Khatwa, meaning ‘step’ in Arabic, is a youth civic engagement program that gives Egyptian youth from across the country the knowledge, skills, and on-ground experience to actively and positively participate in the development of their communities and to develop personally and professionally. Through participation in Khatwa’s seven-month program, participants explore topics of diversity, global, and local civic engagement, project management, community-based initiatives, and much more. Participants work together to develop ideas for initiatives in their communities and learn how to bring these ideas to life in teams to create a positive, sustainable, social impact on a local level. Khatwa connects participants to a network of support, including mentors, facilitators, other organizations and financial and technical resources, to help participants realize and develop their initiatives. The program is hosted by The John D. Gerhart Center at The American University in Cairo and jointly implemented with MitOst e.V.