Establishing a culture of expression among youth as a prerequisite for an open society in the arab region

Ali Shaath is a computer and electronic engineer with years of experience in management consulting. He runs a pan-Arab management consulting firm and an electronic research and development company. At an early age (16) he was actively involved in the creation of a progressive youth development project – Arab Computer Camps (1984-1994). It is this exposure and involvment that prompted him and his partner to found the Arab Digital Expression Foundation.

The Arab Digital Expression Foundation promotes the use of ICTs by Arab Youth for digital expression and artistic creation. The Foundation aims at offering the young Arab generation a free and constructive environment and
the opportunity to produce ideas and works of art of their own using new
technologies, in an attempt to improve and add creative and meaningful
content to the world of media. It enables youth from various Arab
countries to meet each other and together become familiar with digital
media and tools to express themselves and discover their identity in both
culture and heritage.

Since 2007, ADEF has trained 158 youth aged 11 to 16 from eight different
Arab countries in various forms of digital expression in cinema, sound and
music, graphic design, web design, animation, sports, arts and crafts and
web 2.0 within a summer camp model. ADEF has also trained 68 Arab trainers
(aged 20 to 30) from Tunisia, Morocco, Lebanon, Egypt, Palestine, Sudan
and Syria in digital arts and various training methodologies for the
purpose of expression. Young professionals are trained on open source
software in the different audio-visual media and design and participate in
enriching discussions over online sharing and collaboration and the roles
of individuals and groups in this emerging worldwide trend that is proving
to have tremendous empowering impact.