MEPI alumni gather
UD MEPI alumni adopt leadership roles at Student Leaders Conference in Morocco
1:14 p.m., April 21, 2015--Alumni and representatives of the U.S.-Middle Eastern Partnership Initiative (MEPI) came together in Rabat, Morocco, in March for a conference slightly different than any that had taken place in the organization’s 13-year history.
For the first time, a select group of students from each participating host university, including the University of Delaware, were chosen to organize and run the conference themselves.
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From facilitating panels of experienced alumni to hosting roundtable conversations with U.S. leaders, organizing a reception and coordinating poster reviews, the students took on the opportunity of testing their leadership skills in a real-world setting.
“Each year, the MEPI Student Leaders Alumni Conference is an incredible opportunity to be reunited with the MEPI students who are setting out to implement change in their home countries,” said Rachel Garcia, UD MEPI administrative coordinator. “But this year was especially impactful because the students were allowed to learn about leadership by practicing it themselves. That sense of ownership during the conference elevated it to a new level.”
Two alumni from UD’s 2014 MEPI Student Leaders Institute were chosen to serve as facilitators during the conference.
Ahmed Eltabey eagerly took on his role as poster review facilitator. “As soon as I saw this opportunity to take a leadership role within the conference, I couldn’t let it go,” he said, adding, “I have learned that being a leader comes with a lot of responsibilities… People look at you as a role model and as someone who sets the tone for the rest of the group.”
Like Eltabey, Mira Fayad, also a conference facilitator, commented on the usefulness of this unique opportunity to lead. “Practicing this leadership role and getting very positive feedback afterwards boosted my self confidence and determination to excel in every task I do in my life,” she noted. “Moreover, having to work with a great facilitation team improved my professionalism and expanded my network. I not only have learned a lot but I also gained new friends that I will forever remember and consult.”
MEPI students spearhead their own self-sustainable, innovative project to generate political and social change in their home countries. The Student Leaders Conference serves not only as an opportunity to network with other alumni but to share the goals, outcomes and resources of each of these initiatives.
The projects of both Eltabey and Fayad seek to equip young college graduates with the resources they need to successfully enter the job market.
Eltabey’s initiative, “EYE -- Egyptian Youth Entrepreneurship,” aims to tackle the astonishingly high unemployment rate of Egyptian youth.
According to Eltabey, “Unemployment is a serious issue in Egypt given the fact of unemployment rates at 13.4 percent. But youth unemployment is an even more critical issue because 81.9 percent of the unemployed are youth ages 18-29.”
To combat this, he will design and implement a series of entrepreneurship and social innovation workshops and business simulations in partnership with pivotal nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) for young college graduates.
Similarly, Fayad, inspired by the lack of career development focus in Lebanese universities, has designed a series of career guidance workshops delivered by experienced recruiters to young graduates.
The workshops will focus on topics such as defining career goals, maintaining a proactive attitude, developing basic communication skills, understanding the job search process and undertaking successful job interviews.
For the success of her initiative thus far, Fayad credits the MEPI program. She remarked, “MEPI has taught me to think strategically, to have purpose, and to work smart toward achieving my goal. MEPI has opened many doors for me and expanded my network in the Arab region and worldwide.”
About MEPI at UD
The University of Delaware, a MEPI partner university since 2003, annually hosts outstanding student leaders from the Middle East and North Africa for a specially designed, high-level training program on social entrepreneurship and project management.
The program puts special emphasis on participants applying these skills in their home communities and countries to effect change.
The MEPI program is funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs and at UD is operated under the auspices of the University’s Institute for Global Studies.
IGS will welcome this year’s group of student leaders during July and August.
For more on the UD MEPI program, visit the website or contact Dan Bottomley at dbott@udel.edu.