Kuwait
MEPI in Kuwait
In Kuwait, MEPI supports efforts to empower women and engage youth, encourage democratic processes, and support growth and transition in Kuwait's economic sector. MEPI projects strive to strengthen civil society organizations so that they can play a more positive role in Kuwait's political process.
Featured Highlights
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New Cohort of Leaders for Democracy Fellows
The seventh cohort of Leaders for Democracy Fellows arrived in the U.S. on March 18, kicking off the six-week long academic portion of their fellowship. The twenty-two Fellows are based at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs where they will complete coursework in democracy studies, conflict resolution, political mobilization, and communication.
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Newly Established MENA CSOs Receive Mentorship and Support
The MEPI-funded Support for Training, Advocacy, and Networking in Developing Democracies initiative, implemented by Partners for Democratic Change, is actively working to enhance the organizational development of nascent civil society organizations in the Gulf region. It is building stronger, more sustainable institutions to advance citizen interests and address important economic and social issues.
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Civic Education Leaders Visit Washington
The sixth cohort of the MEPI-funded Civic Education Leadership Fellows (CELF) visited the U.S. Department of State in Washington. The 13 Fellows – all university professors from the Middle East and North Africa – are completing three-month residencies at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs of Syracuse University.
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Young Kuwaitis Collaborate on Public Awareness Campaigns
The finale of the MEPI-funded Kuwait Leadership Mastery (KLM) program took center stage at the Gulf University of Science and Technology on March 13.
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MUN Debate Conference
Participants in a Model United Nations (MUN) debate conference on domestic violence, presented their oral arguments before a panel of judges including a representative from the Gulf Bank and a professor from the Gulf University of Science and Technology.
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Awareness Campaign on Harassment Against Women in Kuwait
MEPI is partnering with the Kuwaiti organization Pink Coffee Marketing & PR to establish an all-encompassing campaign to raise awareness about harassment against women. Through a collaborative effort with various civil society organizations, the project is working with youth groups to establish best practices to curb harassment against women in the country.
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MENA Students Enter Young Entrepreneurs Competition
In 2012, over 5400 high school and university students from the Middle East and North Africa competed for spots on the MEPI-supported sixth annual INJAZ Al-Arab Young Entrepreneurs Competition. Seventy five students secured finalist spots for the competition which took place in November 2012 in Doha, Qatar.
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Kuwait’s Successful High School Journalism Project
Transparency and accountability develops to the benefit of the entire nation when citizens enjoy unfiltered access to information, and the ability to express their views without fear of reprisals. It is therefore important to develop early on the skills of young men and women who are interested in journalism, and provide them with opportunities to learn how to use new technologies.
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MEPI Partner Uses New Media to Inform Citizenry
Through its Social Media|Social Action (SM|SA) project, MEPI partner IREX recently issued a solicitation to provide small grants to youth-serving non-governmental organizations (NGOs) interested in leveraging media tools and approaches to increase the outcomes and impact of their organizations’ activities.
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Students Leaders Learn About Civil Society and Leadership
A total of 118 undergraduate students from across the Middle East and North Africa participated in the 2012 MEPI Student Leaders Program in Washington, D.C. The program brings civically engaged students with outstanding academic achievements from universities throughout the region to the U.S. to study civil society, democratic participation, and leadership.
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International Youth Activism Summit Promotes Cross-Border Collaboration
In June 2012, MEPI partner Soliya convened an international summit during which thirty-four Fellows ages 20 to 30, from the United States, Europe, and the Middle East met to work together towards the betterment of their communities.
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Sec. Clinton Affirms Commitment to Supporting Arab Reformers
MEPI’s 2012 Leaders for Democracy Fellows (LDF) met with Secretary Clinton on May 29th, following their participation in the Civil Society Strategic Dialogue town hall meeting earlier in the month. The Secretary praised the fellows’ reform-oriented activism and work in advancing civil society during an unprecedented time in the Arab world.
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IFES and Arab Parliamentarians Work on Political Finance in MENA
Recent electoral events in the MENA region have led to calls for greater transparency and accountability. The International Foundation for Electoral Systems and the Arab Region Parliamentarians Against Corruption are working on the MEPI-funded “Enhancing Transparency in Political Finance in the Arab Region” project to increase stakeholders’ awareness on issues relating to political finance.
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Young Activists Produce Films to Capture Change
After extensive training in media production and community engagement provided by U.S.-based NGO Soliya and MEPI, 110 young civil society leaders throughout the Middle East and North Africa are harnessing the power of new media technologies to promote informed and constructive discourse on reform topics.
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Workshops Provide Journalism Training to Kuwaiti High School Educators
On January 8th, the International Education and Resource Network and the International Center for Journalism launched the second year of their highly successful High School Journalism Program at the Kuwait National Commission for Education, Science and Culture.
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MEPI Local Grantee in Kuwait Strives for Equality for Working Women
In July 2010, The Kuwait Economic Society (KES) launched the Women's Leadership and Entrepreneurship program in cooperation with MEPI. Since then, KES has spun off a new CSO, the Business and Professional Women (BPW) organization, which has rapidly engaged in an agenda to enable a network of influential and young women in Kuwait, and the development of a locally applicable women’s business leadership program.