Youth Association of Kuwait

The Youth Association of Kuwait (Arabic: رابطة الشباب الكويتي‎) is the mainstream nationalist youth organization in Kuwait which was founded in 2009 under the name National Democratic Youth Association. It aims to build a new generation of Kuwaitis that are interested in community service and help youth achieve their goals. Also, the association is interested in youth issues such as education, unemployment and youth activism.

Youth Association of Kuwait
رابطة الشباب الكويتي
Abbreviationyakuwait
MottoDiverse Society, Revived Nation.
Formation2009
TypeYouth Organization
HeadquartersKhaldiya, Kuwait
AffiliationsWomen's Cultural and Social Society
Websitehttp://www.yakuwait.org

History

A group of young nationalists discussed establishing a youth organization in 2006 to improve the cultural and social situation of youth, thus they established the nucleus of what was known later as the National Democratic Youth Association.[1]

While most organizations with political alignments backed the Nabeeha 5 electoral remapping campaign in 2006, the association opposed it because it saw it as an unfair redistribution that would marginalize sects of society.[2]

In 2009, the association held its first convention and elected an administrative body and approved its bylaws. After that it kick started its activities with a rigorous social agenda defending the freedom of thought by organizing a campaign and meeting members of parliament regarding the problem of unemployment and hidden unemployment with the help of the Graduates' Society and the Women's Cultural and Social Society. Also, the association worked hand-in-hand with other groups tackling human rights and other issues.[3]

In 2010, the association, along with the Union of Petroleum Workers and other civil societies, spearheaded a campaign against the government's then proposed privatization plan. It claimed that the plan would effectively destroy the middle and working classes of Kuwait in the long run, describing it as unconstitutional.

After its second convention in 2011, the majority of members voted on changing the name of the organization to its current one and adopting social democracy as its ideology along with the Masaruna document. The second convention elected Ahmed Soud (president), Mohammad Alhasan (vice-president), Ahmed Abdulraheem (secretary), Abdulwahab Alnajdi and Abdulghaphor Asirri.

In early 2014, the association organized its third convention at the Women's Cultural and Social Society, appointing Abdulwahab Alnajdi as president of the executive board, Ebrahim Awadh as vice president, Ali Alsalem as secretary and Abdulghaphor Asirri as treasurer.

On September 17, 2015, it gained recognition by the Kuwaiti Government and became an officially registered organization with the Ministry Of Social Affairs And Labour.[4]

Organizational structure

The highest authority in the association is its convention which is held every two years. The convention elects an executive board which creates committees and appoints members with special tasks and runs the day-to-day affairs of the association. The current executive board is made of Abdulwahab Alnajdi as chairman, Ebrahim Awadh as deputy chairman, Ali Alsalem as secretary and Abdulghaphor Asirri as treasurer.[5][6]

Local issues

The association is very active in promoting its agenda, organizing grassroots campaigns and seminars to do so.

Freedom of education

The association advocates that it is the right of every higher-education student to have the choice to choose between a co-educated environment and a segregated one, and it does not endorse co-ed itself.

2011 Friday Protests

One of the main events on the political arena in Kuwait in 2011 was the Friday Protests which were spearheaded by Islamist and tribe-backed MPs, in addition to some youth groups. The association did not participate nor endorse the protests because it saw that a lot of corrupt figures were involved in it, nevertheless the association does not deny that it is the right of every Kuwaiti to politically assemble.[7]

2011 MP Bribery Allegations

A newspaper claimed that some MPs might have gained up to 25 Million Kuwaiti Dinars and they are kept in their bank accounts.[8] The association gave a statement to the press demanding that the legislative body should pass information transparency laws and a law for asset disclosure regarding people in leadership positions in the executive, legislative and judicial bodies.[9][10][11]

Location

Currently, the organization's headquarters is located in the Woman's Cultural and Social Society in Khaldiya, Block 2, Salem bin Ali Bougamaz Street.

References
  1. Alawadhi, Ali. Declaration of Establishment of the National Democratic Youth Association. Altaleea Newspaper, May 10th 2006
  2. Official Website post
  3. Aljarida Newspaper article, Apr 22, 2009 Archived July 23, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  4. taleea (2015-11-10). "نالت اعتراف وزارة الشؤون بها رسميا.. النجدي: رابطة الشباب الكويتي تسعى لتمثيل مصالح الشباب الوطنيين". جريدة الطليعة (in Arabic). Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  5. The Association's executive board members.
  6. "رابطة الشباب الكويتي » المكتب التنفيذي". archive.is. 2014-05-12. Archived from the original on 2014-05-12. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  7. Alqabas Newspaper report about 2011 Friday Protests, June 2, 2011
  8. Alqabas Article claiming MP corruption, August 20, 2011
  9. Alkuwaitiah Newspaper Kuwaiti youth stunned of legislative corruption, August 21, 2011
  10. Alaan Newspaper Youth Association demands transparency and financial disclosure laws August 24, 2011
  11. الالكترونية, جريدة الآن. "رابطة الشباب: قوانين شفافية المعلومات وكشف الذمة المالية". Alaan Online Newspaper. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
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