Fez — The Valyans Al Ikram Foundation convened public and private partners under the theme “Education, Youth and Citizenship: a strengthened alliance for the future” on November 20.
Hosted at the Centre Tarfaya de la Deuxième Chance Nouvelle Génération (Tarfaya New-Generation Second Chance Center), the gathering brought together representatives of the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication, the Renault Foundation, and civil society actors who support youth inclusion programs across the region.
Organizers presented a progress update on the association’s EdJobs pillar, which connects education to employment through tailored coaching. Over the past cycle, the Centre Tarfaya program supported 150 young people as they rebuilt their educational and professional pathways.
The approach emphasizes individualized guidance, basic learning refreshers, vocational orientation, psychosocial support, and citizenship education, aligning each learner’s plan with market needs and personal goals.
The association also highlighted the Koun Mowatin program, which delivered more than 30 awareness and training activities in 2025.
Sessions covered human rights, citizenship, advocacy, and public speaking, and reached 135 participants, including many women and young people.
According to the Foundation, these modules help learners gain voice in their communities while complementing the center’s employability work.
Active citizenship
This annual meeting marked the formal launch of a new training year at Centre Tarfaya with a stronger focus on active citizenship. The goal is to ensure every participant becomes an engaged actor in local life, with the skills to advocate, collaborate, and contribute to shared projects.
Program leads said this transversal dimension will be embedded across classroom instruction, mentoring, and community events.
A headline moment of the day was the signing of new strategic partnerships designed to amplify impact. With CasaMémoire, the center will train youth as cultural guides who can contribute to the Journées du Patrimoine in May and to the Nocturnes Ramadanesques.
The partnership aims to blend soft skills, local history, and public speaking while opening doors to culture-related jobs.
A second agreement with AIESEC will mobilize international volunteers to deliver workshops in artistic, pedagogical, and environmental fields. These contributions are expected to broaden exposure, diversify learning formats, and reinforce environmental awareness among participants.
Founded and recognized as a public-utility association since 2000, Valyans Al Ikram– Foundation works on three strategic axes: EdJobs for education and employment, SheJobs for gender and employment, and GreenJobs for environment and employment.
The Centre Tarfaya de la Deuxième Chance Nouvelle Génération sits at the heart of this model. It offers school dropouts and out-of-school youth a second chance through a comprehensive pathway that includes foundational education, vocational training, psychosocial support, and civic engagement.
Partners at the meeting pointed to a shared objective. Education and citizenship go hand in hand, and both are essential for sustainable inclusion. By pairing second-chance education with real-world projects, cultural mediation, and volunteer-led workshops, the center aims to build confidence, raise employability, and foster a sense of belonging.
The Valyans Al Ikram Foundation closed the event by reaffirming its commitment to deepen partnerships and scale inclusive education programs in the year ahead. With new agreements in place and a fresh cohort entering the center, the association framed 2026 as a year of consolidation, outreach, and measurable outcomes for youth in Tarfaya and beyond.
