Courtesy of AYBGUC Facebook page
By Ahmed Negm
On Friday 1 February Alashanek Ya Balady German University in Cairo (AYBGUC) launched their Et7arak (Get Moving) campaign by organising a run in cooperation with Cairo Runners and Bescletta.
AYBGUC is a student-run activities group from the German University in Cairo representing AYB, a sustainable development NGO. AYB aims to support the neighbourhood of Matareya by expanding horizons and creating opportunities for sustainable development.
AYB has created programmes that concentrate on education and economic and social sustainability, targeted and catered to the skills that people need. Additionally, AYB aims at initiating sparks within the youth of the country to make change.
They hope to enhance the sense of civic responsibility within the GUC student body and make them believe in a better future for the country, as well as making them aware that the majority of the Egyptian population lives in poverty.
Et7arak encourages students to take the initiative and make change, to help each other and the country, as well as promoting alternative methods of transportation such as walking, jogging and biking.
The event kicked off at 10am with the founders of Cairo Runners and students running an 8.5km course through and around the university campus. The students’ excitement was evident from the very beginning, and their level of excitement increased hugely after Ahmed Haggagovic’s motivational speech.
Haggagovic is an Egyptian globetrotter who hopes to travel to every country in the world to raise the Egyptian flag and bring a message of hope and peace. On Friday he shared how his dream developed and emphasised that all attendees were lucky enough to be born in an environment that nurtures them and allows them to grow.
He said that this provides them with the all the right ingredients for success and that they should seize the chance they have been given. Haggagovic commended AYBGUC for being inspirational and for directing the members’ excitement in a direction that helps them achieve their full potential.
The last part of the day included a race where the attendees were divided into groups of four to compete against each other. Besides having fun, the students also saw firsthand how a group of people striving for the same goal can be successful, regardless of their differences and their lack of familiarity with one another.
The event was a big success due to all the hard work of the members of AYBGUC. The attendees enjoyed the day and left inspired and motivated to strive to fulfill their dreams and make better contributions to their environment.
