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Global Changemakers for the Middle EastThe Arab Youth Research Network (AYRN)Draft Guiding Framework

This 'process' document provides a guiding framework for the elaboration of the Arab YouthResearch Network, one of the components of the Global Change Makers project in the MiddleEast. The document is in draft status, and serves to inform potential partners and to guide theplanning processes. Once the country-level partners and teams are in place and have hadtime to review the document and adapt it to the local context, the document will be amendedand elaborated as the Arab Youth Research Network' Strategic Plan.

Mission of AYRN

The purpose of AYRN is to be a regional youth-led network that undertakes research thatfocuses on the most relevant priority issues for youth of the region and disseminates theresearch findings to important audiences. AYRN will also work with a range of existing adult-led research bodies to strengthen the youth perspective to their research activities and to helpdisseminate their findings to youth and others in an accessible format.

Vision of AYRN

Our vision is to be recognised nationally, regionally and internationally for our work with ageneration of young Arabs who, through collaboration, produce powerful, credible researchabout youth, thus providing a reliable and respected evidence base to be used effectively byyoung people and others to make decisions that are in youth's interests.

Strategic Objectives

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To build a regional youth-led research network that reaches diverse groups of youngpeople who want to play an active role in the generation and dissemination of knowledge concerning youth;

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To provide training, guidance and support to enable young people to undertake highquality research to investigate the issues that affect them;

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To act as a network for its members enabling them to exchange ideas that will further empower them as researchers;

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To collaborate with similar networks in the region, the UK and internationally to shareexperiences and learning and publish research carried jointly;

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To build up a virtual research information database / library that makes key researchconcerning youth more accessible across the region;

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To create linkages with policy-making institutions nationally and internationally so thatthey draw on this up-to-date information as evidence when making decisions thataffect youth;

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To enhance awareness of the ethics of responsible research in the region and topromote the important role of research as evidence for all decision-making and itscontribution to good governance;

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To establish fund-raising mechanisms that will ensure that the research network isinstitutionally and financially sustainable after project funding ends.

Rationale for the AYRNThe majority population of ME is youth, many of whom are well educated

For the first time in recent history, the majority of the Arab world is considered youth, with atleast 60% of the collective population being under the age of 25. Literacy levels are at an all-time high, producing youth with unprecedented intellectual capacities, supported by degreesin higher education.

Youth face social and economic obstacles

Yet, progress for youth in the region remains constrained by a complex set of inter-relatedsocial, political, and economic obstacles that include high levels of poverty &unemployment,limited access to jobs, poor health care, weak financial sustainability and barriers to marriageand the formation of a family.

Effective policies, programmes and processes need information

In order to formulate effective polices and allocate resources to tackle these new challenges,policy institutes, think tanks, research units and university departments will need to carry outstudies on an on-going basis in order to provide up-to-date information on emerging trends.For these to be effective, and grounded in reality, these studies need to include a youthperspective. Policies based on youth own understanding are more likely to prove effective;resources allocated to deliver services that the youth have identified as meeting their needs,are more likely to be cost effective.

Opportunity to coordinate between Arab countries

Advances in information technology create an opportunity to strengthen coordinationbetween researchers of all the different countries of the region. The unique advantage of theregion (shared language, common cultural references, regional institutions) facilitates thisnetworking. The opportunity now exists for youth, youth-focused NGOs & research institutesto form partnerships to collaborate in knowledge generation &dissemination. This will allowyoung and more established researchers to enhance their skills and understanding. Centralto this opportunity is the role of ICT and especially of web 2.0 to facilitate the necessarynetworking and information sharing that underpins successful collaborative research.

Opportunity for Arab youth to work together

The AYRNaims to bring together young researchers throughout the Arab world in a sharedpublic space where they can collaborate in both a directed and undirected capacity toproduce valuable research. AYRN will act as a crucible of ideas, where diverse elements finda platform that allows them to pool their considerable resources in order to concentrate onanalyzing the issues that affect them the most. The AYRN will also act as an in-houseresearch body carrying out commissioned research to inform the advocacy and awarenesscampaigns of the Global Changemakers Project.

Background to the Project

The idea of a youth think tank was raised at the Learning from the Future forum held in Dubaiin April 2008. It was then proposed as one component of the Global Changemakers projectfor the Middle East and North Africa regions. The concept of the think tank was further developed in a meeting held in Amman(November 2008) which brought together some of theyoung participants from the Dubaiforum as well as a variety of experienced researchers,intellectuals and activists. As a result of these deliberations, the concept evolved away from aclassic “think tank” towards a youth-led movement to generate research in the region. Theunique aspect of the youth-led movement lies in its capacity to tap into the powers of theinternet and networking to promote collaborative, youth led research.

Proposed Research Themes for Year 1

The AYRN will take as its starting point the themes selected by the overall GCM project.These themes are necessarily broad in order to meet the diverse priority interests of all the 16participating countries in the GCM. As of January 2009, the following tentative list of themeshas emerged:

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Identity and cultural diversity

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Economic empowerment / youth livelihoods

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Education, learning and access to information

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Social equity and inclusion

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Climate change and environmental sustainabilityFor each of these broad themes, representatives from each participating country on the AYRNRegional Coordination Team (RCT) will agree a number of possible research focuses either for the whole region or for sub-regions. They will also suggest a range of specific researchquestions that would be relevant to sub-regions / specific countries and which can bemanaged within the available resources. Each country will then be able to select from a menuof choices, so that the actual study fits the local context.

Research Methodology

The AYRN aims to create the opportunity for youth to gain access to a wide range of researchskills and therefore is open to different types of research methods (quantitative, qualitativeand combined qualitative/quantitative) and supports an

inclusive approach that welcomesdiversity.

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AYRN recognizes the value to be gained from youth-led research, where young peoplework independently from adults, seeking support when they need it.

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AYRN also recognizes the value in young people working under the guidance of established researchers, especially where they add their understanding / unique insights.

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AYRN also notes that in some situations, funding will be dependent of partnershipsbetween youth-led and adult-led organisations, and that the benefits of working together are mutual. AYRN will promote relationships of mutual respect for unique strengths – sothat youth's valuable role is recognised and rewarded appropriately.

AYRN StructureNational Research Teams

In each country, working through local partners, a team of 5-10 young people interested inworking with AYRN will be selected according to agreed criteria. They will have access toappropriate training programmes to prepare them to start working on their first researchassignment. Local experts and mentors will be identified from partner organizations or externally to support the country teams. A number of Research Attachments will be madeavailable for members of AYRN both in the UK and in the region.

Regional Coordination Team

A regional AYRN team will be formed to direct and manage the work of the AYRN at regionallevel. The regional team will include a member from each country, elected for one year.Members will be eligible to be re-elected once only in order to give opportunity to other members of country teams.

Mechanisms of InteractionFace-to-face

The network will rely on both face-to-face and virtual working. The national team will have theopportunity to work face to face at the local level. They will be encouraged to coordinate withother national teams virtually and by sending representatives/ exchanges/ to sub-regionaltraining and forums.

Virtual meetings

Groups will be encouraged to use e-tools for virtual meetings (chat, skype talk, facebook,messaging etc). Horizontal linkages between youth will be emphasized (i.e. without passing