The Yalla Program – Integral Framed Support for Young Leaders from Egypt and Germany

Abstract

The article gives an overview of the Yalla program that has taken place in Egypt and Germany since 2012 and was originally initiated by Katharina Petrisson from the Federal Foreign Ministry of Germany in cooperation with Matthias Ruff and the Humboldt Viadrina School of Governance. After an introduction of underlying causes for the uprising in the Middle East, the preconditions of the program are explained. Furthermore the integrative framework that was used to design such trainings is analyzed. The paper also evaluates the online value development assessments of German and Egyptian participants within the Yalla-2-training. As a framework for the case study An interdisciplinary approach was used including developmental psychology, social and political science as well as system theory and action research.

Keywords

• integral theory
• Spiral Dynamics
• Arab Spring
• intercultural leadership
• large system change
• Middle East
• online value assessment
• political capacity building
• theory U.
• Adrian Wagner