The 25th of January 2011 marks an important date for Egypt and the world. Not only did former
President Hosni Mubarak who has ruled Egypt for 30 years step down, but the youth who were
once conceived as incapable of change were hailed as those who brought about this
transformation. Yet how could the youth organize and bring about such a change that was not only
unthinkable for many, but not one who took to the streets on the 25th imagined they could topple
Hosni Mubarak in 18 short days. In this thesis I thus ask: 1) how have youth been deployed before
and after the 25th of January Revolution as agents of change, 2) what kind of transformations are
youth imagining for Egypt. Several events since the 1990s contributed to sharpening the youth
consciousness culminating in taking the streets on January, 25th demanding “change, freedom, and
social justice”. I argue that, especially since the 1990s, a series of events and protests contributed
to the formation of this generational consciousness which materialized on January 25th when
thousands of mainly youth went on the streets to demand change. During the 1990s the adoption
of neoliberal strategies pushed the state to minimize its role and promote civil society activities
many of which focused on development. Many members of the organization were mainly focused
on helping the poor (as a religious responsibility) without demanding social justice on challenging
their own privileges. Secondly, a number of protests in the 2000 onwards were ushered by different
protest movements such as Kefaya and the 6th of April youth movement. As national strategies
failed to employ the majority of the youth, they became a burden on society. Not being able to
afford a good education, employment, or marriage, Egyptian youth transformed from being the
hope of the country in the 1950’s to a serious social problem n the by the 1980’s (Ibrahim, 2008).
This affected youth’s everyday interactions as they were financially dependent on their families,
while their leisure time activities were seen as dangerous or morally corrupt potentially leading to
criminal activities, drug abuse, and immorality. To channel particular categories of youth, NGOs
offered the path of civic participation as a means to harness their energies toward “development,”
while maintaining structurally the status quo of society, economy and polity. By taking the streets
on January the 25th, Egyptian youth for a short period transformed from being the problem to being
the hope of the country. Through the governance of Tahrir square, Egyptian youth proved their
eagerness to change and with the ousting of Mubarak they were celebrated as heroes. Tahrir
Square thus played a major role in reviving the youth and in transforming them from the problem to
the hope of the country. Class, gender, and religion shaped the imagery of which young person can
bring about change. A masculine, upper middle class man was mainly attached to the new young
person that can change Egypt. However, now, a clash of generations is clearly taking place in
which the emerging youth generation fights for political inclusion. Different events such as the
protests on Mohamed Mahmoud Street (just off of Tahrir Square) and in front of the cabinet, or the
parliamentary elections, are just some examples of power negotiations between the “old” and “new”
generations. By developing a generational consciousness, there is hope that youth can bring about
change, however, depending on their age, class, religion, and gender, their experiences differ
giving them different outlooks on the future and also a potential source of division among this
generation. My research project focused on youth who both demonstrated and protested during the
Revolution and those who did not. In addition, I analyzed the national Al Ahram newspaper in the
years 2000, 2004, 2008, 2010, and 2011and attended many public talks in order to unveil how
youth were conceived as the problem before the Revolution and transformed into the hope of the
country during the 18 days of the uprising. With a new generational consciousness, many young
people are hopeful for a better future, however, their inexperience in politics makes it a difficult task
to achieve.