“Play it Forward” - Sharing the stories of MENA creators on YouTube

Creators are at the heart of YouTube. Whether they’re telling stories about mental health and inclusion through long-form video, taking us on a journey to fall in love with local culture through Shorts, or using a little bit of everything to help people feel more connected, one thing is for sure - there is a community on YouTube for every interest.

The diversity of content we see in the Middle East & North Africa region is a reflection of the region’s diversity. With so many stories and experiences to share, we believe in the importance of shedding light on these journeys of content creation. This is why we're excited to launch a new, short video and podcast series called “Play it Forward with YouTube” (Hekayat YouTube in Arabic). It’s our first podcast in Arabic and it’s all about the journeys and aspirations of the content creators from MENA that make YouTube what it is - a place for discovery, self expression and community.

Throughout the series, I’ll interview creators who used their YouTube channel to build a community on the platform around culture, inclusion, mental health and more. We’ll hear from Mostafa Attia and Zainab Al Eqabi who advocate for more inclusion, Passant Nur El Din who helps us explore our countries as though for the first time, and Anas Bukhash and Rehab Saad who encourage us to embrace who we are and life, with all it has to offer.

Hekayat YouTube will be available on YouTube Arabia’s YouTube channel and on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Spotify & Deezer. The first episode of Play it Forward with YouTube will be published today, 5 December, on YouTube Arabia’s YouTube channel with podcast platforms following shortly after.