Tripoli, 24 March 2013:
Young Libyans are being given an international online platform to present their opinions, frustrations, and hopes for the . . .[restrict]New Libya, whilst challenging negative media portrayals of the country’s youth.
Libyan Youth Voices is a joint project between the International Political Forum (IPF), a platform for politically-engaged young people, and Shabab Libya – the Libyan Youth Movement (LYM). It is designed to air Libyan-authored interviews, stories, opinion pieces and artistic expressions. It aims to portray who the youth of the country really are, what the revolution meant to them and what they value and stand for. It also seeks to provide an opportunity for the country’s young people to describe their hopes and dreams for the future of Libya.
“The Media often allude to Libya’s young people whenever an issue arises pertaining to security, religious affairs or topics around gender,” said founding member of LYM Ayat Mneina, “however, this does not effectively represent the demographic. Libyan youth are frustrated by the way they are presented internationally and Libyan Youth Voices aims to redress the balance.”
Mneina said the project would also respond to interest from international audiences in learning more about the people who led the country to liberation. “The stories of the revolution were largely brought to the world’s attention by journalists from outside the country, who have long since moved on,” Mneina said: “The process of revolution, however, did not end with the death of Qaddafi. It is the right and responsibility of the young people who are working to build their country to tell their story to the rest of the world.”
The project was launched in February and is expected to run until at least May 2013. At present, it features two articles a week, and will grow to include online discussions, photo essays and eventually a digital magazine, which will be created with a partner organisation.
Young Libyans, Mneina said, have responded positively to the invitation to contribute and are thrilled to be part of this unique curation experiment. Led by Mneina, from LYM, and Natasha Lipman of the IPF, the project has been well-received both inside and outside Libya.
Libyan Youth Voices can be found here: http://internationalpoliticalforum.com/special-features/libyan-youth-voices/
If you are interested in contributing to Libyan Youth Voices, email: [email protected]
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