Bahrain Egypt Jordan Kuwait Lebanon Morocco Oman Palestine Qatar Saudi Arabia Tunisia United Arab Emirates
Youth@ Work Regional Conference
21st-23rd of February, 2012
Service Learning session
Leen Abdel Jaber
Injaz El Djazair
Yemen
Algeria
INJAZ al-Arab
INJAZ al-Arab is a non-profit organization that harnesses the mentorship of Arab business
leaders to help inspire a culture of entrepreneurship and business innovation among Arab
youth. It is a confederation of national operations collaborating with corporate volunteers and
governments to promote work readiness, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and analytical
thinking.
Our Focus
• Operating in 14 countries across the Middle East and North
Africa (MENA) region
• Equips students with practical business-related skills as part of
the regular educational curriculum
• Brings successful business leaders into the classroom to teach
the next generation of entrepreneurs
• Introduces innovation, critical thinking, and business concepts
into the public school curriculum
• Promotes Corporate volunteerism and public private partnerships
Educational Pillars
Workforce Readiness
Entrepreneurship
Financial Literacy
• 29% Start up rate among students who participate in the Company Program
• 83% of students felt INJAZ programmes considerably strengthened their abilities in
problem-solving and teamwork and enhanced their understanding of entrepreneurship
Our Reach
• INJAZ is part of
an international
network in 122
countries
• INJAZ started in
Jordan in 1999
• INJAZ endorsed
by 13 Arab
governments
• Program trained
over a 700,000
students to
2010.
• Over 10,000
corporate
volunteers
Injaz Courses
• Company Program: In a group-based program providing practical exposure,
students set up a company, choose an industry, conduct market research,
raise capital, produce and sell a product or service, maintain company records
then divest it at the end of the semester.
• Success Skills: Develops students’ interpersonal
effectiveness through self-assessment of personal
strengths, examines how such skills match careers of
interest and teaches personal marketing methods.
• Entrepreneurial Master Class: A one day session that
encourages students to think about starting their own
business as a career option and to identify the key
entrepreneurial skills required
2007 Palestine
2008 Kuwait
2009 Oman
2010 Lebanon
2011 Palestine
Generation Entrepreneur!
INITIAL QUESTION: What are the benefits and weaknesses of
the Injaz Company Program? The Alumni Perspective
•
•
•
•
•
•
There is strong evidence that THE INJAZ AL ARAB COMPANY PROGRAM
Develops a consciousness in youth regarding their future plans
Develops 21st Century Skills in participants
Identifies importance of linking theory with practice in education
Reveals benefit of private sector support
Develops a unique business mindset in participants
Reveals several societal roadblocks to success
Helps a prospective employee stand out
“Even if I ever had to apply for a job--which is something that I am hoping not to do-- I know that I will stand
out, because I have knowledge AND experience.”
Aids in internalizing information and in knowing how to apply it in the real world
“At school or university, you are taught the material theoretically and do not apply what you have learned, so
you simply forget what you have studied. Even if you don’t forget, you don’t know how to apply what you
learned. In Injaz, you apply what you learn in the projects. This way you never forget what you have learned.”
Practice without theory isn’t ideal
“I think Injaz helped me to go far beyond the realms of any textbook, but at the same time I would not have
succeeded at Injaz if I had not read all the sections of my textbook. “
Theory + practice – Develops skills
“The Injaz experience has tremendously changed me. Injaz helped me at the beginning through the classes and
lectures that we took, the theories that we learned. And when we started applying and practicing what we
learned in class, my skills became much more developed.”
Increases the amount of information and skills learned
“It taught me people skills that I wouldn’t have learned by just learning business in school.”
Practice helps clarify the theory
“You can see the results and you can do ideas you can get ideas and implement them in your business and then
when you go back to your business class in school you realize what the theories actually mentioned are what
you were doing. So it’s very different with a company, because you can see the results of the different styles;
you can see the results of everything that you do. “
“Skill gains” through Service (examples):
•Reflection (including "Critical Reflection" to question their
assumptions and behaviors).
•Collaborative leadership.
•Communication and team work.
•Problem solving.
•Self expression and reporting (including journal)
•Monitoring and Evaluation.
"Attitude gains" through Service Learning (examples):
Civic engagement
Civic responsibility.
Work ethics.
Active listening.
Others: Service learning connect theory with practice
(project theme + substantive knowledge).
All these skills are very important for the youth practical life
(life skills).
How can service learning be encouraged among youth in
Jordan and other MENA countries
Key Facts
•Educational system is not structured to encourage experimental/practical
education.
•High unemployment rates (especially university graduates) in Jordan and MENA.
•Growing private sector and civil society with skills gap.
•Migrant workers (remittances)
•High educational rates with education appreciation culture. Private schooling is
open to extra-curricular activities.
What to do?
Identify stakeholders.
Introduce the concept of Service Learning to education institutes and media.
Provide material and resources to educational institutes (database).
Document successful stories and make them public.
Introduce innovative approaches for Service Learning (prizes for researchers and
practitioners).
Partnership with enterprises/civil society (internship programs).
Create opportunities and access to them.
How can this concept be scaled up to a national level?
Recommendations:
Encourage governments to include Service Learning in their "human"
development plans.
Encourage Ministry of Labor to include Service Learning in their
training/learning initiatives.
Encourage researchers and practitioners to develop Service Learning tools and
mechanisms.
Establish Service Learning centers at the educational institutes and engage
Ministry of Education/High Education.
Engage the parents and make them part of the process (parents assemblies).
Engage the youth leaders, civil society, private/public sector and media.
National volunteer corps in partnership with United Nations (UNDP) is a good
idea.
These efforts and stakeholders can be put together through a national/regional
movement or network for Service Learning for youth. Annual conference
involving all stakeholders.