Fostering Self-Competencies in Tunisian Youth Center (FOYER)

Swiss partners

• PH Zürich: Wiltrud Weidinger (main applicant), Samir Boulos

Partners in the MENA region

• Université de Tunis, Tunisie: Nada Najjar (main applicant)

• The International Institute of Debate (iiDebate), Tunisie: Elyes Guermazi

Presentation of the projet

Tunisia has experienced political and economic challenges in recent years, which have had a significant impact on its youth. The ongoing political transitions and economic uncertainties have created a pressing need to equip young people with competences that not only enhance their employability but also foster resilience in the face of adversity. The project “Fostering Self-Competences in Tunisian Youth Centers” (short FOYER) seeks to explore how a program promoting self- and social competences in Tunisian youth centers can address these critical needs. Youth centers play an important role in fostering personal growth, social integration, and they are crucial for non-formal education of young people in Tunisia.

The FOYER-project consists of two components: (1) An educational intervention in the Jdaida Youth Center in Manouba and (2) a research study examining the impact of this intervention on the stakeholders the youth center. The Jdaida-center is considered as pilot institution and the research findings will serve to adapt the educational program for further youth centers. The educational intervention comprises two crucial elements. On the one hand, the educators’ and social workers’ capacities are enhanced to provide life skills activities in their youth center. On the other hand, the FOYER-project provides the trainers of the Jdaida Youth Center with an educational program to raise the self-awareness and social competences of the young people. The research component of this project examines the impact of the educational intervention on the self-awareness, social competences, and social inclusion of a core group of young people in the Jdaida-center. It thereby identifies the crucial elements of a self- and social competences training program for educators in youth centers. The findings of the research serve to develop a robust model of good practice in this field. The FOYER-project hence provides the basis that allows the scaling up of the developed and improved educational program that supports young people in youth centers in Tunisia.