Forward Thinking hold roundtables in Tunisia, 28th January - 02nd February 2016

Forward Thinking travelled to Tunisia, 28th January - 02nd February, to convene a series of workshops between young political activists from across the political spectrum and senior political figures. These workshops are part of a project that Forward Thinking are conducting, with the support of the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which seeks to both explore and help to address the growing gap between young Tunisians and the political establishment. This gap was exposed in the recent wave of protests that swept the country, where many young Tunisians took to the streets to express their frustration at the slow pace of change and to protest the perceived inability of the political system to deliver on the promises of the revolution.Discussions at the workshops reflected on the recent protests but also looked forward to try and identify the changes that need to occur to prevent similar uprisings from occurring in the future. Economic challenges were widely discussed, as was the need to develop effective mechanisms for young people to feed their concerns and perspectives into the political system.Over the course of the visit, Forward Thinking also met met with five current or former government ministers, several members of the Tunisian parliament (Assembly of People’s Representatives – ARP), representatives of the media; members of the international community; and over fifteen young political activists, including leaders in the recent wave of protests. The diversity of engagement, helped to provide a comprehensive overview of the current political dynamics in the country.