Twinning for Change

AHLN, collaborating with FNF, organized a regional workshop titled "Twinning for Change" in Tunisia in July 2025. The workshop brought together 15 young men and women from 6 MENA region countries.

AHLN representatives included Lebanon’s Future Movement, Iraq’s Sasa, and Tunisia’s Afek Tounes. Participants exchanged experiences with representatives from civil society organizations from Lebanon, Palestine, Morocco, and Iraq.

During the 2-day workshop, AHLN President Myrna Mneimneh guided participants as they gained new insights into youth participation in political work and leading real political change. They became virtual leaders, developed collective projects and strategies, and restored their belief that youth can bring about positive change in politics through liberal tools such as accountability, oversight, and democracy.

During the workshop, participants also discussed common challenges in their countries, particularly those facing youth in political or community engagement. They identified shared points and proposed solutions to encourage youth involvement in civil society and politics, and to overcome barriers preventing youth from participating in decision-making and change.

The workshop included a virtual exchange with Rami Hafez, head of the Youth Committee at AHLN, who presented the committee’s vision and extended an open invitation to participants to take on active leadership roles within the regional network.

Twinning projects were at the core of the workshop—cross-border initiatives designed collaboratively by participants to address urgent regional priorities, including youth political participation, civic education, climate action, digital governance, and media freedom. These collaborative projects, known as "Twinning Charters," will be finalized and officially adopted in a later session, serving as a tangible mechanism for continued engagement after the workshop.

The program also marks the establishment of a sustainable regional youth network, supported by the FNF and a network of young leaders. It will include a dedicated digital space for coordination, knowledge exchange, and future collaboration. This network aims to overcome the fragmentation that often characterizes political participation in the MENA region and to promote a culture of democratic solidarity led by youth