In Maroc Diplomatique’s special edition, Lamia Bazir was asked to give her opinion on the role of youth in civil society. After insisting on the added value of youth action, Lamia called for a more important space and weight for youth in local decision making. She envisioned a scenario where representatives of youth organizations would form a constructive pressure group within local councils and municipalities to enrich, control, and evaluate public policies and be a force of proposition.
Lamia Bazir, the President of the Al Akhawayn Alumni Association has delivered an inspirational speech at the 19th Commencement of Al Akhawayn University (AUI) on June 11th.
In her speech, Lamia Bazir sent a strong message about the true meaning of leadership, asserting that it goes beyond titles and positions. She urged graduates to not get absorbed by the pursuit of titles and hierarchies, but rather to concentrate on the quality of their work.
Hence, she invited the crowd to get back to the source, to get back to the start, whenever it gets lost.
الرجوع إلى الأصل
This speech was initially shared on facebook recording more than 20 000 views.
In addition to the graduates of Class 2016, This event was attended by prominent figures of the board of trustees of AUI such as H.E. Mr. André AZOULAY, Advisor to His Majesty the King; Mr. Abdellatif JOUAHRI Governor of Bank Al Maghrib, Mrs. Amina BENKHADRA DG of the National Bureau of Petroleum and Mines, Mr. Mohamed KETTANI CEO of Attijariwafa Bank, Mr. Tariq SIJILMASSI President of the Directorate of Crédit Agricole du Maroc (CAM), Mr. Abdellatif GUERRAOUI CEO of Auto-Hall Group, Mr. Ali FASSI FIHRI Director General of Office National de l’Electricité et de l’Eau Potable (ONEEP), Ms. Miriem BENSALAH CHAQROUN Administrator of Holmarcom Group President of the Confédération Générale des Entreprises du Maroc (CGEM), Mr. Mohamed BERRADA Professor and Former Minister of Finance, Mr. Larbi BELARBI Former Vice President of Renault Maroc Services, and Representatives of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Industry, and Higher Education.
Lamia Bazir was invited to speak an audience of more than 500 youth coming from Morocco, the Netherlands, and Austria. This event was organized by Aisec Morocco in order to catalyze youth’s potential.
In her speech, lamia has emphasized the need to upgrade and update education in order to respond to the aspirations and challenges of our generation. She explained that:
“School is the space where children spend 2/3 of their time,
School is where children learn, grow, and shape their future
School is The beginning, and often the end
But for the school to be responsive to current challenges, we need a new approach
for education to play that role we need more than infrastructure or financial resources, we need an urgent and immediate paradigm shift
Schools are not a building between four doors where children should be repressed and silenced by the density of information passed upon them
it is supposed to be a space that frees children, unleashes their potential, it should be a space they love, a space they own, a space that gives them a sense of belonging, a sense of worth”
Lamia also emphasized the need for youth empowerment:
If we are here today to celebrate our potential our opportunities and our future let us not forget that it is not about the lucky few, it is not also about it is mainly about the 50% of the morroccan youth aged between 15 and 29 who are neither in education, employment, or training.
These are the youth that we need to connect and to connect with.
Youth need spaces where they can express themselves, spaces where they can create, dream, fail, be heard, be valued, be and belong.
On Saturday 30, for the very first time, the school of Adghagh Ain Mersa, in the Middle Atlas Mountains, was transformed into a space of life and learning, and was equipped with innovative and interactive pedagogical material (maps, globes, games, skeletons, etc ).
More than 200 children from Adghagh participated in this unique event in their village. They learned to bypass their spatial isolation by locating themselves on maps, presenting their Amazigh and Arabic cultures, meeting youth from other countries, adopting environmentally friendly practices, and even learning astronomy!
Watch the video until the end:
Knowing that children in the Middle Atlas Mountains face a lot of difficulties in education (distance, lack of school support, linguistic barrier, spatial isolation) and rarely (if never) benefit from extracurricular activities, this initiative addressed the risk of school alienation, broadened children’s cultural, geographic, scientific horizons, and stimulated their creativity and imagination.
The “Discovery Day” is the second component of this initiative. From April 10th to 17th, ten youth from the same village got passports, visas, and traveled outside of the Ifrane area for the very first time! They participated in an exchange program in Norway, where they built new friendships and were introduced to another culture and education system.
This initiative was launched in the form of a citizen action by Lamia Bazir that aims to promote volunteering and social responsibility among youth.
Lamia Bazir came up with this project thanks to her friendship and consultation with the local women of the village. She also mobilized Joshua Cabell a peace corp volunteer who lived in the village, regional NGOs like AESVT, professors and students from Al Akhawayn University, volunteers from peacecorps, the school pedagogical corps, and friends.
Youth Empowerment is one of the most important causes of advocacy for Lamia Bazir. She participates in many events and conferences for and with youth. Nonetheless, Lamia considers that empowerment should not be exclusive to urban youth and should target youth in rural areas as well.
Indeed, Lamia Bazir is convinced that rural populations can not be considered as passive beneficiaries of national strategies and plans, but rather need to be empowered with tools and knowledge to become powerful actors of change. To be part of this dynamic, Lamia has coordinated a very inspiring and impactful program from April 10th to April 17th.
———
Ten youth who never got the opportunity to go beyond the boundaries of their communes took an airplane for the first time in their lives and traveled to Norway for a week. In this program coordinated by Lamia Bazir and Joshua Cabell, a peacecorp volunteer who lived in the village years ago,- the young participants discovered another country and way of life, exchanged with children their age, participated in educational activities, and as importantly, took part in a workshop on solar energy that will be used for the local development of their village.
One week after their return to Morocco, on April 26th, the norwegian students will also visit Morocco and together they will apply solar energy learnings in the instalations for the multiservice center launched by the local women in the village of Adghagh(EWA).
For Lamia Bazir, the goal of this program is to empower youth in marginalized villages with leadership, ambition, confidence and important values among which cooperation and tolerance.
For Lamia: “Cultural exposure can be a life changing event for every single child, in this small initiative I tried to showcase that it should not be restricted by income or geography anymore!”
Read the full story on Huffington Post http://www.huffpostmaghreb.com/2016/04/12/ewa_n_9669358.html?1460470087
At the age of 26, Lamia Bazir is the youngest to be listed among the 60 Women Leaders of her country Morocco. She hopes to use this recognition as a vote of confidence and as a leverage to have more impact in Morocco and beyond
This list has recognized 60 women who have gained credibility through their work, and who inspire other women in Morocco and beyond. Hence, the magazine highlights the achievements of their Highnesses Princesses Lalla Salma, Lalla Meryem, Lalla Hasnaa, and Lalla Asmaa; social activist Aicha Ech-chenna; business leader Mrs. Miriem Bensalah; political leader Nabila Mounib, young leader Lamia Bazir, and many other women.
Lamia Bazir was invited to speak in a panel of youth, to the students of ENCG Kenitra about their education, challenges, and dreams.
Lamia talked about her own educational, professional, and personal journey and openly shared both her hurdles and successes. The purpose of her intervention was to inspire, motivate, and equip young students with the right attitude, calling them to take an active control and responsibility for their education and ambition, and to be open, imaginative, and exploratory.
This event was particularly marked by an ambiance of collective chants and words of friendship.
A special thanks to the wonderful organizing team “Qra Mrta7” and all students of ENCG Kenitra!
Lamia Bazir was invited on Moroccan Radio Channel Medi 1, to speak of her award by the United Nations and MBC.
After describing her own volunteering work, she emphasized that “in societies where the youth is marginalized and hopeless, volunteering can be a source of integration, recognition, and growth.”
Together with her colleagues from Columbia University, Lamia Bazir got the opportunity to travel to Niger and contribute to the incredible and effecient efforts of the (Association Nigerienne de Lutte contre la Corruption) ALNC in the fight against corruption.
Even if the ALNC is based in Niamey, Lamia Bazir got both the opportunity to analyze the mechanisms and devices used by the association to detect and fight corruption at an institutional/national level, and to participate in the sensitization campaigns aiming at raising awareness on the harm of corruption and at guiding citizens in the process of reporting and fighting corruption. A special focus was put on gender and the necessity to adopt more incentivizing procedures for women.
Lamia traveled to six rural communes; thereby getting the unique opportunity to learn the importance of adapting language strategies and tools to different regions and populations (youth, women, farmers). She also learned the importance of creating local centers in order to ensure the sustainability of the campaign and guarantee that its impact goes beyond the campaign itself.
Lamia Bazir brings an insight on microfinance. In a piece untitled “Microfinance Beyond the Myth: Assets and Limitations”, she aims to demistify the idealistic advantages associated with microfinance, often presented as a solution to eradicate poverty. She explains that microfinance can not be a full policy but only a complementary mechanism that still needs to be improved.
