What?

The “Arab Digital Expression” project - promoting the use of ICTs by Arab youngsters for digital expression and artistic creation: a network of artists and experts supporting and mentoring young talents in the Arab region.
The project aims at giving the young Arab generation a free and constructive environment and the opportunity to produce ideas of their own using ICTs in an attempt to improve and add to the content of this world of media. It aims to give children from various Arab countries digital tools to express themselves and discover their identity in both culture and heritage

Who?

The Arab Society for Training & Management Development (ARSTD) is a Cairo-based Arab non-profit organization working for community, culture and scientific development at the national and regional level.

How?

The “Arab Digital Expression” project has built an online platform (arabdigitalexpression.net) for art, communication and exchange for networks of youngsters from Arabic speaking countries. Teenagers (aged 12-15) selected by local NGOs will attend a summer camp, organized and led by key Arab artists, bloggers, media professionals and academics in one of the target countries, where they will learn Digital Sound & Music, Graphic Design, Animation, and Digital Video and be given tools (open source) and the know-how to contribute to the collaborative online platform for youth art. Living and learning together for 2 weeks in a free, positive and constructive environment, kids from all social backgrounds will produce ideas and products of their own through games, workshops and group projects and develop their artistic and communication skills with the use of ICTs. Trainers will come from the same countries as the youngster, in order to ensure continuity and community building at home.

Two 2-week residential camps will be organized yearly for 80 teenagers who will go home and continue from there to contribute to the platform, create together, and share their enthusiasm and questions. Stories and products will be used locally (through classical and non classical media) with the support of the local NGOs, and of the national “mentors” (the trainers), and will also be shared on the platform, with their friends and fellow campers.

The result of this project will be an energizing and positive Arab youth platform, available for all to watch or to take part in chats and sharing of information and artistic expression.

You can also download the concept as a PDF.