• Discussion centres on organization’s mission and its work that has empowered more than 100,000 young people since inception, while advancing private-sector model of partnership

Dubai, UAE: Representatives of INJAZ UAE’s Board of Directors and other members from partner companies recently had the honour of meeting H.E. Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, to present the organization’s mission and describe its work on youth empowerment and the private-sector model of partnership.

In addition, the winning team from the latest INJAZ UAE National Company Program competition participated in the visit and delivered a presentation to Sheikh Nahyan on their startup.

INJAZ UAE board members and partners who attended the March 18 meeting included: Elissar Farah Antonios, Chairperson, INJAZ UAE; Ali Al Janabi, Chairman of Shell Group of Companies – Iraq & UAE and Vice President Shell Upstream – Iraq & UAE; David Ramos, Senior Manager, Sustainability, MENA and Turkey, HSBC; and Shamsa Al-Falasi, Managing Director, Interim CEO of Citibank, N.A. Onshore Entity in the UAE and Citi Cluster Head Of Global Subsidiaries Group – GCC & Iraq.

Commenting on the meeting, Sheikh Nahyan said: “INJAZ UAE performs a vital service for society by equipping young people with the skills necessary for entrepreneurial success. It is a pleasure to join with INJAZ UAE in celebrating the country’s youth, such as the young stars from Dubai National School – Al Barsha who captured first place in the INJAZ UAE National Company Program competition.”

Elissar Farah Antonios, Chairperson, INJAZ UAE, added: “INJAZ UAE is committed to enabling the next generation of entrepreneurs by equipping them with the necessary information, skills and networks. We are grateful to the wise leadership of the UAE for creating the social and economic infrastructure that allows entrepreneurs to find opportunities for success and thereby enrich the nation.”

INJAZ UAE is a member of Junior Achievement Worldwide, which is one of the world’s largest non-profit business education organizations and reaches over 10 million students a year across 121 countries. INJAZ UAE serves as a nexus between the business community, educators and volunteers to empower young people to own their economic success. Through its programs and sessions across the country, INJAZ UAE has trained over 100,000 students since its inception in 2005.

The organization’s signature event is the annual INJAZ UAE National Company Program competition. The most recent winners, from Dubai National School – Al Barsha, are an all-female team of Al Reem Al Muhairi, Maryam Al Blooshi, Muna Alblooki and Jeeda Haj Weiss. They were assisted by their teacher Raghad Khalifa. The team went on to win first place at the INJAZ Al-Arab Youth Entrepreneurship Celebration, competing with teams from 13 countries in MENA.

In a joint statement the team members said: “It was a great honour to meet Sheikh Nahyan and tell him about our startup, an online platform called JoinMe that targets women aged 16 and over. We believe in connecting and empowering women. We also thank INJAZ UAE for providing an opportunity to test our startup in competition with other young people from the UAE and across the Arab region.”

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About INJAZ UAE:

INJAZ UAE is a member of Junior Achievement Worldwide (JAW), one of the world’s largest non-profit business education organizations that reaches over 15 million students a year in +100 member countries. INJAZ UAE serves as a nexus between the business community, educators and volunteers who work together to empower young people in the UAE to own their economic success.

INJAZ UAE delivers cutting-edge, experiential volunteer-based programs in work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. We are dedicated to giving youth the knowledge and skills they need to plan their professional future and make smart academic and economic choices. Our programs help spark the learning in youth to experience the opportunities and realities of the professional world.