When young people are forced to flee with their families and become refugees, they lose not only their homes and lives, but also the whole set of organizations, institutions, and cultural norms that help guide them into adulthood, and let them negotiate their identities. Here in Cairo, Sudanese refugee youths- stripped of all the normal cultural means for them to achieve adulthood- have turned to hip-hop culture as a means of expressing themselves and creating identity. While the creative elements of this are obviously positive, other cultural imports- including youth violence and crime- are having severe detrimental effects on the Sudanese community in Cairo.
Thus works Youth LEAD- looking to provide Leadership, Education, and Access to Development to refugee youth, to help them negotiate positive transitions into adulthood. And of course, Youth LEAD's new project- which will work to empower young women, giving them the education, tools, and confidence to help guide their community- and to help discourage violence and crime. The young women we look to work with- as the sisters, girlfriends, and friends of the young men already involved in our program- and by empowering and working with these young women, we will not only help them improve their own lives and make healthy life choices, but will encourage them to use their social capital to promote healthier life choices in their communities.
Youth LEAD Expands to Serve Young Women
LEAD's plans to expand into women's programming start with the opening of a daycare center, in Hadayek el-Maadi, which will be operated by and earn income for the young women served. Vocational training and access to education- including both English classes and sponsorships for the attendance of a refugee school in Cairo- are also key parts of our expansion plans.
You can help Youth LEAD by donating, to help fund our expansion into women's programming. We're currently looking to fundraise $3000 to run our pilot expansion- though any donation helps. The money will be going to opening and operating two centers, one Young Women's Daycare and Learning Center in Hadayek el-Maadi, and one Youth LEAD Satellite Center for Young Women in Arba wa Nuss. These centers will be places for young women to gather, learn, relax, and, in the daycare center- earn money and gain valuable business skills. Any donation helps- it costs only $140 to operate each center each month. So, please, give what you can, and help the empowerment of young Sudanese women.
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The Youth LEAD Project is a program of St. Andrew's Refugee Services that provides leadership, education and access to development for at-risk refugee youth in Cairo, Egypt. LEAD addresses the underlying social and economic causes to reduce and prevent violence and crime by offering participatory, demand-driven programming in the form of:
(1) development of safe spaces designed and operated in cooperation with the youth;
(2) access to certificate bearing academic and skill building programs;
(3) promotion of inter-personal conflict resolution, peer communication and self expression by capitalizing upon the community’s appreciation for hip-hop culture and sports; and
(4) programming and training that foster positive leadership skills and provide mentoring opportunities.
Small donations add up, and all help is appreciated!
Help Youth LEAD educate and empower young women
in Cairo's Sudanese refugee community.
For updates on all of our program components, please visit our blog --
youthleadproject.blogspot.com