Day 3- September 3, 2007

The last day of the conference was definitely slow and everything was running behind! The morning started off with speeches, which barely anyone attended since they were at 9 am and people were exhausted from the previous two days. The final session then commenced at 11, which I was not able to attend as I had to take care of many things such as my travel arrangements back to Cairo and other logistical issues. A meeting that I was supposed to attend at 3 pm also never took place. The highlight of the day I suppose was the closing ceremonies, which ended with inspirational speeches and the opportunity to hear what other youth thought about the conference. The video that covered the whole conference was also amazing and portrayed the positive aspects that came out of such a conference which took so much time, investment, money and effort by youth volunteers!

In the end the conference was a success in the sense that issues were discussed and youth were able to connect and network with other NGOs that share a common vision. Personally I was so happy to meet many Egyptian youth since I am in Cairo for 6 months. I made many great friends that I am still keeping in touch with here in Cairo. While the International Youth Forum was definitely an unforgettable experience, there were also many flaws which cannot be ignored. For example as a foreigner from the outside that had already spent a month in ‘real Egypt’ I found that this conference was really trying to promote Egypt as this ‘modern’ and ‘developed’ nation, failing to discuss issues that really effect the majority of Egyptian youth, such as lack of opportunity, employment, education and freedom of expression. Indeed we did discuss the issues on a surface level, but it never really resulted in any tangible solutions. Most of the people attending the conferences as myself do come from a privileged position of life, where we not only have an education, yet also the knowledge to understand and think critically about issues. By denying less privileged youth a chance to have their voices heard was its major flaw, since an Egyptian youth that attended a foreign school and lived relatively comfortable their whole life could never really comprehend the world of a poorer and less educated Egyptian. In addition, while there was no doubt that I enjoyed Sharm El-Sheikh and its luxury; it definitely did go a little overboard with the food and hotel accommodation. Something a little more modest would have been sufficient and not make this conference feel like such a contradiction. Perhaps not having it in Sharm would have been better as I learned that the government requires Egyptian youth to have permission to visit while me as a foreigner does not. It was sad to see how the level of respect increased as people learned I was from Canada, since I also look very Egyptian. I hated seeing my Egyptian friends being harassed and questioned by police officers and they were only treated with more respect when they said they were part of the conference. I found Sharm el Sheikh too much of a tourist trap and something too superficial to return.

As I don’t want to leave the impression that I did not thoroughly enjoy each moment of the conference, I will conclude by reiterating the positive aspects of this conference. I was able to meet all kinds of people from different countries and even better get to hear their opinions. It was particularly interesting to hear way Arab youth view such issues since I am coming in from an outside perspective. The fact that I met many great people and heard many inspirational stories that as a youth, I have been inspired to work more closely with various media outlets and do my little part to promote positive change in the media and have my voice heard. Our final night concluded in the desert where we heard traditional Bedouin folklore music, made out final connections, and said our farewells. Undoubtedly, I will never forget my first Sharm experience and international youth conference!