ABSTRACT
Coworking Spaces represent a growing phenomenon in Egypt since the January25th, 2011, Revolution. Young people established these Spaces to build their own communities where they can seek mutual support and innovative learning experiences. Through a qualitative study of 10 Spaces across Egypt, including interviews with co-founders and members, the chapter examines this phenomenon. The authors show that the driving causes of founding these Spaces include supporting nascent initiatives by providing them with a physical space, networking opportunities, and organizational capacity building. Motivated by the potentials of proactive entrepreneurial attitudes, these Spaces create a “community of practice” where the co-founders intentionally attract members with similar interests and backgrounds. The Spaces are found to be guided by values of sharing, accepting others, mutual trust, and responsibility. Accordingly, the authors argue that Coworking Spaces offer viable models to explore alternative solutions to social challenges.
