Lugano based USI Università della Svizzera italiana’s Middle East Mediterranean MEM Summer Summit is empowering the next generations of the MENA young change-makers.
TUNIS, August 30th, 2022 (CM). The fifth Middle East Mediterranean Summer Summit took place in Lugano, Switzerland, from August 18 to 27 with the support of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.
The MEM Summer Summit, which consists of a Seminar and a Forum, aims to establish innovative concepts, methodologies, and initiatives that transcend physical and cultural boundaries between communities on all sides of the Middle East Mediterranean region.
This year, USI hosted 45 young changemakers from 20 countries in an effort to foster dialogue and cooperation.
In an interview with tio.ch, Federica Frediani, PhD in Comparative Literature and director of the Middle East Summer Summit MEM, states, “We offer a safe space where young people from all around the Middle East can feel comfortable expressing their opinions.”
After its fifth edition, the MEM has established itself as an important forum for fostering conversation between the Middle East and Europe. Under the banner of intercultural discussion, a platform for young “change-makers” from Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa to explore new ideas and projects.
The lectures began on Thursday, August 18, and concluded on Saturday, August 27, with a forum streamed live on the University’s web platform. Two weeks that converted Ticino into a collaborative gathering space for young people from around the region. Frediani continues, “We welcomed 45 young people with diverse backgrounds and training from over 20 countries.” Young changemakers who, throughout the course of the seminar, via workshops, lectures, conferences, and discussion sessions, have developed new visions for the future, focusing on the difficulties of the region and the difficulty of communication between the many countries.
The MEM is not limited to a discussion forum, though. The participants developed strong bonds of friendship due to the efforts of the various USI collaborators. “The organization of the seminar struck the appropriate balance between professional work and more recreational activities aimed at strengthening friendships,” says Danial Mousavi to Shakiba, an Iranian who works in Tehran for UNHCR (the United Nations refugee agency).
Danial also emphasized the significance of the MEM as a dialogue forum. “A unique bond was formed amongst all of the participants. This is due to the environment and hospitality we discovered in Lugano. A forum in which we could submit and develop our ideas “.
Two Tunisians participated in this year’s edition of the YAML program.
More information on the Middle East Mediterranean MEM Summer Summit can be found via this page.
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