Middle school students from eight Arabic schools in Qatar were able to put their entrepreneurial skills to the test during the inaugural Young Entrepreneurs Competition, held in collaboration between Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP), Qatar Career Development Center (QCDC), Teach for Qatar, and Bedaya Center.
Gharam Al Yafi (also an alumna of QSTP’s Arab Innovation Academy 2019) along with two other leading teachers on the initiative, Diana Aref, and Fikria Al-Dous, enrolled in the Teach for Qatar program and established the Young Entrepreneurs Competition as their graduation program.
Through their participation in the Meshkat program they received training and guidance which they successfully applied and delivered to their students. Experts from the Meshkat program trained the teachers on entrepreneurship in line with Qatar Foundation’s (QF) philosophy of enhanced collaboration.
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The Meshkat program was jointly developed in 2020 by QF members QSTP and QCDC to raise awareness of technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship among Qatar’s high school students, and features workshops, academic clinics, an introductory seminar on entrepreneurship and technological innovation, and a visit to QSTP’s facilities.
The three teachers also participated in the teaching and leadership development program at Teach for Qatar, establishing their new initiative as part of their final graduation project. The program is designed to be delivered entirely in Arabic, and serves as a platform for Arab students to clearly understand the essentials of tech entrepreneurship.
Hayfa Al Abdulla, QSTP Innovation Director, said, “We are proud to have combined efforts with other leading players in Qatar’s educational and entrepreneurial ecosystems to magnify the impact of the Meshkat program. Since its inception this program has served as a catalyst to both enhance the level of knowledge and develop the capabilities of our younger generation, who are keen to explore the inspiring and competitive world of technology and innovation.”
