INJAZ Bahrain, part of INJAZ Al-Arab, a member of Junior Achievement (JA) Worldwide and the world’s largest non-profit business education organization, witnessed two Bahraini student teams win three awards at the regional Young Entrepreneurship Competition Awards Ceremony.
Bahrain’s Team Hasib and Team Hassad were awarded three prizes: The Mastercard Excellence in Technology Award -Team Hasib from Naseem International School; Citi Client Focus Award – Team Hassad from Royal University for Women; and the coveted Company of the Year 2021 – High School track -Team Hasib.
In its 15th edition, the annual YEC celebrated the achievements of students who participated and won the National Company Program Competition in their respective countries, this year, the competition saw 109 students, from across 13 countries, compete for awards following a rigorous period of mentorship and programming. This year’s teams were be mentored by industry experts from across Boeing, FedEx, Mastercard, Investcorp, and Citi Foundation, exploring in-depth skills sessions across design thinking, innovation, growth and development, customer service, and business strategy, and deepening their understanding of a wide spectrum of business concepts.
Following the judging process, the coveted ‘Soraya Salti Company of the Year’ university award was awarded to Clean Palco from Palestine, many products are provided such as rubber floors, sidewalk tiles, and bricks by recycling materials polluting the environment such as (stone sawdust with water and rubber tires) and other inputs to make high-quality products also, it aims to develop this vital sector, which is one of the most important foundations of the Palestinian economy. The high school edition of the prize was awarded to Hasib from Bahrain, Hasib is a group of young entrepreneurs from the Kingdom’s Naseem International School (NIS), they allow cyclists to feel confident and secure during their journey. Therefore, a product was created to ensure the safety of cyclists and eliminate any potential danger for a safe, risk-free ride. Hasib wants to keep Bahrain a safe country and create a turning point in its history by decreasing the mortality rates in Bahrain!
Commenting on the event, Akef Aqrabawi, President & CEO, INJAZ Al Arab, said: “With every edition of the INJAZ Al-Arab Young Entrepreneurs Competition, we are impressed by the innovation and creativity of today’s youth across the region, and we a proud to celebrate today’s winners. We continue to see the impact of our programs in the development of the leaders of tomorrow, and INJAZ Al-Arab is proud to continue our work to foster the entrepreneurial mindset witnessed here today. Thank you to our students, volunteers, partners, and judges for yet another successful edition of the Young Entrepreneurs Competition, and we look forward to what’s to come as we work together for the future of our youth and the region.”
Ms. Hana Sarwani, Executive Director of INJAZ Bahrain commented: “Our students continue to demonstrate year on year their talent for innovation, their hunger for curiosity, and their ability to ideate, achieve, create and lead. We could not be more proud of them as they demonstrate their ingenuity, sportsmanship, teamwork, and creative and critical thinking skills as they prepare to become the leaders of tomorrow.”
Main awards included the ‘Product of the Year’, which was awarded to T2G Company from Oman within the university track, while Stripes from Egypt won the high school edition. 2021’s ‘Best Social Impact’ award went to the university track’s MinFeed from Lebanon, and high school track’s Autism-less World from Palestine.
Signature awards were granted to high school and university tracks, Cortex Wellness from UAE won the high school edition of the ‘FedEx Global Possibilities’ Award. The evening also saw Packtus from Tunisia take home the ‘Investcorp Value Creation’ Award for university students, while Stripes from Egypt and Hassad from Bahrain was awarded the ‘Citi Client Focus Award for both high school and university edition. The ‘Mastercard Excellence in Technology’ Award was won by Hasib from Bahrain for the high school track. Finally, the ‘Boeing Business Challenge’ Award was given to HiVenture from Lebanon for the high school track.
In partnership with the companies behind the awards, and with the support of 918 volunteers, INJAZ Al-Arab has driven impactful programs throughout the 2020-21 academic year, reaching 11,833 students across the region, forming a total of 647 student enterprises.
Launched in 2007, the INJAZ Al-Arab Youth Entrepreneurship Celebration is the culmination of six months of rigorous experiential learning and application for students across the MENA region who have won the internationally acclaimed INJAZ National Company Program.