The Arab Digital Expression Foundation (ADEF) is holding its third annual summer camp July 19 to 30, 2009 in Egypt where 80 Arab children are expected to take part.

ADEF is a non-profit association which began its activities in 2006 as an initiative by a group of artists, educators, training professionals, techies in response growing global and regional concern over the digital gap between North and South.
The project reflects action taken by concerned members of the private sector and the civil society in response to recommendations issued by The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) convened following the UN General Assembly Resolution 56/183 "to marshal the global consensus and commitment required to promote the urgently needed access of all countries to information, knowledge and communication technologies for development." According to the 2002 Arab Human Development Report, the Arab region is at the "lower ranges" of the digital gap in the world.

The Arab Digital Expression Foundation aims at giving Arab youth a free and constructive environment and the opportunity to produce their own ideas using this technology in an attempt to improve and add to the content of this world of media. It aims to get children from various Arab countries involved in different tools of digital media to become creators of their own digital content rather than receivers or spectators, to express themselves, develop their knowledge and discover their identity in both culture and heritage.

ADEF has received operational funding since it began as an initiative from Team Engineering and Management Consultants, a pan-Arab company that pioneered the highly-successful Arab Computer Camps (ACC) project between 1984 and 1994. Ten thousand Arab children, most of them funded, graduated from the ACC's to become effective members of their society. Seventy percent of those currently hold senior positions in the technology sector. Team's start-up support enabled the initiative to develop a unique program for digital expression for Arab youth over three years.

In 2009, the Arab Digital Expression Foundation was established – an independent not-for-profit association which is slowly receiving recognition by the youth development community, corporations and parents alike.

ADEF has so far organized two highly successful summer camps in 2007 and 2008 for Arab youth aged 12 to 15 and is currently expanding its work to target Arab youth aged 20 to 30.

The 2008 summer camp brought together 34 children from Yemen, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq and Morocco who spent two weeks in exploring techniques and skills in digital expression (filmmaking, animation, digital sound and music and web 2.0) in Ismailiya, Egypt. It was made possible through the support of the following entities:

Team Engineering and Management Consultants
Ashoka – Arab World
Ruwwad Organization – Amman, Jordan
Sadko Company – Egypt
Team – Maroc, Morocco
Saudi Human Resource Development (HRD) – KSA
Pepsico – UAE
Culture Resource (Al-Mawred al-Thaqafy) – Mawa3eed Program
and many individuals

In August 2007, ADEF organized a three-week summer camp in Cairo for 64 children aged 12 to 15 coming from Gaza, the West Bank, and Egypt, in partnership with Give Gaza and with funding from Give Gaza, Team, ABB, and individual donors. The children produced valued works in digital sound and music, filmmaking, graphic design and web design.

We would like to invite you to be among the sponsors of this initiative through your corporate social responsibility program. Your contribution will help provide opportunities for talented and underprivileged Arab youth of your choice or through our network of partner NGOs to participate in this unique learning experience and hope for a better, more creative and more productive future.
The cost for sponsoring one child is $1250 per camp. The fee covers full board accommodation, education fees, computer use, scheduled trips, sports and cultural activities and health insurance during the camp period.
We take this opportunity to thank you for your cooperation and support to this important event and look forward to hear favorably from you.