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A group of Ibn Khuldoon National School (IKNS) students will be representing the kingdom in INJAZ Al Arab’s Regional Young Entrepreneurs Competition to be held in Morocco.
The INJAZ Al Arab Young Entrepreneurs Competition, which was launched in 2007, is an annual celebration of the achievements of students who participated and won the National Company Programme Competition in their countries. It aims to enhance the entrepreneurial skills of Arab youth, create job opportunities in the market and stimulate the economy.
IKNS students Talal Radhi, Aneesa Al Mahmood, twins Shooq and Noof Al Bastaki, Mohamed Al Madani and Yusuf Al Basri, all 16, won the High School Company of the Year award for their mobile application business called Sahim.
They beat out 12 high school student companies participating in the virtual INJAZ Bahrain Young Entrepreneurs Competition earlier this month.
Yusuf, Sahim’s chief executive officer from Al Musalla, said: “After preparing for this moment for more than six months, the team exploded with happiness and pride for the unforgettable experience we had.
“All the time, money and effort finally paid off and we are now ready to start a new, bigger journey heading into the regional competition taking place in Morroco.”
Sahim was formed to provide charities and social non-profit organisations the opportunity to be promoted on a single platform. According to Aneesa, its vice president of marketing, each organisation is given a profile – consisting of a logo, introduction, needs, upcoming events, contact information and so forth. It will provide the user with all the information needed in order to make giving easier.
The team’s aim is to build a sustainable country by uniting communities through the act of giving.
Shooq, Sahim’s vice president of human resources from Isa Town, said: “We would like to achieve the United Nation’s first, 11th, and 17th Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) which represent no poverty, to form sustainable cities and communities and to create partnerships for the goals respectively.
“Aside from the SDG’s, our main goal is to unite communities through the power of giving. However, as individuals, we are all striving to gain and develop new personal and entrepreneurial skills that will help us excel in our future careers.”
The team is looking forward to its Morocco challenge and is building upon the business.
Talal, the vice president of product development from Hamad Town, said: “We made sure that our product has a strong foundation to build upon. We are looking into adding new features that would add more value to our company as well as maintain its growth. Some of these features include online payments (money donations), a delivery system for subscribers and many other elements.
“However, our main plans for Morocco are to prepare as individuals through effective training with INJAZ Bahrain, because after all, this is a tougher competition and many areas of personal skills need to be developed to ensure the success of the team.”
INJAZ Bahrain is a non-profit organisation aimed at inspiring and preparing young Bahrainis to succeed in a global economy. Its volunteers are supported by 21 community leader who serve on the board of directors and these professionals provide the organisation with guidance and support. In addition, INJAZ Bahrain works with numerous local collaborations and affiliations and creates programmes to encourage confidence and motivate young people to achieve their personal, educational and career goals.
According to Hana Sarwani, its executive director, the Company Programme provides high school and university students the opportunity to start, organise and operate actual enterprising companies in their local communities.
She said: “In doing so, students from diverse academic backgrounds learn about real life business processes and functions, the challenges and benefits of entrepreneurship and the contribution that entrepreneurs make to economies and societies in the MENA region.”
The successful online competition brought together 21 student companies in Bahrain vying for an array of awards including Product of the Year and Best Social Impact. More than 240,000 students from across the kingdom benefitted from INJAZ’s programmes over the past 15 years.
Hana added: “The success of the Company Programme this year is a true testament to the outstanding dedication of everyone involved from students to board members and the exceptional leadership and guidance of Her Highness Shaikha Hessa bint Khalifa Al Khalifa, INJAZ Bahrain’s chairperson. The competition proves the readiness and agility of our youth and their ability to utilise their skills and creativity to adapt to the global challenges that the world faces.”
