The young feminists in the MENA region also identified the following specific cultural, historical and economical challenges they face: Culture: • The intimidation young women face in a culture where “older always knows better.” • The expectation that they will always be volunteers in a society where social work is envisioned as charity work. History: • Young women lack historical knowledge of women’s rights and feminist movements in the region. • There is a need to document and share the history of women’s movements in the region. • There has been a lack of young women in leadership and decision-making roles within the movement. Economic: • There is a lack of funding for young women’s rights work. • There is a lack of institutional structures that would encourage young women to pursue social justice work. • Many young women activists lack the skills to effectively fundraise and like other feminists are often fearful or reluctant to ask for as much money as they need. Some strategies suggested by the Young Women’s Dialogue participants to facilitate the work of young women activists were: • Organizations need to foster the participation of young women by building the capacity of young and older women to participate in intergenerational dialogue, adjusting their structures to be more inclusive, and developing modes of communication that foster inclusiveness and dialogue. • Donors should strongly encourage organizations in the MENA region to involve young women; Following the presentation of the young feminist perspectives, participants were given the opportunity to share their feedback and identify strategies to build more effective and inclusive multi-generational movements in the region. The following statements capture some of the feelings and opinions expressed by the participants: “I am very moved by the young women’s forward looking opinion. They are the future and engine of change. Building young women’s leadership is therefore necessary.” “Young women can achieve, in 1 year, what it took us 10 years to achieve in the past.”
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