A Straight Path

Yemen’s Ministry of Youth and Sports helps steer youth from extremism

MOAMMAR MUTAHAR AL-ERYANI Former YEMENI YOUTH AND SPORTS MINISTER

Assuming the role of minister of Yemen’s Youth and Sports Ministry in 2012 was not the beginning of my interest in this important segment of society, but I can claim that this turning point in my life was a culmination of many experiences I’ve had, starting as a boy scout in the Yemen Scouts and Guides Association.

In a society in which 63 percent of the population is younger than 24, Yemen must recognize the importance of youth. This segment of society is the foundation for the future and the driving force for constructive change.

I absolutely believe that sports are vital for youths’ psychological and physical development. Such pursuits also keep them busy and away from the clutches of terrorists and extremists who wish to recruit them. Partnership and networking should occur on various related fronts — the media, education, youth, sports, religious platforms, universities, institutions, and youth and sports organizations. I have repeatedly emphasized the role of education in countering violent extremism and terrorism. Since education plays a critical role in helping children realize the dangers of extremist ideologies, I urge schools to address these issues fully in their curriculums. This comprehensive vision to raise awareness of the dangers of extremism and terrorism will combat this phenomenon and provide the security and stability that is sought by all Yemenis.

Interagency cooperation

To aid and guide Yemen’s young people, I work with my colleagues in the General Union of Yemeni Youth — the first and largest civic society organization dedicated to youth in Yemen. Since the establishment of this civic entity, we have worked together to organize workshops, symposiums, meetings, festivals, camps and youth gatherings. These activities aim to enhance youth skills, highlight creativity, combat extremism and intolerance, and empower youth to resist terrorist groups by promoting a culture of tolerance, love, coexistence and peace.

Perhaps the semi-isolation that some Yemeni youths have experienced, and are still experiencing, continues to be one of the main channels terrorists and extremists try to exploit, in addition to the economic situation and high rates of unemployment. Reports and studies indicate that the most important places for recruitment are poor areas and urban slums that lack sports and youth activities, leaving the young prey to extremist propaganda.

Within our modest capabilities, we work to involve the youth in a number of international gatherings in Europe, Africa and Asia. This helps to integrate Yemeni youths with peers from around the world, change negative perceptions of both parties and promote a culture of dialogue, coexistence, tolerance and integration among nations and civilizations. We have noticed positive change within the leadership of the union after those external participations in which youth leaders cultivated friendships and dissolved barriers.

Radio broadcasting

The establishment of FM Youth Radio in 2007 was one of the fruits of the youth initiatives. The General Union of Yemeni Youth was honored to adopt and nurture this initiative. It has become one of the most important free media platforms through which youth express their visions and aspirations, completely and without any restrictions, far from prior censorship or political interference, partisanship or social caveats.

I hope that support and care for this wonderful youth initiative continues. Through this radio initiative, the youth showed a willingness to present their message and freely defend causes in order to positively influence fellow young people. According to a recently conducted survey, FM Youth Radio was able to reach more than 150,000 listeners with a message about the dangers of terrorism and extremism.

FM Youth also adopted many activities and programs that serve society. The radio initiative participates in and promotes community events and volunteer activities, helping to instill the spirit of giving and strengthen the principle of hope in Yemeni youth so they will proclaim to the world: We are here.

Rebuilding the Youth Ministry

I took on the Ministry of Youth and Sports in 2012 during difficult circumstances. Yemen was overcoming the effects of the Arab Spring and its political, social, economic and security repercussions. However, I accepted the task based on a conviction I had held for years: to adopt the causes of youth no matter the circumstances.

Since assuming the ministry’s tasks, and within available resources, we exerted ourselves in rebuilding sports facilities and indoor sports lounges that were destroyed in 2011. We also relaunched sports that had been interrupted by instability and revived the football league after a two-year hiatus.

We recognized the importance of women, who, being half the society, play an important and integral role in raising awareness of the dangers of terrorism and extremism. We involved women and gave them an important role in sports alongside their male colleagues. We also took the necessary steps and decisions to advance women’s sports and expanded them to include a greater variety of activities. We tasked the Yemeni Women Sports Federation with organizing local competitions and to encourage Yemeni women to participate in external competitions.

The ministry’s projects and strategic plans are developed and implemented with the strategic objective of paying attention to the concerns, needs and aspirations of younger generations. Those projects also aim to create the proper atmosphere for them to exercise, participate in various sports competitions and occupy their leisure time to avoid vulnerability and the risk of falling prey to extremism and terrorist groups.

The ministry also aims to provide young people with the appropriate economic and social environments to improve conditions and achieve stability and national cohesion. Some of our initiatives are:

1. By 2015, obtaining the necessary financing to complete and equip 100 sports facilities and fields for Yemeni youth based on comprehensive plans we have developed and submitted.
2. Organizing sports activities and youth and cultural festivals to occupy young people, develop their potential capabilities and protect them from feelings of emptiness and moral deviation exploited by extremist groups.
3. Creating programs and activities that focus on combating terrorism and extremism, and distributing brochures and circulars that raise awareness among youth about the dangers of terrorist organizations and extremist narratives.
4. Developing mechanisms that ensure the involvement of youth in the decision-making process through the formation of a youth advisory committee in the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
5. In 2013, we implemented the scholastic Olympics to establish a tournaments league at the district level. One of the project’s most important objectives is to fill the students’ time and to make them aware of the dangers of terrorism and extremism.
6. Supporting women’s sports in the various fields. We still have ambition and determination to expand the platform of participation in these activities to include all directorates and governorates.
7. Providing support to convene a general conference for youth employment, reducing generational gaps in unemployment and creating jobs for young people. We are also involving the private and government sectors, as well as the civic society, to help reduce youth unemployment.

International aid

Because youth are the cornerstone of change and the focus of development, it is unfortunate that the donors’ conference, held in 2012 in Saudi Arabia by countries friendly to Yemen, did not offer any tangible initiative to Yemeni youth, except a youth employment project that has yet to be implemented.

Yemen’s young people have helped to initiate positive change and have made many sacrifices. They are still waiting for their dreams to become reality. They are eager for the goals of their revolution to translate into a modern civil state that guarantees equality among citizens and cares for youth, fulfilling their aspirations and involving them in decision-making processes.

No doubt, an important part of those hopes and aspirations has been achieved through the success of the comprehensive National Dialogue Conference that involved the input of youth. The objective is to shape a desired Yemeni future and implement the outcomes of this conference with a focus on youth.

We continue to hope that all these efforts will converge to support activities and sports for youth so as to provide them an outlet to express themselves and an opportunity to fulfill their aspirations and overcome challenges to create a peaceful and prosperous future.

I am confident that President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi has made a strong and honest effort to fight terrorism and extremism and that this effort requires support and assistance from all political parties and groups, civil society organizations and the international community.