Fostering Self-Competencies in Tunisian Youth Center (FOYER)
Swiss partners
- PH Zürich: Prof. Dr. Wiltrud Weidinger (main applicant), Dr. Samir Boulos, Doris Kuhn, Manuel Zolliker, Dr. Peter Holzwarth, Thomas Staub
Partners in the MENA region
- Université de Tunis, Tunisie: Nada Najjar (main applicant)
- The International Institute of Debate (iiDebate), Tunisie: Elyes Guermazi, Mohamed Ouahabi, Samar Jendoubi, Mariem Oueslati
- Youth Centre Jedaida (Manouba): Khaoula Ebdelli
Presentation of the project
Youth is a formative period, a biographical phase marked by exploration, uncertainty, and the search for identity and belonging. Young people in Tunisia are particularly affected by the social, political and economic challenges in their country which has a youth unemployment rate of 40% (in 2024). The project “Fostering Self-Competences in Tunisian Youth Centers” (short: FOYER) explored how a program promoting self- and social competences in the Youth Center Jedaida in Manouba can enhance the capacities of youth centers to foster self- and social competences of young people. These competences are critical for fostering resilience, employability, and social inclusion among young people. The Youth Center Jedaida served as a pilot site to explore the potential for upscaling of the educational intervention in FOYER.
The FOYER project consists of two main components: (1.) An educational intervention to promote the capacities of youth club leaders and animators to provide life skills activities, including through artistic and creative expression. The intervention involved training youth club leaders to deliver life skills training and lead youth activities from November 2024 to June 2025. The young people have been trained in five international training workshops involving lecturers from the Zurich University of Teacher Education (PHZH) and six capacity building workshops realized by the civil society partner iiDebate. Based on the sessions, a manual called Kutayib was drafted to support social workers, animators, trainers and club leaders in further youth centers through interactive training and learning activities.
The second essential component of FOYER has been (2.) an accompanying research study that examines how the educational intervention in FOYER has contributed to advancing selfcompetences, social inclusion, and well-being among the young people. Using a qualitative actionresearch approach with a pre-post-test design, the study collected data through participant observation and semi-structured interviews. Fourteen tutors participated in the intervention. The research focused on two core dimensions of social-emotional learning (SEL) as outlined by the CASEL framework: self-management and social awareness. The research shows that the FOYER intervention supports growth in both self-management and social awareness among youth center tutors. Many participants made notable progress, though some competences—particularly around empathy, gratitude, and social expectations—require further support and reinforcement.
"Kutayib FOYER: Your guide for Youth Club Development" manual on OpenIlias (2025)
FOYER Documentary by Ghassen Nahali (2025)
Article published on iated Digital Library (2025)
Presentation at the EAPFIL Conference (2025)
Presentation at the 18th annual ICERI (2025)
Presentation of the FOYER research results in Arabic (2025)
Presentation of the FOYER project by the members of the Youth Centre Jedaida (2025)