Voting Awareness Committee Reaches Out To AUK Students By Reham Al- Samerai

Courtesy of the Daily Star
6th December, 2005
Event was held on 3rd December, 2005

KUWAIT: On Saturday evening, the 16-5 Committee for Voter Education and Awareness held an hour-long presentation at the American University of Kuwait (AUK). The committee is responsible for an awareness campaign called "Vote 2007" and had a booth on the AUK campus Tuesday and Wednesday of last week as a way to communicate with students and introduce them to the work of the committee, encouraging them to be more active towards the cause. The campaign aims to get youth to register for and vote in the parliamentary elections of 2007.

The presentation included three young speakers, two of which are members of the committee. Dana Al-Mutawa gave a brief introduction thanking and welcoming the students of AUK both for attending that day and visiting the booth the week before. She highlighted the goals and general structure and plans of the committee and opened the floor to the guest speaker, a young Kuwaiti dentist, Dr. Eisa Al-Eissa.

Al-Eissa shared his experience of starting small businesses in Kuwait in comparison to doing so in the United States, where during university he had established a lucrative online business called the Arab Calling Card. He described how simple and seamless it was for him to start a business in the States, where he was literally able to establish the business from the comfort of his own home. In sharing this with the audience, he was trying to urge young Kuwaitis to become more involved in the policy-making of their country to make opportunities more accessible for themselves.

Aziz Al-Enezi, a member of 16-5, also spoke at the event. He delivered a poignant and inspiring speech about the importance of becoming more politically and socially aware. He cited examples of issues that are important to youth, including sports, education and employment, which are all facing different levels of deterioration.

Al- Enezi noted that those aged 21 to 40 make up 61 percent of the population, but unfortunately they are not using their voices and rights to influence policies to benefit them. Awareness of local politics will shape their futures and the future generations to come.


Copyright (c) 2005 The Daily Star