From beneficiary to decision-making partner — The Youth Advisory Group

In a pioneering move, the Ana Masry Association for Development and Training in Qena Governorate held the founding meeting of its Youth Advisory Group as part of the “From Skill to Profit” project. This strategic initiative aims to create a genuine platform for youth engagement in planning and decision-making, transforming their role from mere beneficiaries to active partners in development.

This step reinforces the Association’s leadership in developmental work in Upper Egypt, and its uniqueness lies in being led by a local association with a fully participatory approach, giving youth a real space for planning, accountability, and influence within the project itself.

A New Vision for Partnership:

The group’s inaugural session brought together 12 young men and women from various tracks of the project, with the goal of actively involving them in planning, implementation, and follow-up, and giving them the confidence to develop initiatives that reflect their aspirations and address their needs.

Commenting on this step, the group’s General Coordinator, Ahmed Saad, stated:

“The establishment of the Youth Advisory Group reflects a new philosophy in development work — one that sees youth not merely as beneficiaries, but as active partners with vision and solutions.”
He added that the goal is to empower young people to play a leadership role in designing and developing activities targeted at them.

The creation of the advisory group constitutes a key pillar of the ‘From Skill to Profit’ project, which seeks to equip youth with the skills necessary for success, generate sustainable income, enhance quality of life, and contribute to local development — turning their creative potential into tangible outcomes.