Istanbul – December 2025
The workshops formed a central pillar of the IIFSO Arab Region Meeting, held in Istanbul from 15 to 17 December 2025. They marked a deliberate shift from broad analytical discussion toward applied, solution-oriented engagement, focusing on identifying the structural challenges facing student action and developing realistic, implementable pathways to enhance organizational effectiveness and long-term sustainability.
Within this framework, Mr. Mohab Ahmed, Co-Founder of the Egyptian Students Union in Turkey, facilitated a workshop titled “Student Renewal: Fundamentals of Designing Youth Projects and Initiatives.” The session revolved around a foundational question: how can student initiatives be designed in a structured, scalable, and sustainable manner, and how can practical experience be effectively transferred across generations of student activists?
The workshop unfolded across three interconnected tracks. The first introduced the conceptual framework of “The Guide – A Map for Student Action,” authored by the workshop facilitator. This segment highlighted the guide’s core objectives, particularly the importance of documenting volunteer experiences and student initiatives to ensure knowledge accumulation, institutional memory, and the cross-border transfer of successful practices. It also outlined the guide’s practical value as a tool to support student leaders in organizing, evaluating, and developing their initiatives.
The second track shifted the workshop into an interactive setting, with participants working in small groups to examine recurring challenges in student action, drawing on the diversity of their national contexts and organizational experiences.
Three priority challenges were identified. The first concerned organizational continuity and the difficulty of sustaining momentum amid leadership turnover and shifting circumstances. The second focused on the relationship between student organizations and their audiences, particularly limited engagement and difficulties in reaching wider segments, underscoring the need to rethink outreach strategies and develop more effective, relatable messaging. The third addressed the ‘volunteer life cycle,’ from initial engagement to retention or attrition, with particular attention to motivation, incentives, and long-term commitment.
This track enabled substantive peer learning, as participants shared how these challenges had been addressed in their respective contexts, contributing to the development of grounded, experience-based approaches.
In a second workshop, Mr. Riyadh Al-Sunaid, Vice President of the Arab Region at IIFSO, led a session titled “Mechanisms for Developing the IIFSO Arab Region’s Work.” The workshop focused on institutional self-assessment and on identifying strategic pathways to strengthen collective action in the coming phase. Participants were divided into focused working groups, each tasked with developing practical and actionable proposals.
The first group addressed training and capacity-building, affirming that enhancing the intellectual, professional, and leadership capacities of student leaders must remain a top priority. The group proposed establishing a dedicated training unit built around four key mechanisms: a tiered learning platform with structured assessment tools; a panel of experts to provide consultation and guidance to student leaders through IIFSO; localized field training that leverages national expertise; and a comprehensive trainee database. Emphasis was also placed on linking training outcomes to accredited certification and on systematic impact assessment.
The second group examined relations and networking, highlighting the role of member organizations in expanding national-level engagement, organizing joint activities, and institutionalizing regular coordination. The discussion emphasized the need for clear partnership criteria, targeted membership expansion, structured engagement with non-member organizations, and the development of communication channels with Western institutions, all aimed at strengthening IIFSO’s institutional presence and reach.
The third group focused on women’s work within IIFSO, with an emphasis on empowerment and organizational development. Recommendations included updating internal databases, activating regular coordination meetings, and launching a remote leadership development academy lasting six months to one year, culminating in an in-person conference. The group also stressed the importance of strengthening in-person engagement within Turkey to ensure continuity and cohesion.
The fourth group addressed media output, beginning with a candid assessment of the limited Arab media presence of IIFSO over past decades. Participants emphasized the need to reintroduce IIFSO to Arab youth through professionally produced media content that draws on the federation’s rich historical archive and presents it in contemporary formats, including video, podcasts, documentary productions, and a digital library. Such efforts were seen as essential to building a strong public image and reconnecting younger generations with IIFSO’s history and organizational identity.
Overall, the workshops reflected a clear orientation within the IIFSO Arab Region Meeting 2025 toward moving beyond diagnosis to the formulation of practical solutions. They underscored a growing commitment to more mature, structured, and forward-looking student action—capable of responding effectively to challenges and seizing opportunities in a period that demands heightened awareness, adaptability, and renewal.
