Egypt\u2019s Youth Revolution: Building a New Future
\nPosted on August 11 2011 <\/p>\n
25 January 2011 was a day like no other for 26-year-old Egyptian women\u2019s activist Sally Zohney. Through a youth-led campaign on Facebook, she received a message to protest against poverty, unemployment and corruption. As a successful, educated middle-class woman, Zohney says her parents did not understand why she had to go. But she could not turn her back on the issues. Zohney snuck out of her home in the direction of Cairo\u2019s Tahrir Square, where she was met with thousands of others demanding a new Egypt.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing in the square was a 24-hour adrenaline rush, a place of utopia that I cannot put into words,\u201d describes Zohney, who says there was no turning back.<\/p>\n
Those 24 hours turned into 18 days of protests that would eventually topple the country\u2019s 30-year regime under Hosni Mubarak. Some call the defining moment Egypt\u2019s \u201cBerlin Wall,\u201d others the \u201cSocial Media Revolution\u201d for its use of Facebook and Twitter to mobilize crowds. To Zohney, like many of her generation, it was a \u201cYouth Revolution.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was the first time for so many of us, the young generation, to take to the streets and see how large our numbers are,\u201d says Zohney, who today is a Youth Specialist at UN Women. Well before the protests, youth were already speaking out and mobilizing through Facebook groups, such as \u201cWe are all Khaled Said,\u201d to protest against corruption and police brutality. What is more, she says, was the sheer strength and determination of all around her, particularly women, who dispelled the image of women wearing \u201cburkas\u201d to the world. Instead, they were \u201cchanting, leading protests, organizing meetings late at night.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow activism allows diversity,\u201d adds Zohney. She explains that before the revolution, women\u2019s movements were led by older generations, mainly upper-class women from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and established institutions. Since the uprising, she sees a younger crowd, including young women from different educational and social backgrounds, shaping the dialogue for Egypt\u2019s shared vision. …more<\/a><\/p>\n