media. I never questioned their broadcast news and I always absorbed whatever had been offered, never taking into account that they could be pushing certain political, economic, social and governmental agendas. Technically, I used to be a faithful viewer who blindly trusted their strategy that brainwashes the minds of many Moroccans in an attempt to maintain the status quo.

Television programs like “Lkhyat Lbyad,” “Akhtar lmoujrimine” [the most dangerous criminals], "Qissat Al-Nass" [the story of the people] and the endless stream of soap operas are nothing but devastating shows that subconsciously restrain Moroccans from rebelling against any instance of injustice, oppression or dictatorship.

They remain passive citizens, deeply homogenized, intellectually annihilated, and constantly worried. The great American intellect, Noam Chomsky, once said “you cannot control your own population by force, but it can be distracted by consumption.” If we contextualize his statement and apply it to our situation, I would say that it is actually worse. In fact, our own population is literally dominated by force and distracted by both consumption and the media.

Some would automatically assume that I am referring to Moroccans as victims. They are to be held accountable for every policy and agenda they have been subjected to.

“V For Vendetta,” a revolutionary movie that popularized the wearing of the notorious Guy Fawkes mask in opposition demonstrations around the world, highlighted a number of theories that are relevant to individuals seeking to bring about change. The hero of the movie says, "If you are looking for the guilty, you only look into a mirror.”

Have you ever realized the extent to which Moroccans are fond of watching football games? This reality has gone far from being a habit or means of entertainment. It has actually turned into an utter obsession. Televised football games can be found playing in almost every café across the country. Some of the football matches are even re-broadcast the following day.

Consequently, the only discussions that can be heard in cafés consist of either useless gossip or football chat. However, when politics, economics, religion or international events are discussed, one would be surprised at the large amount of prejudice, bias, and lack of accurate information present in the conversations. This is due to the limited range of media sources that are made available to the general public.

There is a café called Salim in Salé. Its owner, who is apparently well educated given his passion for reading, is attempting to reshape the idea of entertainment within Moroccan cafés. In his café he has a very small spot that contains five shelves. Every morning, customers of the café can find a variety of daily newspapers, magazines, and books. The most interesting aspect of this café is the fact that the television is usually, if not always, turned off. Its customers are very keen on reading and the area serves as a quiet space for thinking and learning.

Let’s imagine reading clubs meeting in cafés. Let’s imagine writers, intellects, and teachers gathering in the same cafés to discuss academic topics and international events. Why do we have to wait for the government’s consent for these types of events to be held? A café, one of the most frequented places by ordinary people, can become a central hub for knowledge and understanding in Morocco.

Edited by Liz Yaslik

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By Mustapha Ait kharouach

Casablanca – Innovation comes only through one thing, just one essential thing–it is the willingness to make a change and to give people a taste of a modern idea or product. Even innovation talent can be reached and achieved through this sense of differentiation that one could evaluate internally; that is, the fact that one is transcending the limits of usual thinking and think differently.

Geniuses who changed the wellbeing of humanity in different phases of history share a sense of difference and ask those unusual questions. Studies and ideas of those great philosophers and thinkers such as Darwin, Einstein, Galileo, Thomas Edison, Nietzsche and others, have shocked previous normality and established new knowledge, each in their own way. These great thinkers and academics have changed the world forever.

Innovation doesn’t have to do with political freedom or with social openness, even if these conditions are of great importance to individual and collective innovation. Many innovators were deported and punished by their states as well as their societies, and their ideas were seen as a threat to peoples’ lives and beliefs. Despite these circumstances, they fought established socio-political atmospheres and made their way into the popularity through innovation alone.

Innovators are boiled-down dreamers, but they are very abnormal dreamers. They have the ability to awaken their brains in a sustainable way, often working all day and night in order to achieve their dreams. In literature, unforgettable works are based in well-crafted and arduously-pursued dreams. Even criticism is essential to innovation. The mode in which an author presents his dreams to critics, whose job it is to judge how dreams function in reality, determines whether the work of an innovator is good or bad. Human reality is not just what we experience physically, rather it is also what we dream in our consciousness or unconsciousness. People who are talented only differ from those who are untalented because they are to transform their dreams into an applicable reality.

Steve Jobs wasn’t born as talented man capable of being an engineer or an innovator, but he was a dreamer just like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg and many others. Jobs was a lazy student, who didn’t respect university rules and always come barefooted to his courses. One day he decided to create a project that he thought would be a revolution in the electronics market. He rented an old garage and started working with one of his friends in secret. Later, Jobs launched his successful projects with Macintoch, iPad, iPhone and others, and elicited an enormous change in the realm of electronics.

In the process of marketing tourism, a new phrase is consistently used while establishing a communication objective of a tourism site or destination. This phrase is, “Buying a Dream.” Touristic demand has been developed and has become more specific and focused on particular segmentation of demand instead of mass demand. Every tourist has a dream beyond his travel; it could be discovering the reality of Arabs nights of One Thousand and One Nights, or experiencing the harsh conditions of Sahara, or just to see an Arab dancer face to face. Every one travels for a purpose, and everyone has a dream, and if not, jobs exist in order to create dreams and sell it to clients.

Many industries and sports that have become worldwide phenomenons began as only dreams. Who could imagine that a human could fly for hours, dive in a ship for months, and connect virtually with other humans on another continent. What we live is what we dream to live, so let’s continue to dream and to be good dreamers.

Edited by Beau Clack. Photo by Andy Dean

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Safi - When teens take action, take off your hat to them; if you don’t have one on, just applaud them, but do it warmly!

This is what I did when a group of students in my school took over the management of the school for an entire day. The responsibilities were beyond their age and presumably beyond their abilities, but they proved to be equal to the task. The details of this operation constituted an interview with the substitute principal, Taha El Jamae, a 2^nd year baccalaureate physics student, and the substitute vice-principal, Kaoutar Derraj, a 2^nd year baccalaureate maths student, described in this article.

The idea of a day of school management by students was the fruit of some students’ zeal regarding the chaos in their school, Hassan 2 Qualifying School, which is a characteristic of most public schools. It is the most crowded one in Safi and a melting pot of students from different social categories. We find serious, hard-working students, as well as careless, wild, and uncontrollable ones. Hence, some of the more zealous ones felt very concerned with the situation and decided to do something with the approval of some of their teachers and the headmaster. Their plan aimed at getting closer to the administration in order to experience the daily problems of running a public school.

The students involved focused on problems that they face with their peers and figuring out some possible solutions. The substitute administration (constituted by the students) included students of all levels, including some less serious ones, with the idea that the experience might lead them to the right path .The plan of action was agreed upon in a prior meeting and the tasks were divided up by means of a coin-toss.

The day started with the whole school sing the national hymn, something unusual for a Wednesday, as this is always done every Monday according to the ministerial instructions. The school gate and the staff room were closed exactly at 8:00, which upset some late teachers, as they usually leave their teaching supplies in the room. However, the substitute instructions were firm: neither students nor teachers were permitted to be late. After the bell rang, the schoolyard was deserted except for the substitutes and the bursar offering her assistance.

Later on, plastic bags were distributed to the teachers for students’ paper rubbish, which would be collected at the end of the day. Small sheets were handed out to the teachers to record the number of delays and absences so that the substitutes could compare them to the ordinary days. The same process was carried out in the afternoon in an even better way, as the substitutes hadn’t gone home for lunch so that they could study any unexpected cases. The operation was followed up by a show on the students’ rights and duties according to the school legislation and a round table discussion in the presence of some teachers to evaluate the results of the day.

In an interview, the substitute principal and vice-principal deemed the experience successful. Though it was just one day long, the difference it made was crystal clear. Their peers responded positively to their commands; “teens tend to listen to their peers rather than to adults,” they said. Though they forbade wearing hats, they ignored the use of mobile phones and headphones in the school yard, as long as they didn’t delay the students in getting to their classes.

The substitute administrators intend to repeat this experience and try to help the administration as often as possible in accordance with their availability. They concluded with a message: “Things are getting bad in most of the public schools, which are our second homes; we spend an important part of our life in them. So the change has become necessary, but it won’t come by itself if we keep waiting for it or for the others to do things for us because we are more concerned and because one hand can’t clap.”

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By Asmae Azzamouri

Oujda - In collaboration with US Embassy, TechCamp Caravan,  which took place on the 12th and the 13th of April, called for active members in civic society to take part in its second edition in Agadir.

Participants of this chapter were Moroccan alumni from different exchange programs, including MEPI, IVLP, Access, and Fulbright alumni.

This multi-faceted immersion camp was designed to build digital literacy for a group of young activists from different areas in Morocco. It took the form of hand-in-hand training sessions as well as small group discussions. Participants had the opportunity to learn how to embrace the latest tools and technologies and use them in creative and effective ways.

“Three characteristics of this camp have contributed to its success: The quality of volunteering, the spirit of entrepreneurship, and successful coordination,” said Mrs. Sana Sekale, ESL/EFL professor at ENS–Rabat, continuing, “this was a perfect platform for people working on the thematic of culture, acculturation, inter-culture and socio-culture to meet and found common ground.”

In this two-day conference, alumni were exposed to a wide range of technological tools and techniques, such as video streaming services and web design. Additionally, they practiced using online platforms to raise awareness of social issues, build organizational capacity, fundraise for nonprofits, and much more.

“Techcamp is indeed an exceptional platform, and it provides a unique learning experience for members of civil society organizations,” said Ayoub Belgharbi, MEPI alumni, “for a world that is massively evolving, we are now entitled to keep up. Tech is the means.”

One of the most interesting topics was the use of digital storytelling, presented by Yasser Monkachi, a trainer at Techcamp Alumni. He explained the meaning of Digital Storytelling, the process it goes through, and how it could be used beneficially and influentially.

Funded by the US embassy, Techcamp caravan covered accommodation, transportation and meals for participants. The program will continue on its path to reach other cities in the coming weeks, including Ouarzazate, Assilah, and Oujda. Around 50 highly motivated participants will take part in this interactive event.

“This was one opportunity to gather people all over Morocco (north, south, east, west) with the aim to collaborate efforts and maximize outcome. By the end of the event, we feel we still wanted to stay (never got bored),” said Mrs.Sana Sekale.

Edited by Melissa Smyth