2nd Central of the National Youth

The 2nd central forum of the national youth dialogue kicked off on Thursday, with the participation of 150 youths from Damascus and its countryside, Quneitra, Daraa and Sweida. The forum is organized by the National Union of the Syrian Students in cooperation with the Syrian Youth Commission for Volunteerism, with the aim of discussing the ideas of the youth and their aspirations with regard to the comprehensive reform program and their views concerning the decisions and laws to be issued. The participants in the forum, which took place at the University city in Barzeh, stressed the importance of upgrading education and developing the capabilities of students, starting from the curricula, to be on a par with world changes. They also called for encouraging scientific research, fostering creativity and making good use of research to develop society. The opinions varied on the way of activating the role of the parties and their view of the current status of political parties, elections and the constitution. Many saw need to reconsider many articles of the constitution to keep pace with the development of the Syrian society. A number of participants called for reconsidering the Personal Status Code, especially in relation to the status of women and ensuring their effective participation in society. The participants put forward a host of proposals on means of disseminating the culture of religious diversity in Syria and the role of the youth in investing this diversity in a positive way. The national youth dialogue includes sessions which discuss a variety of issues, including media and its role in confronting the crisis. The agenda of the forum, which lasts until July 18, includes dialogue sessions with the local society representatives to discuss the proposals of the youth. On July 10, the 1st central forum of the national youth dialogue was organized for students from state and private universities in Damascus, Quneitra, Daraa, Sweida and Damascus countryside. The 2nd forum is part of 10 such forums lasting until August 14 in Damascus, Homs, Aleppo, Lattakia and Raqqa, with the participation of Syrian youths and students from all governorates and political spectrums.