The campaign particularly targets those who contributed to relief work during the two Jeddah flood catastrophes in 2009 and 2011.
The group, said its spokesman Fouad Al-Farhan, decided after a number of meetings not to boycott the municipal elections and instead go and register their votes.
According to Al-Farhan, who is also a blogger, the youth in Jeddah have played a major role in the flood disasters and they need to play a role in the municipal elections as well.
He said the group believes that banning women from participation is considered “unfair,” adding that they are supporting women to gain the right to fully participate in the election.
Al-Farhan said that one of the founding members of the initiative is Samar Badawi, a woman activist who lodged a legal complaint against the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs after women were banned from participating in the polls.
The role of women in the initiative, said Al-Farhan, is essential to combat the disappointment from the snub.
Rasha Hifzi, a woman participating in this initiative, said that though women are not allowed to take part, they are essential in increasing awareness among the public about the importance of participating in the elections. “We are calling on both men and women to go and register. There is no point in boycotting now. Boycotting would be effective only when there is a powerful group that can actually make a difference.”
Hifzi, also a member of the Baladi group that calls for women’s participation in the municipal elections, added that they are supporting women who lodge complaints against the ministry, such as fellow member Fawziya Al-Hani.
She added that the youth in Jeddah who took part in relief work during the floods have a special reason to go and vote, as the municipal councils were accused of not helping the volunteers.
The Jeddah Youth to Municipal Council campaign website (www.intekhab.at) called for the initiative and stated that though the group has reservations about the work of the municipal councils, it decided to participate and benefit from the opportunity to vote.
Their aim is to help increase the awareness of the public and benefit from the experience of participating in the elections.
This, they said, might help in making a difference if young individuals stood as candidates and were elected. “The initiative comes to emphasize the role of youth and their sense of responsibility toward their city and country,” said the group’s statement on the website.