Ait Melloul, Morocco
On Friday, January the 26th, the Winter Youth School was inaugurated for its 6th edition under the theme: “System of values and Modern Trends” by the MOSTAKBAL LEMZAR Association for Development and Culture in coordination with DAR LHAY Association, Lemzar, Ait Melloul.
The first day began with a recitation of the Holy Quran followed by the address of the representative of both above associations in which he welcomed the distinguished speakers and the attendees. Afterward, Mohamed Chadli, the coordinator of this edition, gave his address citing that this edition completes and respects the fundamental principles of the previous one – which was titled “setting values”- in that it kind of has a merger of knowledge, talent, and experiences. The following address was given by the academic coordinator Abd-Laali Motaqi maintained the importance of the actual edition in raising youth awareness and educating them culturally and cognitively. He also talked about the very principles controlling the Winter Youth School vision, being organized by and for youth. In his word, the coordinator also stated the essence of values in our ever-changing modern society.
As the theme continues, the first speaker Dr. Abd Essalam Akelmoun delivered a presentation entitled “Beauty and the Rooting Necessities,” followed by a thorough discussion stressing the importance of establishing the concept of beauty in one’s individual life is an urgent requirement in every aspect and field of life.
The next day was a series of talks ranging from presentations and workshops. “Values and the Economic Behavior” by Dr. Abdelmonim Abrik emphasized how the value changes have influenced the Moroccan society to be a society of individual values after it’s been a society of societal values. The next workshop led by Mr. Youssef Hadad was about “Entrepreneurship and Values of Self-Initiative.” The workshop informed the attendees about the importance of appreciating risks, taking the initiative and having a sense of innovation, and struggling to bring down unemployment.
In the afternoon, Miss. F.Z Bozlou delivered a presentation about the aspects of value change in Moroccan society. The speaker noted the various areas affected by this change, including family, politics, youth, and sex from the perspective of a set of research studies. After that, Mr. Amhal Ibrahim gave a presentation entitled “The Societal Contexts and Value Changes.” The speaker started his paper by distinguishing between a bunch of value family terms, such as value conflicts, values disintegration, values feign; then, he presented a series of instances from the Arab world and modern Moroccan society. The speaker ended his talk by citing the conflict between the traditional structure of the old society and the modern one.
The third day witnessed two closing presentations. The first one was about the way social policies change values by Mr. Rachid Ben. Bih. The lecturer reviewed the relationship relating values (such as volunteering, possession) with the social policies in the Moroccan society by introducing a set of instances in the sectors of Health, Education, Social Development, and other related areas. The presentation was followed by a discussion about how values for the public policies are determined and how they are chosen and for what kind of agendas. The last paper was about the problem of values in regions’ governance, in which the speaker presented the very principles and challenges facing this field with regards to the system of values it endorses.
The Winter Youth School, as a self-initiative, has been one of its kind in the margins of the region of Ait Melloul. This initiative is pure evidence there’s hope in future generations to lead change, not only regarding the system of values it debated in this edition but also in possible future challenges.
Written by: Rayane Mohamed