From Roots to Relevance

Arabic remains deeply rooted in the identity, culture and everyday lives of young people across MENA. But as their worlds become increasingly shaped by education, work, technology and digital creativity, a critical question emerges: is Arabic keeping pace with where opportunity is being created?

"From Roots to Relevance" explores this gap through insights from the Congress ACI Arab Youth Pulse Survey 2025, covering 4,092 young people aged 18–25 across 10 MENA countries. The research examines how young people use Arabic across different aspects of their lives, where they feel Arabic needs to evolve, and what would encourage them to use it more.

The white paper moves beyond understanding attitudes to identify five actions that can strengthen Arabic as a language of opportunity: connecting Arabic education to real-world and professional use, building shared Arabic language technology, improving digital experiences, developing modern Arabic content ecosystems and creative career pathways, and measuring what works.

Explore the research and discover what it will take to move Arabic from a language of heritage and identity to one that young people can use to learn, create, work, and build their futures.

In collaboration with the Congress of Arabic & Creative Industries (ACI) and Strategy&

Download the report.