The Arab Digital Expression Camps is a summer camp program for Arab youth (12-15 years) to venture into voyages of self-expression & identity exploration through art of technology & the culture of open source.
Short Summary
Our key activity and the reason behind our inception of the Arab Digital Expression Foundation is the Arab Digital Expression Camps, a two-week summer program for youth between the ages of 12 and 15. We have been organizing the camps for the last eight years. Eighty participants take part in the camps from across the Arab World, and we try to strike a 50 percent women participation in every camp.
The residential fun-based summer camps act as an experiential venue and ideal environment for learning and self-expression. With a carefully crafted program born out of months of curricula development and a highly trained and engaged team, the results are astounding. ADEF crafts a structure where participants freely explore and experiment with the rich programming in both digital and physical activities that emancipate a sense of mental and physical expression. From video-making, to sound and music production, to creative applications on the web, creative physical activities, art workshops and field trips, the two-week camp quickly evolve into a revolution of expression.
Because of the diversity and intensity of the program and participants, the camps are often a life-changing experience, for both youngsters and trainers. Youngsters and trainers share experiences and bond through both the physical and digital spaces of they create.
Final outputs from the camps are displayed on the web. Other avenues of exhibition are also arranged, through local and regional media and partner organizations.
Today, the camps sit at the heart of the Arab Digital Expression Foundation (ADEF), a leading platform for knowledge production and creation of self-expressive tools and avenues in the region to build and strength engaged communities. Through active and grassroots interventions where technology acts as a key enabler, ADEF builds spaces, fosters environments, enhances skills and develops tools to support individuals and groups working on the ground to develop and strengthen their practices and engagement with society.
What We Need & What You Get
With this campaign we are aiming to fund 30 percent of our total cost of running the annual camp. At US$100,000 total cost and at cost of US$1450 per child, we ensure a high value indelible experience for all participating youth on all levels, from the conceptual development of the program to every detail in its execution.
The camp is an opportunity for youth of different socio-economic ackgrounds in the Arab World, where tuition is not a must for participation and those who can afford it may also contribute toward the scholarship of others, while those who cannot afford the full tuition, are partially funded. This is why ADEF fundraises for the camps from organizations, companies, communities and individuals.
Part of the camps becoming a meaningful experience is community participation in making it unfold and successfully happen, in belief of the critical value of youth engagement.
We cannot do this without the ongoing support of people like you who believe in building a foundation within our youth for a brighter future.
Even if we don`t reach our goal with this campaign, every penny raised will go to ensuring our camps are a success and a true product of community engagement.
The Impact
The growth of our community, its entanglement with a variety of causes and its expansion into different territories of art making, expression and technology creation are key indicators of the camps` success. The camps sets the stage for this community by providing a unique experience of learning, self-discovery, critical thinking and expression, which are missing aspects in most mainstream education across the region.
This is a sample of what has been said about the camps in the media and in academia:
"Free Expression - The Arab Digital Expression Foundation in conversation with Laura Cugusi"
“Access to Knowledge in Egypt” – Bloomsbury Book Release
“Tweet Freedom” – Wired Magazine UK
"ADEF Prepares Youth for the Digital Age" - Daily News Egypt
Other Ways You Can Help
Every person can make a difference. Even if you cannot help us to reach our goal through a cash donation, please help us spread the word and check out our website for more information.
Arabic Version of Call for Support
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