The Regional Program Political Dialogue South Mediterranean of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung held the first of four training sessions for the MENA Leadership Academy 4th cohort, entitled: The basics of democratic participation through CSOs and political parties, in Tunis from June 13 to June 17.

The three-day training was divided into two parts: field trips and a workshop. On the first day, participants were given an overview of Tunisia's political system and situation, as well as a discussion of youth leadership in times of democratic crisis, before proceeding to the I-WATCH office for a panel discussion titled "Youth Engagement in a Changing Political Landscape: Gearing Up for an Effective Role."

On their 2nd training day, the participants were trained in participatory governance and policy-making by trainers and facilitators from the North African Policy Initiative (NAPI).

The participants presented the results of their group work on the last day of the first seminar as part of the MENA Leadership Academy 4, and discussed topics such as political participation in the MENA region; and hearing from KAS PolDiMed director Thomas Volk about the Federal Republic of Germany's political system.

The participants' first training was followed by a networking event at the National Museum of Carthage, where they were able to exchange ideas with Tunisian government officials such as H.E. the Minister of Education, Fathi Sellaouti.