Countries should follow Egypt's suit in supporting youth: WYF Participant

CAIRO – 15 November 2018: Between November 3-6, Egypt held the second edition of the World Youth Forum, bringing together individuals from countries all across the globe. The forum has seen a significant increase in participation from 2017’s 3,000 to more than 5,000 this year.   Egypt Forward has collected testimonies from some of the participants in the forum to try to understand the extent of the effect of the World Youth Forum.   Born in Uganda, Segawa Emmanuel, the eldest of five, who holds a Bachler’s degree in Journalism and Mass communication from Ndejje University in Uganda, was one of the attendees of the forum.   The journey for Emmanuel started when he first of the positive role of the World Youth Forum online. After hearing of the great benefits the forum has for young people, he applied and got in. “My experience when I got accepted is memorable,” he said. “These memorable moments from the day ever since I left Uganda, has been like a dream with different mindsets and vision towards where I was going. But the comfort ever since I succeeded to be part of WYF attendee sometimes would make me forget the worries … that I had with my relatives because they [WYF organizers] surely cared about us not only me but us a whole through phone contacts and email feedbacks.” The importance of the forum, for Emmanuel, is that it allows individuals from all over the world to understand the world more and to have the skills and “sword” to fight poverty and build sustainable development mechanisms. “The most unforgettable enjoyable memories would be many but two things stand for me: The strategic plan that the president of Egypt His Excellency Abdel Fatah al-Sisi has for the youths; and, the hospitality that Egyptians have although there seemed nothing that I never enjoyed everything was organized. keep it up.” Ending his statement, the participant suggested that other countries should follow Egypt’s suit and support youth the same way that Egypt does. “Opportunities are real, I recommend fellow youths to adopt new skills of technological advancements which is the trend of the world, without this knowledge no future, no one showed me how to apply online but because I had knowledge about internet, I was able to be chosen to be part of 2018 World Youth Forum which has opened doors that I believe next year I shall be part.”   Emmanuel also spoke of the high hospitality of Egyptians and their kindness towards foreigners. “God bless Egypt,” he stated. “Long live Egypt.”