$O$UDE 1 Annual Report 2008-2009 On Our Way To Inspiring the Minds of Millions Annual Report 2008-2009 Our Purpose INJAZ Al-Arab harnesses the mentorship of Arab business leaders to help inspire a culture of entrepreneurialism and business innovation among Arab youth. Operating in 12 countries across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, INJAZ Al-Arab is a confederation of national operations collaborating with corporate volunteers and Ministries of Education to provide experiential education and training to Arab youth in work readiness, financial literacy and entrepreneurship. The only organization in the MENA region that aims to equip students with practical business-related skills as part of the regular educational curriculum, INJAZ Al-Arab programs offer students an unbroken chain of educational opportunities that will strengthen their innovation, deepen their understanding of the business world, and give them professional qualifications to enable their success in the global economy. In parallel, it fosters among business leaders a responsibility for investing their Mission & Values resources in the future of the region’s youth and becoming the mirrors they want to see in the world by mentoring and inspiring young people to rise to Our Mission 2 their true potential. Since its inception in 2004, INJAZ Al-Arab programs have To affect positive change in the Middle East & North Africa reached almost 500,000 students and engaged 10,000 volunteers. region by nurturing a sense of self-motivation, confidence, empowerment, and mindset within Arab youth, that A National Board of Directors leads each INJAZ country operation, with anything is possible, whilst fostering among business Annual Report 2008-2009 the INJAZ Al-Arab Regional Board responsible for directing overall strategy leaders a passionate spirit of mentorship and encouraging and organizational governance. These bodies comprise the region’s top investment of resources to help youth make the leap from business leaders who share a common ideal for Arab youth. INJAZ Al-Arab is school to the work place. a member of Junior Achievement Worldwide (JA Worldwide). Our Values · Belief in the boundless potential of young people. · Commitment to the principles of market-based economics and entrepreneurship. · Passion for what we do and honesty, integrity, and excellence in how we do it. · Respect for the talents, creativity, perspectives, and backgrounds of all individuals. · Belief in the power of partnership and collaboration. · Conviction in the educational and motivational impact of relevant, hands-on learning Contents 2 A Message from the Chairman 3 A Message from the Regional Director 4 Addressing the Challenges 6 One Million Arab Youth Campaign 8 INJAZ Outreach 3 10 The Year in Review 12 The Annual Regional Company Competition Annual Report 2008-2009 14 Leading the Way 15 Spotlight On Entrepreneurship 16 The Regional Board of Directors 18 National Boards 08/09 20 Our Gratitude A Message From the Chairman H.E. Sheikh Khaled Bin Zayed Al Nehayan Chairman This is my first annual message as Chairman of INJAZ Al-Arab and comes at a time when the end of 2009 is approaching and a new The INJAZ academic year has commenced. I am delighted to share some thoughts with you about the organisation’s work across the Middle ‘movement’ East & North Africa (MENA) region and our hopes and opportunities for the coming year. is changing The INJAZ ‘movement’ is changing the landscape of opportunity for Arab youth and revealing their aptitude for innovation. Our efforts to equip youth with practical skills that build their foundations in entrepreneurial thought, work readiness and financial literacy the are being met with enthusiasm and truly making an impact in a region that is facing critical youth employment challenges and an 4 educational system that requires reform. landscape of To date, our programs have reached nearly 500,000 students through 10,000 corporate volunteers across 12 Arab nations and we are Annual Report 2008-2009 opportunity seeing progressive growth in our reach every year. The collaborative work between Ministries of Education, the private sector and for Arab civil society is paving the way for our young people to acquire the skills they need to be successful in the workplace. youth and The impact needs to be greater. We need to be catalysts to affect the necessary changes required that provide Arab youth a future full of promise and an equal opportunity to compete and be successful in the global economy. The economic challenges over the revealing past year have only amplified the urgency of INJAZ Al-Arab’s work and our region’s call to effectively address the criticality of the Arab youth situation. As private sector leaders we are determined to drive this movement forward. their aptitude for innovation We have the best cause in the world so let’s shape the future together. Thank you for your continued partnership. With great appreciation, His Excellency Sheikh Khaled Bin Zayed Al Nehayan A Message from the Regional Director Soraya Salti Regional Director Over the past ten years, INJAZ Al-Arab has changed public perception of Arab youth from being a marginalized burden on society, We have ill-equipped to make the leap from school to a productive place in the private sector - to an agent of change and an engine for turned economic growth. classrooms into We have turned classrooms into entrepreneurial laboratories that spawn innovators, critical thinkers, and leaders who will create the jobs of tomorrow. Our pioneering public-private partnerships with 12 Ministries of Education and 700 corporations have shifted the entrepreneurial mindset of the Arab world. As a result, traditional teachers are being linked with dynamic members of the private sector who now 5 laboratories share in the responsibility to educate our youth. In a region where female participation in the labor force is the lowest in the world, we are equipping female students with the that spawn Annual Report 2008-2009 components to enter the labor market, by bringing women who have succeeded in the private sector back to the classroom to innovators, inspire more to follow. critical thinkers, It has been a privilege to be part of this organization’s tremendous journey, constantly pushing the frontiers of Arab youth education. I look forward to the coming decade with great enthusiasm, as INJAZ Al-Arab plays an exciting role as a catalyst at the forefront of and leaders change. who will create the jobs of tomorrow Soraya Salti Addressing the Challenges The severity of the current MENA region youth unemployment rates, with 100 million youth projected to be joining the workforce between now and 2020, highlights an urgent need for mobilization. This is the most Entrepreneurship and education are two such extraordinary severe demographic youth bulge in the world giving the region the opportunities that need to be leveraged and interconnected if we highest youth unemployment in the world as well. are to develop the human capital required for building the societies of the future. Entrepreneurship is the engine fuelling innovation, employment generation and economic growth. Only by creating Youth make up 70% of the Arab world and their an environment where entrepreneurship can prosper and where employability is one of the greatest challenges of the entrepreneurs can try new ideas and empower others can we ensure that many of the world’s issues will not go unaddressed. Equally region today. important is the power that education has in developing the skills that generate an entrepreneurial mindset and in preparing future INJAZ Al-Arab’s role is to develop and build upon partnerships between leaders for solving more complex, interlinked and fast-changing the private sector and the educational community that allow access to problems. Education needs to come back to the top of the priorities of the corporate world for delivering programs to youth that provide them governments and the private sector and be seen as the fundamental with the skills they will need to succeed in the global economy. mechanism for attaining sustainable economic development and 6 societal progress. More than ever, the world needs effective global INJAZ focuses on entrepreneurship education and work readiness to leaders and stronger educational systems that prepare the current and future generations of entrepreneurs, workers, teachers, managers give MENA youth the opportunity to control their economic destiny from Annual Report 2008-2009 and individuals with the skills needed to succeed and help others. learning how to start their own businesses or how to manage and excel We also believe that entrepreneurship results in increased innovation in the existing employment market. and sustained economic growth. We see enormous potential in investing in entrepreneurship education in order to nurture talent A recent survey of 600 CEOs across the Arab world conducted by the and develop the next wave of leaders and innovators who will not Maktoum Foundation identified their number one need as human only create jobs and value for society, but also empower others to resources. Given the abundance of human resources throughout the create a better future. We believe entrepreneurial skills, attitudes and region, there is clearly a mismatch between private sector needs and behaviours can be learned, and that exposure to entrepreneurship the skills carried by graduates today. education throughout an individual’s lifelong learning path, starting from youth and continuing through adulthood into higher education MENA countries can enable their youth to productively contribute - as well as reaching out to those economically or socially excluded - is imperative. This report addresses entrepreneurship education from to growth, ultimately benefiting the entire society. Commitments to this broader perspective, likely the first time it has been viewed in such invest in youth need to be introduced and cultivated, so that the youth a comprehensive manner.