N.B. FOR ENGLISH CAPTIONS ON ABOVE VIDEO CLICK "CAPTIONS" ON THE VIDEO SCREEN
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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.
For a copy of our brochure in Arabic please click here: http://arabdigitalexpression.org/wiki/%D9%85%D9...
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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 GetWith 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
backgrounds 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.
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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.
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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"
http://www.ibraaz.org/interviews/128“Access to Knowledge in Egypt” – Bloomsbury book release
http://www.bloomsburyacademic.com/view/AcctoKnowledgeinEgypt_9781849660792/chapter-ba-9781849660792-chapter-0005.xml;jsessionid=E83814E21E677C20B39A37CF67081B67“Tweet Freedom” – Wired Magazine UK
http://www.wired.co.uk/wired-magazine/archive/2010/01/features/tweet-freedom.aspx?page=all"ADEF Prepares Youth for the Digital Age" - Daily News Egypt
http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2013/02/03/adef-prepares-youth-for-the-digital-age/
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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.
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