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Acronym of the Project: SAHWA

Full name of the Project: "Empowering the young generation: towards a new social contract in South and East Mediterranean countries"

Category: 7th Framework Programme

FP7-SSH-2013-2 - Collaborative Projects (Small or Medium-scale Research Projects) as well as Coordination and Support Actions

Abstract: SAHWA (which means Awakening in Arabic) brings together a number of leading research centres from Europe and the South and East Mediterranean (SEM) region. It proposes an inter-disciplinary project that will connect specialized expertise on youth studies and robust methodology, with extended fieldwork in the region and comprehensive analysis of current political and socio-economic transitions.

SAHWA will provide the grounds for large cooperative research endeavours in the region such as the compilation of datasets on a variety of topics of significance (labour markets, social inclusion, political participation, youth culture, uses of media), the creation of an interactive map of the social context based on thematic cartographies of characteristic urban and rural spaces, a net-geography (shababpedia) compiling discourses and profiles of the young generation, and a documentary film that will project the social context through life stories.

The scientific objectives of SAHWA are:

- Conceptualising transition in the SEM region.

- Mapping change in the SEM region on those issues that may empower youth as a central political, economic and social actor.

- Assessing the applicability and relevance of other experiences of socio-economic transformation.

Duration: 1 January 2014 – 31 December 2016 (36 months)

Project Leader and Partners:

1) (Coordinator) Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB) - Spain

2) ANIMA Investment Network (ANIMA) – France

3) CENTER of Arab Women for Training and Research (CAWTAR) – Tunisia

4) Centre of Applied Economy for Development (CREAD) – Algeria

5) Education for Employment-Europe (EuropEFE) – Spain

6) Institute of Graduate Management Studies (HEM) – Morocco

7) Middle East Technical University (METU) – Turkey

8) Finnish Youth Research Network (FYRN) – Finland

9) Lebanese American University (LAU) – Lebanon

10) The American University of Cairo (AUCE) – Egypt

11) The University of Liverpool (LIV) - United Kingdom

12) University of Lleida (UDL) – Spain

13) University of Milano- Bicocca (UNIMIB) – Italy

14) University of Bremen (BREMEN) – Germany

15) University of Plovdiv (PLOVDIV) – Bulgaria

METU's role: METU will conduct research within the context of the following work packages:

WP1. Mapping political, social and cultural changes: methodological approach

WP2. Youth opportunities: employment, education and social inclusion

WP3. Youth empowerment: mobilization, social movements, political participation and social media

WP4. Youth cultures: values, representations and social conditions

WP5. Gender equality

WP6. Migration and international mobility

WP7. Experiences from transition/transformation in Europe and elsewhere

WP8. Public policies and international cooperation (co-leader)

WP9. Communication and outreach

WP 10. Coordination and sustainability

Project Website: Under construction

Publications -


Last Updated:
11/09/2020 - 19:53