Harvard Lecturer Cancels Youth Leadership Development Program in Syria

Recent unrest derailed Marshall Ganz's leadership development project for youth.

Marshall Ganz

current unrest in Syria has derailed a project there in which Marshall Ganz, a lecturer on public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and a lecturer on social studies at the College, had begun training Syrian youth in community organizing. Ganz visited Syria, once in 2009 and again in 2010, under the auspices of the Monitor Group to explore the feasibility of launching a leadership development project for young people. "The premise we were working from is that young people are the future of that nation, and unless they had ownership of that future, they weren't going to help shape it," Ganz said in an interview with Harvard Magazine this week. "With a regime like that, you don't know where the interstices are, and where they aren't. We thought there might be a chance to cultivate some new seedlings."

Last November, Ganz made one more visit, this time not for Monitor, but to begin actual implementation of the initiative. "Our team was working with young people in Sweida, in southern Syria, when the shooting started," he said.

A Boston Globe report in early July detailed some of Monitor's involvement in Syria, along with criticism that the firm was naive about the Syrian regime's openness to genuine reform. This follows widespread criticism of Monitor's work (involving multiple members of the Harvard faculty) with the Libyan regime of Muammar el-Qaddafi.

"There are currents of interest in reform in Syria," Ganz said. "Obviously, they have not been successful. Throughout the Arab world, there is a big demographic bulge [of young people]. The question is, how can they turn that into a resource? Young people are either going to be part of the solution, or part of the problem. In a situation like that, you don't know how to read the tea leaves, as it's so opaque. Our project had barely gotten started. It definitely seemed worthwhile. When you work with young people in these countries, you see how great the appetite is, the desire to learn."  

 

 

You might also like

Sustainability on the Menu

Harvard’s sustainable meals program aims to support local farms, protect oceans, and limit waste.

What of the Humble Pencil?

Review: At the Harvard Art Museums’ new exhibit, drawing takes center stage

Harvard Research Funding Will Resume, Government Signals

Notices of grant reinstatements follow a court ruling, but the Trump administration could still appeal. 

Most popular

Two Years of Doxxing at Harvard

What happens when students are publicly named and shamed for their views?

A New Narrative of Civil Rights

Political philosopher Brandon Terry’s vision of racial progress

Paolo Pasco and the Art of Making Crosswords

Paolo Pasco and the art of making crosswords

Explore More From Current Issue

Illustration of scientists injecting large syringe with mitochondria into human heart.

Do Mitochondria Hold the Power to Heal?

From Alzheimer’s to cancer, this tiny organelle might expand treatment options. 

Man splashing water on his face at outdoor fountain beside woman holding cup near stone building.

Why Heat Waves Make You Miserable

Scientists are studying how much heat and humidity the human body can take.

Renaissance portrait of young man thought to be Christoper Marlowe with light beard, wearing ornate black coat with gold buttons and red patterns.

Shakespeare’S Greatest Rival

Without Christopher Marlowe, there might not have been a Bard.