Why Taqaddam?

Today’s young people are living in an increasingly complex and challenging world. Globalisation and technology are bringing about significant changes in the workplace where there is increased competition for jobs and demand for higher levels of skills. This is having a profound effect on the fast-growing, young population of the MENA region, where many young people are leaving education unprepared for this rapidly changing environment and facing the prospect of long-term unemployment.

Unemployment has become the norm for school leavers in the MENA region. The average spell of unemployment for school leavers in Egypt, for example, is nearly 34 months. In its 2012 report, the World Economic Forum stated that ‘these young people are in dire need of an economic future, which will support the conditions for human development, as well as vibrant and inclusive social cohesion’.

Taqaddam aims to provide young people with an opportunity to develop personal life skills giving them more control and opportunity to improve their lives by strengthening their capacity and capabilities to confidently make the transition from school on to the next stage of their adult lives. By engaging with young people in ways that build their confidence, communication skills, sense of self-awareness and learning mindset it will help them to lead a successful and productive life. We focus on life skills that develop their creativity, imagination, critical thinking, resilience and leadership skills.