In a world of opportunities and chances, young minds are struggling to find their place in the big picture through introducing their ideas to the globe and involving themselves in the development of society as a whole, as well as honing personal goals and careers. Nahdet el-Mahrousa (NM), an Egyptian youth-led non-governmental organization, is pursuing change in the lives of these youngsters through supporting them with an awareness lecture series as well as financially under the umbrella of a program entitled the “Young Innovators' Awards” (YIA). The YIA is available to both men and women seeking degrees in the fields of science, agriculture and engineering. The award committee chooses recipients by evaluating their bachelor's graduation projects. The award, a sum of LE6000, aims to give the winner a head start by permitting some measure of independence in their entrepreneurial aspirations. Nahdet el-Mahrousa, in Arabic meaning the Renaissance of Egypt, was established in November 2003 and strives to make a positive and lasting impact on Egypt's cultural, economic and social development through activating and engaging Egyptian youth in the country's developmental arenas. NM achieves these goals through its core program, the “Incubator of Innovative Social Enterprises,” which acts as a vehicle for social innovation. The YIA program launched in 2004. It aims to positively impact Egypt's scientific culture in three ways: supporting research and development activities; empowering and developing scientists, engineers and researchers; and creating linkages between university research and industrial applications. The YIA program achieves these goals by providing young Egyptian scientists, engineers and researchers with financial support, traineeships, and professional opportunities. Over the past years, the program has grown to cover all national Egyptian universities, including all 67 faculties of Engineering, Agriculture and Sciences, and has implemented partnership with numerous businesses, government agencies and educational institutions. This year, sponsored by Mobinil, Sawiris Foundation, and the Sadko Group, the 2010-2011 YIA program is giving 125 awards to accomplished undergraduates who will register for the program until February 2011. “NM is the best caretaker of the development movement in the Arab world,“ says Tamer Moheb, Nahdet el-Mahrousa treasurer. “These are not our own words, but rather the results of research done by different local development organizations. Social work in this country is an idea that we respect and we thank the people who share us with this responsibility.” “We try to help the young innovators who we pick in a scientific way. We give them technical advice and grant them technical support, as this is a hard thing for youngsters here, and we try to provide them with different methods of support, whether it's financial support or otherwise.” Moheb stresses that, if these youngsters are not supported, they are going to face challenges they might not be able to handle. Taking into account the vigor of the youth, those who are not capable of overcoming such challenges are poised to become a negative force in society, or migrate to another country. A round table discussion to announce the launch of this year's program, attended by representatives of the sponsors and by Dr. Amr Ezzat Salama, Former Higher Education Minister and the counselor of the American University in Cairo, took place on Monday, 13 December. The event, while primarily allowing the sponsors to talk about their individual achievements in social development in Egypt, brought to light a number of issues that need greater care from society as a whole. “This is the first time such huge number of companies and organizations are gathered to support such a cause,” says Dr. Salama. “Usually, one organization or one sponsor volunteers for such a cause. The number of Egyptian organizations who believe in the idea behind this project and the development of scientific research in Egypt is impressive.” “It goes without saying that we started too late in developing such programs in Egypt. Egypt is on the lead among developing countries in the scientific research field, and the efforts taking place at the moment are promising results in the near future.” Salama contends the government is not the elixir to all of society's deficiencies. Civil society must play the role of society's benefactor where the government is incapable. The former minister uses the higher education field as an example of such civil society involvement in the social development. “Most of these big universities we hear about in the United States are built by the generous efforts of rich businessmen who cares about education," Salama says. "Some of them, however, are sponsored by the American Government while others cover their costs from students' tuitions." In Egypt, according to Salama, two shining institutional examples provide evidence of such private benefaction. “While some universities in Egypt turned to be only profit-seeking companies, both the Nile University and the American University in Cairo are non-profit universities that are not aiming for a profit and great examples of community colleges in Egypt.” Sawiris Foundation for Social Development is among the sponsors of the Young Innovators' Awards. It granted 50 graduating students financial support to allow them to accomplish their project objectives at engineering, science and agriculture faculties. Mobinil will contribute to the YIA program by sponsoring 15 graduation projects from engineering, electronics and communications faculties in all 18 public Egyptian universities. Women Entrepreneurs in Action is Al-Masry Al-Youm's new series devoted to women who start their own businesses from home. Whether as a means of increasing income or as a result of extra time, women all over Egypt are employing their creative energies in different fields and organizing their ideas into small businesses. This is, of course, a global phenomenon and entrepreneurship is a trend for both genders. In this series we look at women who have created businesses from scratch, discuss the origins of their ideas and the steps they took to realize their dreams and--for those who ventured out into boutiques or online--the catalysts for their growth. Even greater are the numbers of women who live, day by day, with an idea that has yet to be actualized. It will also feature articles about resources--financial, legal and organizational--for starting your own business. Are you considering starting your own business project? If so, send us your information or let us know what resources you would like us to highlight. Email comments and queries to Al-Masry Al-Youm's Life & Style Editor: [email protected].
