Meet and Greet our Y-PEERers

An interview with Ahmed Kashkoush, a youth activist from Egypt, who has been working in Y-PEER for almost 10 years

“I can even say I was against some issues, but after I joined the network through a pure coincidence, I changed a lot of my convictions. Now I am a consultant trainer who has been persuading many young people with these issues. We made Y-PEER a life style, not just some volunteer activities.”

Can you describe your experience in Y-PEER, what challenges, barriers and successes have you faced during the period of being a Y-PEERer? How has Y-PEER influenced your life/career? 

I have been with Y-PEER network since 2006, started as a peer educator, national trainer, Local Focal point, Focal Point, advanced trainer, Focal Point in Charge (FPC) and finally Alumni board. I have been there while Y-PEER Egypt was growing widely to involve many activities and to include many organizations.

I participated in a lot of activities with the network, gave the most of the national Trainings of Trainers (TOTs) and some regional trainings and prepared some peer education manuals. Also I represent the national network in various events on national and international level.

Yes, the main challenge for us when we started the network in Egypt was about how we could convince youth organizations or working with youth with our new idea. The problem was how we can convince them that those games were not just for fun. We did a lot effort over the first 5 years in order to prove we can contribute to the youth development by our provided techniques. At first we got a lot of mockery when wanted to change something, but now we are a huge network in Egypt. Y-PEER Egypt is the most trusted reference in peer education techniques and an important partner when some organizations want to prepare youth manuals or activities.

On the personal level, I did not expect to join this field and you may be surprised to know that I was not convinced with many of the issues addressed by the network. I can even say I was against some issues, but after I joined the network through a pure coincidence, I changed a lot of my convictions. Now I am a consultant trainer who has been persuading many young people with these issues. We made Y-PEER a life style, not just some volunteer activities. I can say Y-PEER helped me build my character and sculpture a sense of responsibility towards the development in my country and my community life.

What benefits does Y-PEER offer to young people?

The most intriguing characteristic of the network is the idea of “Peer Infection” which means that when anyone sees Y-PEER members, the appreciation and admiration they acquire from such meeting would drive them to join our network to help others. Or the very least influence them in a way that would instigate them to develop themselves and their surroundings, especially with the encouragement and support of a strong influential network such as Y-PEER. 

Secondly, the network gives the youth a big space to join volunteer work and connects youth with the organizations which are looking for them. This idea contributes to the development and capacity building of youth. Anyone who takes a look at the network will see it as an academy which works on the preparation of new generations excited about joining the development field, starting from us who joined the work field in NGOs to others working in the several UN agencies and the other international organizations and the rest that has gained the skills to be qualified in every different area in the society. Moreover, the structure and the work mechanism of the network give us a real environment to apply the concept of good leadership.  

What can young people do better to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?

Young people are the biggest power that can achieve sustainable development goals and they are the first beneficiaries of this achievement. 

On the decision making level, I believe that young people can do better whenever they are empowered by placing them in positions of responsibility and whenever new appropriate mechanisms emerge. Also on the implementation level, young people have common dialogue and understanding with a wide range of communities they live in. Plus, they have good intuition regarding approaching their societies in a suited form. And because they benefit the most from SDGs, they are able to evaluate and monitor the achievement of these goals. Young people just need leaders who can understand them and their needs and put them on the right track. By doing so, they will be motivated to achieve those goals with an unstoppable power.

What is one thing you would have done differently being a Y-PEER member?

I think the one thing I would have done differently is to prepare a strategy of sustainability. This is my only concern regarding the affairs of the network. Our network has been standing for more than ten years since it was established in 2004 and up till now we still depend on fundraising to support our partners. 

I think we could achieve sustainable partnership through deciding on the level of contribution each group of organizations. The contribution should depend on their capabilities, level and size. If I can turn back the time, I would definitely have a plan for that from the very beginning when I joined the core team.

What would you suggest that young people should do to become successful?

Do not live without goals and do not blame others for your faults, you should know that failure in something can be a step towards success in another thing. If you just realise this very well and come up with learned lessons, you will achieve your goals. I also see the key for success is the positive energy;  try to get it all the time and kick the negative one. If you do this you will get the power and patience to do some change, and don’t rush results, start with simple goals and try to achieve it step by step.