Rachid Boukhenfer: A Stellar Young Leader

Rachid Boukhenfer is actively involved in youth work and he has represented Morocco in several international occasions in Poland, Turkey, Germany, Canada, Spain, Emirates, Tunisia, Egypt, Netherlands, and Greece. He was also chosen as the Moroccan youth representative at the Arab Women Organization Youth Dialogues and was elected at the head of the Moroccan Delegation for the 5th World Youth Congress. Rachid got his master’s degree in Intercultural Communication from Cadi Ayad University and is now working on his PhD proposal. He is currently working for US Peace Corps Morocco as Youth Development Program Assistant & Training Coordinator and is also the General Secretary of IMAZIS organisation for Intercultural Exchanges. Yacout Info met him for this interview.

Yacout Info: What is the Mare Nostrum Youth Exchange Program about?

Rachid boukhenfer: As you know, the Romans used to call the Mediterranean Sea ‘Mare Nostrum’ which means ‘Our Sea.’ Going beyond the linguistic level, ‘OUR’ is more than a possessive pronoun in the sense that it directs towards nurturing the Mediterranean collective identity. This could be more evident only through providing a better and proper understanding of what it is meant by this identity, regional integration and cooperation especially making it clear that a regional identity does not replace the national identities, but supplements and links between them to arrive at pooling them into a large “WE”, which will ease communication and cooperation. In this regard, Mare Nostrum is a youth exchange program that was organized with an eye to bring youth from Spain, Egypt, France, Turkey, Portugal, Morocco, Italy, Tunisia, Bulgaria, Greece and Sweden to Ghar El Melh in Tunisia to celebrate the incredible and diverse cultural reservoir of their countries and of the Mediterranean region that is rich in terms of geography, ethnicity, religion, movements, languages, and cultures, which are part of a great whole; a shared history which links people to a place and sense of the past.

Y.I.: According to the results of your academic research, do youth exchange programs promote intercultural communication and in what way?

R.B.: According to the results of my research as well as my first hand experience in international youth work, youth programs do tend to promote intercultural communication by bringing together young people with different cultural backgrounds for ‘well-defined and designed programs’ making profound impacts not only on them but also on their local communities through: (1) providing them with useful foundations and profound awareness of each other to avoid misconceptions and prejudices to better deal with cultural and ideological differences and fragmentations, (2) acquiring a habit of negotiation and a preference for mutual dialogue to increase the flow of communication and reduce the risk of violent confrontations, and (3) building favorable conditions for producing collective and cooperative solutions. However, as my research was based on a broad aim to answer ‘your’ question and the way this latter is posed still require more related academic research as “Cultural analysis is intrinsically incomplete, and, more than that, the more deeply it goes, the less complete it is.”

Y.I.: In 2007 you attended a training course on “Inter-religious Dialogue” in Turkey. In your opinion what can be done to promote this dialogue?

R.B.: I think that people should question the very parts of life that they tend to take for granted, including religion as one of the main filters that shape the way we view the Other and the preferences for certain instruments rather than others, not necessarily to share the same with others but to recognize that things are structured and work differently and at the same time to look for and share the common ground. Because as these differences and diversity are part of the problem, they should be part of the solution by using them as educational tools to produce peace and cooperation on the ashes of earlier conflicts and wars.

Y.I.: You represented the Moroccan youth in the Arab Women Organization Youth Dialogues and you have taken part in the Arab-Western Dialogue on Women Issues in UAE and Egypt. How is the increased role of young women affecting the Arab world and Morocco in particular?

R.B.: Some of the MENA countries, mainly Morocco, have witnessed a lot of changes and achievements in which the role of women has been undeniable and deserves some credit for learning from the experience. It is the fruit of serious enforcement and encouragement of education, capacity building and grant programs as well as sector enhancement thanks to His Majesty king Mohamed VI political willingness to emancipate and involve women in all aspects of public life and also thanks to the strenuous efforts being made by non-governmental organizations and civil society. It is amazing, for instance, how women in the Souss region, whom I work closely with, have affected the development of themselves, families and communities through literacy programs which embody a set of values, concepts, beliefs and ideas that helped them redefine and reinterpret their realities and also introduced them to certain life skills important to support their active roles. It is amazing how these women are organized in formal and informal groups, how these women are aware of their rights and obligations and how these women are improving their socio-economic conditions using their local resources which greatly affect their lives. However, there is a lot of work ahead of everybody who cares about equality and justice.

Y.I.: You have attended many academic institutions and participated in numerous events. How have they shaped the person you are today?

R.B.: Yes, I have had the chance to take part in numerous trainings and programs in different countries of the world. I think it is not a choice to be involved in all these activities and programs since an early age and not be shaped by them in a way or another. Through this experience, I have become able to work in international teams as well as become a valued team member. I continue to be interested in developing rapport with people of all ages, gender, cultures, religions as well as in supporting others. I have developed and cultivated self-confidence, motivation, sense of initiative, adaptability to new situations, communication and leadership. Having friends from all over the world has given me a rich experience in cross-cultural communication, cultural values and cultural understanding, which wet my appetite to combine these experiences and my academic education through conducting research in this area. I am really grateful to be born into a family that is involved in association work and community service and I am also indebted to all my awesome mentors and wonderful friends surrounding me.

Y.I.: What would you advise Moroccan youth?

R.B.: I highly encourage Moroccan youth, including myself, to, first of all, be aware of (1) their importance and to believe that they can make a difference in this world as a key element in every rational calculation and as a dynamic social group that can interact with its social, economic and political realities and (2) the sensitivity of their transitory stage that is characterized by forming their social and ideological stands, personal beliefs and the progressive maturity in which education, both formal and non-formal, plays a pivotal and decisive role. Second, I encourage Moroccan youth to look for all the possible and available opportunities where they can increase their chances to achieve their full potential to become effective future leaders in different fields through skill development, active participation and meaningful involvement and to challenge themselves and our society to bring about change and to commit to it.