In the News

PRESS AT THE ENVISION ARABIA SUMMIT

There has been an abundance of press coverage of the Arab Development Initiative before,
during and following the EAS 2011 summit, which took place from October 7th to the 10th at the
Centre Mont Royal in Montréal. There were several local and international members of the
press present as well student journalists. The following is a list of notable media outlets who
were present during the weekend as well those who have covered us thus far:
MBC
Al‐Hayat
The National
Omniyat
GulfNews
JO Magazine
Balise
M Channel
The McGill Daily
Montreal Mirror
Al‐Watan Daily
Beena
Radio Canada International (French, Arabic)
WAMDA
MÉTRO
 

"EAS encourages the behavior of actively thinking about the region’s problems and creating
solutions to them. The dissemination of more similar events, even on a smaller scale, in region,
has the potential to contribute to “hacking” the MENA culture, creating a community where
pursuing solutions to daily problems is the norm."
Nafez Dakkak, WAMDA
Kinda Jayoush, Al‐Hayat

"When asked about what she thought the ADI’s greatest accomplishment was, [Sana Saeed] said
that it was, without a doubt, building a connection between hundreds of Arab youth from all
over the world. She went on to say that this, coupled with the enthusiasm delegates gained
from EAS 2011, has motivated people to reach out to one another and start talking about what
it is they want to do."
Hind Francis, Al‐Watan Daily

"One speaker that was particularly moving was Suzanne Talhouk, founder of Feil Amer, an
organization with a goal of keeping the Arabic language relevant to the current generation of
Arab youth. Delivered in classical Arabic, Talhouk’s speech was particularly moving as it
touched on an overlooked issue…For people of the Arab diaspora who have lived in both the
Middle East and the West, our vernacular is composed of multiple languages. In addition, we
cannot fully express ourselves in any one language, and our spoken English often hints at our
mother tongue through pidgin phrases of transliteration. By alluding to these points, Talkhouk
effectively stressed to us how imperative language is to development and reminded us that
modern and Arabic are not mutually exclusive."
Mays Chami, The McGill Daily

"In that first email [Oubai ElKerdi] sent about ADI to his group of friends seven months ago he
wrote, “We know that such a great dream (changing the Arab World) cannot be achieved
overnight, but we firmly believe – from experience – that small initiatives are necessary steps
towards big change, and that their success propagates and inspires others to do the same, and
it is the ripple/butterfly effect that has caused every major change in history we see today.”
Lizzie Walmsley, Beena

"Et au regard de la qualité des panélistes, ce Sommet est une belle occasion pour soutenir
l’effort des jeunes Arabes à instaurer et maintenir la démocratie dans leur pays d’origine."
Hassan Serraji, Métro

LINKS

Montreal Students Launch Arab Development Initiative, RCI The Link, July 8th 2011:
http://tinyurl.com/3k9cevm

The Arab Development Initiative, Beena: Lizzie Walmsley, August 4th 2011:
http://www.beenaproject.com/?p=1713

ADI and the Arab World, Interview with Co‐Founder Oubai ElKerdi, Beena: Lizzie Walmsley,
September 6th 2011: http://www.beenaproject.com/?p=1933

De jeunes Arabes font la révolution à l’Université McGill., Métro: Hassan Serraji, October 5th
2011: http://www.journalmetro.com/blogue/post/988534‐‐de‐jeunes‐arabes‐font‐larevolution‐
a‐l‐universite‐mcgill

Future Arabia., Montreal Mirror: Chris Barry, October 6th 2011:
http://www.montrealmirror.com/wp/2011/10/06/the‐front‐56/

Yale at the Envision Arabia Summit 2011., ASA Yale: Bahij Chancey, October 13th 2011:
http://yaleasa.org/tag/arab‐development‐initiative/

Muslim Comic Book is the ‘Antidote to Bin Laden.,’ The National: Kinda Jayoush, October 14th
2011: http://www.thenational.ae/arts‐culture/books/muslim‐comic‐book‐is‐the‐antidote‐tobin‐
laden

Conference in Montreal Discusses Development in the Arab World., Al‐Hayat: Kinda Jayoush,
October 14th 2011: http://international.daralhayat.com/internationalarticle/318138 [Arabic]

How Can Conferences Help The Arab World?, WAMDA: Nafez Dakkak, October 17th 2011:
http://www.wamda.com/2011/10/how‐can‐conferences‐help‐the‐arab‐world

The Need to Preserve the Arabic Language, The McGill Daily: Mays Chami, October 17th 2011:
http://www.mcgilldaily.com/2011/10/the‐need‐to‐preserve‐the‐arabic‐language/

Arab Youth Come Together to Promote Development, Reform, Change., Al‐Watan Daily: Hind
Francis, October 19th 2011: http://tinyurl.com/3wm82jp