50 students complete first phase of Youth Leadership Program

The first phase of the program included 13 different topic-centric workshops that were delivered by leading individuals with extensive experiences in both the private and public sectors, including Dr. Sajed Al Abdali, Ms. Mona Al-Arfaj, Mr. Mohammad Al-Dallal, Mr. Mishari Al-Humoud, Dr. Ibtihal Al Khateeb, Mr. Khaled Al-Roudan, Dr. Shafeeq Ghabra, Ms. Aruna Ladva, and Mr. Anas Meerza.

At the completion of each of the one week long workshop sessions, project teams were created representing various disciplines to ensure the outcome of the workshops, which is transferred to practical steps that lead to realistic projects ranging from the creation of NGOs to small businesses as per each student's goal.

To mark the end of the first phase, ExxonMobil Kuwait hosted the students in their Kuwait Headquarters on Wednesday, where they had the opportunity to present their work to date to ExxonMobil Kuwait President, Dr. John Hoholick and ExxonMobil Public Affairs, MEPI Kuwait Coordinator Mr. Bassem Houssami & Government Relations Advisor Ms. Aseel Al Turkait.

ExxonMobil Kuwait President Dr. John Hoholick said "More than being proud to be associated with such a promising project, we are proud of the students themselves who went through the first stage of the program, and we wish them the best in the coming phases".

MEPI Kuwait Coordinator, Mr. Bassem Houssami, said:

"We very pleased to sponsor such a program that provide training in leadership and advocacy skills, empower youth to be advocates on behalf of their communities and to undertake civic duties and responsibilities."

Jusoor Arabiya President Dr. Shafeeq Ghabra said: "Ultimately, the goal of the initiative is for the participants to notice themselves and their surroundings thereby actualizing their goals and aspirations, and allowing them to pursue these goals in a systematic manner under the private sector's umbrella and Jusoor's mentorship."

The Jusoor Arabiya Youth Leadership Program included 50 students divided across five working groups: Consultancy Group, Business Group, NGO Group, Media Group and Political Lobbying Group.

Together, and under the mentorship of Jusoor Arabiya, the students work to develop their projects and seek subject matter experts' support and institutional funding.

A collaborative website was also launched to facilitate their work and serve as a medium of communication for the students themselves as well as to link them with other youth groups worldwide, in addition to serving as an information resource for youth development issues.