COMPETE FOR CHANGE INJAZ-Kuwait youth competition with HP By bazaar staff
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If you could change one thing for the better in Kuwait, what would it be? This year, INJAZ-Kuwait allows you to answer this question. You may be quick to quip with a huge list of things you’d like changed. But, when offered the tools to make this change happen, what would actually be your next step? All you need to do to get started is to relay your voice and idea using 300 words. The Social Innovation Relay (SIR) is an online global competition sponsored by Hewlett-Packard (HP) that challenges secondary school students to come up with an innovative business concept that has positive social impact. So, maybe we could find a technical, hands-on solution to end needless traffic, or maybe we can devise a viable, Good Samaritan program that motivates people to better involve themselves when they see a violation being committed. Perhaps software that aids charities where fundraising is concerned…the ideas can be truly endless! Aimed at 15-18 year olds, the competition will harness these ideas into fully-fledged realities. An organization geared towards empowering the youth, INJAZ-Kuwait delivers educational programs on entrepreneurial and leadership skills aimed at inspiring and educating future generations. Since 2005, INJAZ-Kuwait has reached over 25,000 students from more than 30 schools and universities, thanks to over 800 volunteers—and growing. INJAZ-Kuwait connects corporate volunteers to mentor youth through JA, or Junior Achievement, programs. 46
Volunteers undergo orientation and training before they embark on their mentoring experience to enhance their readiness as well as performance during mentoring sessions to inspire the youth. For more than 100 years, JA is the world’s largest organization dedicated to educating students about workforce readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy through experiential, hands-on programs. With 19 participating countries, including Brazil, China, Bulgaria, South Africa, Kenya and the USA, the competition is truly global. Students from Kuwait, also the only Arab country chosen to participate this year, are invited to showcase their progressive ideas on a national and global scale. It will also give students a unique chance to learn from experienced HP volunteers by utilizing HP’s groundbreaking online meeting room. This year, INJAZ-Kuwait is challenging 1000 students to share their ideas and the first stage is the National Competition. To enter the National Competition, each team (3-5 members) needs to submit a 300-word description of a solution they have found to a local societal challenge. Areas in which they can choose from are: education, health, environment, technology, poverty, economic development, human rights and energy. This can easily be done via the website www.sir.ja-ye.org. Utilizing the online Social Innovation platform, the HP Virtual Meeting Room, the volunteers and
students will develop their idea into a full-fledged business plan. Throughout this time, HP mentors will be dedicated to increasing the students’ knowledge of social entrepreneurship and helping them refine their ideas in order to get them ready for the National Competition. The National Competition will determine Kuwait’s representative in the Global Online Competition. Awards: National Stage •Each member of the national winning team will receive an HP Mini Laptop •The teacher of the national winning team also receives an HP Mini Laptop Global Stages •Top 3 teams are awarded with HP Products (to be confirmed) •The Winning team also receives a special award, which is the participation to the JA-YE Alumni Europe Annual Conference, with all costs covered.
Registering as individual students and as teams is open until the end of March. Log on to: www.sir.ja-ye.org and register now! For more information, please visit the INJAZKuwait website, www.injaz-kuwait.org, find them on Facbook.com/injazkuwait, or follow them on Twitter and Instagram, @injaz_kuwait.
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