The "Chirae" association and the Forum of Young Moroccans for the Third Millennium, Chaouia-Ourdigha coordination, have just organised, with the support of the Mansouria communal council, an information meeting on the theme "Potential of the civil society of Mansouria, what role in the development process".

This meeting, the first of its kind in Mansouria, brought together numerous potential stakeholders, young people from diverse backgrounds, elected officials, associations, students... Its objective is to open a space for young people, listen to them, and discuss their problems as well as those of the development of the commune and its constraints in various fields. "The essential thing is to create synergy and give young people a place to participate effectively in the development process of their commune through reflection, participation, and mobilisation," emphasises one of the organisers. He added that young people are the future of the country, the living core of civil society, which implies a symbiosis between civil society and elected officials so that all programming takes into account the real needs, priorities, and aspirations of the population. During this meeting, the regional coordinator of the Forum of Young Moroccans for the Third Millennium, Abdelali Bounasr, stressed the importance of the involvement of young people in the development process and good governance: "This meeting is of particular importance; it is being held in a context marked by changes, which opens up new perspectives and will allow for an assessment and a prospective strategic vision within the framework of a participatory future approach to give a saving pace to local development." "This meeting is another opportunity that has allowed us to listen to young people, their grievances, and to be more concerned about the real problems that hinder the growth of the commune. The most important thing for us is to create better coherence in the various actions undertaken to improve the management of public affairs and ensure proximity democracy," affirmed M'barek Afiri, president of the urban commune of Mansouria. He specified that the communal development plan of the Mansouria commune was developed and prepared within the framework of a participatory approach. All economic and social actors, young people, associations, and elected officials participated in the various phases of preparation of this "2012-2016" plan, whether at the level of diagnosis, definition of the development strategy, or project assembly, which helped to give more credibility to everyone. "The most important thing is to solve certain problems to achieve interaction and complementarity between the commune's development plan and other sectoral policies." Some structures remain insufficient, as do the proposed programmes, and cannot meet the needs of young people. The profound changes that our country has experienced imply the inclusion of the latter in strategic choices, given the major role played by this segment of the population. In Article 33 of the new Constitution, it is specified that "it is incumbent upon public authorities to take all appropriate measures with a view to extending and generalising the participation of youth in the social, economic, cultural, and political development of the country," emphasises a young participant in the meeting, who calls for helping young people to integrate into active and associative life and providing assistance to those with difficulties in school, social, or professional adaptation. The meeting was characterised by a rich debate on the integration of young people into the socio-economic environment of the commune and on the definition of priority orientations and projects.

This meeting aims to strengthen the role of young people in the activation of the National Initiative for Human Development in order to guarantee general and sustainable progress. The debate organised in the rural commune of Mansouria also aims to put in place the institutional mechanisms necessary to integrate young people into decision-making. Furthermore, this type of debate makes it possible to encourage youth organisations, government institutions, small businesses, elected officials, and international partners to give opportunities to young people as a force for creativity and initiative.