Another conference I had the chance to attend during my time in Amman is the No Lost Generation Tech Summit 2019. Under the Patronage of HRH Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan, President of the Royal Scientific Society, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Princess Sumaya University for Technology - the No Lost Generation (NLG) Tech Summit is a two-day event, co-led by UNICEF and NetHope, focused on tech-enabled solutions that connect Learning to Earning for vulnerable adolescents and youth across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The event brought together private sector representatives, development and humanitarian organizations, academic institutions, donors and talented young entrepreneurs and young community organizers. It was a great opportunity to meet with and interview various people to better understand the future of work for youth in the region. Unemployment is one of the most critical issues in MENA, where youth unemployment is the highest in the world, with 29% in Northern Africa and 22% in the Arab States. By 2030, countries in the MENA region will face a substantial increase in the number of adolescents and youth to be absorbed into the labor market – with projected additional 39 million (+27%) young people entering the labor force, many without the training or education necessary to thrive. Additionally, according to the Global Peace Index 2019, the MENA remains, despite some improvements compared to the previous year, the least peaceful region in the world. The challenges that adolescents and youth face in the region in terms of access and quality of education and dignified employment in such an unstable environment, together with the fast-changing future of work, call for reimagining education as lifelong learning towards fostering a generation that is ready to LEAP into the future: ready to Learn, to be Employed, to Actively engage, and to take control over one’s own Personal growth and empowerment; as framed by No Lost Generation. I used the opportunity of attending the summit to interview individuals to collect their insights on learning and training systems in the region. Amongst them, Mr Gary Bolles, Singularity University Chair for the Future of Work and keynote speaker at the NLG Tech Summit, and Mr Zane Awan, founder of Re:coded, an organization that creates and implements tech training programs for refugee communities in Irbil, Iraq. While talking with Bolles, it was fascinating to learn from his views on the higher education quick adaptation models in various countries around the world and how to catalyze systems for an exponential change in the region. For Bolles, the pace of the change is two generations and to accelerate this change, we should:
A second interesting encounter that I wanted to highlight was with Mr. Zain Awan, founder of the organization Re-coded, that runs training programs for refugee communities in Irbil, Iraq. An interesting point from the conversation with Awan at the NLG Tech Summit was to avoid adopting patronizing behaviors when working on skills development programs. When I asked Awan what he thinks should be done differently with regards to skills development programs, he declared: “1. Never underestimate the power that young people bring themselves in the education programs they are in. Don’t patronize. The biggest thing I have noticed about his sector, especially the Tech for Good sector, is that we are taking the old development learning techniques, believe that we are completely free from development critique, and then apply the models through tech. For example, we’d say “Oh those poor refugees don’t know how to use Google Docs”. But ask yourself, does your son know how to use Google Docs? And why are you not training him on that? Why would you teach a refugee how to use google docs though a 6 weeks program when you can teach him or her, over the same period of time, advanced Android for example? So never underestimate. 2. Really go out for the cultural sensitivity. There are parents who are really unsure about sending their kids to these programs, especially girls. For example, we’ve had cases where worried parents would want to come to the interviews with their kids. So, we allowed it. Don’t be averse to that. Have a specific session for the parents to understand the program. Explain what you’re doing, how it is a safe space, and provide them with documents in their language.” Given the critical situation for unemployment in the region and the declining quality of learning in most education systems, such ideas could really transform, at the regional scale, the way we train young people, therefore shaping the future economy of these countries in both humanitarian and non-humanitarian settings. It was overall, an incredible opportunity for me to participate in those conversations, that will surely fuel my reflections after I graduate.
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