Soraya Salti Youth For Youth Series

Columbia Global Centers | Amman, a hub for Columbia University research and educational initiatives in the Middle East and one in a network of eight global centers around the world, announces the Soraya Salti Youth for Youth Series. 

March 11, 2016
Columbia Global Center in Amman Announces: Soraya Salti Youth for Youth Series

Columbia Global Centers | Amman, a hub for Columbia University research and educational initiatives in the Middle East and one in a network of eight global centers around the world, announces the Soraya Salti Youth for Youth Series. The series is inspired by the legacy of the late Soraya Salti, former President and CEO for Middle East and North Africa at INJAZ Al-Arab, a non-profit organization that supports youth education and training in the Arab world. With the support of Mr. Waleed AlBanawi, Founder and Chairman at JISR Venture Partners, the series will be launching on November 9, 2016, and will honor the incredible work and achievements of his life-partner Soraya Salti in the field of youth education and entrepreneurship.

The fund will help establish a speaker and workshop series by youth and for youth that focuses on themes of gender equality, entrepreneurship, innovation, and leadership, among others. Based at the Columbia Global Center in Amman, this initiative reaches out to young people to promote and advance youth leadership development.

The Youth for Youth Series aims to create a space for debating, reflecting and understanding the challenges and opportunities faced by youth, as well as for proposing immediate applications to address them.

Professor Safwan M. Masri, Executive Vice President for Global Centers and Global Development and Director of the Columbia Global Centers | Amman noted, “This initiative will create an opportunity for building a youth for youth network of leadership and support across Jordan and the region. Through impactful programming, we hope to honor Soraya’s extraordinary legacy, as well as extend her vision for leadership development and dedication to youth, entrepreneurship, and women to another generation of future leaders.”

Waleed AlBanawi said, “Soraya was a transformative social entrepreneur who believed in the power of education. Through her work at INJAZ Al-Arab, she devoted her life to pioneering and spearheading entrepreneurial education programs that have bridged the disconnect between students and the private sector, resulting in the empowerment of millions of youth in the Arab world. This Youth for Youth Series will carry her message, work and legacy and will hopefully impact future generations to come.” He added, “There’s no better academic partner to foster a more meaningful experience and exchange than Columbia’s global center in Amman, Jordan. That also happens to be Soraya’s homeland and the region she so selflessly and tirelessly served.”

The series will host four young leaders from the MENA region, from November 2016 to June 2017, to speak and interact with fellow youth who stand to benefit from positive role models. Talks will feature personal success stories on diverse issues, and provide insights into practical applications to complex challenges.

The first talk, titled “Unleashing the Next Generation of Change Makers,” will take place on Wednesday, November 9 and will be delivered by Najla Al-Midfa, General Manager of Sheraa and Founder of Khayarat. Sheraa is an Emirati government entity that aims to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs and Khayarat is a platform that enables young Emiratis to make informed career choices.