CARE International UK are steadily building their campaigning and advocacy strengths. I have been involved in this as a Trustee and as the Chair of the Communications and Marketing committee. Their recent campaign Living on the Edge is rapidly building awareness of the need in Africa to anticipate the crises that plague the continent. Details of this work can be found at www.careinternational.org.uk/?lid=7687&bid=259.

I have so impressed with the work of Carol Monoyios and her team and I would urge all my friends and colleagues to get involved in their work in over 70 countries around the developed world. You can do this through their website at www.careinternational.org.uk/?lid=8583

The SHABAB programme was launched by Her Excellency Mrs Asma Al Assad on August the 21st in a special evening in the Sheraton Hotel, Aleppo The programme is now operating in 6 cities around Syria with plans to expand in the near future.

It was very fitting that the launch took place in Aleppo where the business community have rallied round to support and encourage young people in their city to learn about business and entrepreneurship. This was recognised by Her Exccellency during the celebrations when she presented them with certificates thanking them for their contribution.

The team now numbers 13 and regular training is taking place to expand the scope of the help that SHABAB can give to young Syrians seeking to become more employable. Strong support has been given not only by the business community but also by various Ministers who are building the need to develop the business skills and awareness of young people into their policies and regulations.

Each August a small music festival is held in a number of the villages Perches above Frejus in the Var (Seillans, Mons and Bargemon). This year a group of young singers and a highly competent scratch choir and orchestra performed Handel's Dixit Dominus and Derufle's Requiem Mass. The music was of a very high quality and the company excellent with some 60 participants from all over Europe. This is a gem of a music festival and if you are ever in the area in mid August look out for the concerts, good music in a beautiful setting cannot be beaten! You can find out more in their website at www.musique-cordiale.com

View of the performance through the door of the church at Seillans

By Alistair Lyon, Special Correspondent

DAMASCUS (Reuters) - It could be a scene from a reality TV show as a young Syrian entrepreneur pitches her team's plan for a wheelchair factory to a potential investor.

Twisting her fingers nervously, Rama al-Habri, a 16-year-old in jeans and red top, has never done anything like it before and nor have her friends at the Omar Ibn al-Khattab girls' school.

In a state education system dominated by rote learning, the idea of working in groups to produce ideas, solve problems, make decisions and stand up to explain them is a novelty.

But unless young Syrians can acquire such business skills and shake off their prejudices about the private sector, rampant unemployment will only get worse and Syria's attempt to transform its state-heavy economy will run into the sand.

"Before I thought that starting a business needed lots of money and only very rich people could manage it," Habri said during a break in the workshop at the girls' secondary school. "They showed us how anyone can do it."

"We never work in groups at school, but it's fun. Everybody can put forward their own ideas."

The buzz in the classroom was palpable as each team worked on its presentation, the competitive climax of two days of workshops run by SHABAB, a private non-profit organization backed by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma.

In the past, when Syria's ruling Baathist party preached an Arab socialist ideology, capitalists were despised as parasites.

Two years ago the party embraced a change towards a "social market economy", but old habits die hard. Surveys published in Syrian newspapers show 60 to 70 percent of youngsters still want jobs in the public sector which cannot absorb the 200,000 newcomers entering the labor market every year.
The aim of the program is change the mentality a bit," said Tamara Kabbour, who led the workshop at the girls' school.

"Almost no young people think of becoming entrepreneurs or starting their own business. They think the public sector is more secure and they all want to be doctors or engineers."

SHABAB's business awareness program, which reached 80 Syrian schools this year, brings people from the private sector into the workshops to share their experiences with the students.

Syrian businessmen trying to build on stuttering reforms promoted by Assad to liberalize the economy are acutely aware of a skills gap they say is hampering private sector growth.

"It's a humungous problem," said Basel Nasri, 45, founder of the Syrian Entrepreneurs Association. "We advertised for a marketing manager and received over 200 applications. None was good enough. After four months we still haven't found anyone."

Nasri, whose businesses run from steel to marketing and communications, said the skills shortage might ease in 10 years as new private universities turn out more graduates.

Foreign banks, insurance companies and telecom firms newly allowed to operate in Syria have grabbed much of the available talent, forcing local businesses to match higher wage scales.

"In the past a starting salary of $300 to $400 a month was considered good in Syria. Now you can hardly find a starter who will accept less than $500 or $600," Nasri said.

Syrian companies have begun headhunting in the Gulf to try to attract expatriate Syrians home, he said. "These people, with experience of working for foreign companies, can be the engine for change. The wages are no longer so different."
Hayssam Joud, scion of a long-established business family whose interests include a Pepsi plant in Damascus, agreed it was tough to recruit good people, but said Syrians were quick to learn. "Give them training and expertise and they will deliver."

RUNAWAY POPULATION GROWTH

Syria's population of 19 million is growing at 2.45 percent a year. More than 40 percent of Syrians are aged under 15.

Economist Nabil Sukkar put unemployment at 20 percent, more than twice the official figure. He said Syria faced a difficult transition. Only the private sector could create new jobs as the public sector shrank, along with its ethos of secure employment.

"A draft labor law will reduce job security and the unions are resisting it," he said. "We need unemployment benefits and health care to make people feel less insecure."

Young Syrians must also overcome a general fear of business, said Yamama Al-Oraibi, SHABAB's project manager.

"To them, marketing is a scary word. Human resources? You might as well be talking Chinese," she said. "We try to remove this mystique and show them how much is just commonsense."

"What's a bit ludicrous is that Damascus was on the Silk Route and Syria's merchants were known for centuries as the quickest and smartest, so there's a strong business tradition.

"That seems to have slipped slightly. We need to get it back and link people up to their own traditions," Al-Oraibi

Tags: syria

There is no single solution to creating an successful framework for the transition from school to work . It requires a partnership between Civil Society, Government and Business.
This “map” was developed for SHABAB in Syria to show how their programmes fit into an overall picture of what is needed for young people to become employable and find decent and productive work.

A delegation from the National Association of Children’s Youth Palaces, the All China Youth Federation and the Youth and Children Foundation for Social Education came to see how UK ‘s experience can help them develop extra-curricular support for young people in China.

During the visit the group was taken to see the work of the Natural History Museum, the British Museum, Enterprise Education, @Bristol and the BBC. There is a strong wish to build ties with the youth programmes of all these institutions to become part of their plans for an Olympic youth legacy with the next steps being finalised later this year.

During the visit the delegation presented me with a certificate recognising my role as an adviser to Youth Business China, a nation-wide youth entrepreneurship programme.

SHABAB is developing a new project called Business Clinics.
One of the challenges that the early years of SHABAB is that although we raise business awareness and skills levels among young Syrians, there is nowhere for them to go next.

The team are developing a new concept they call Business Clinics. This is a drop-in centre where young people can find help in seeking jobs, presenting themselves professionally and learning CV writing and Interview skills.

At a recent brainstorming session the team developed a number of core principles. A summary of this workshops findings can be found under Business Clinics in the Youth Employability and Entrepreneurship section of this website.

The SHABAB team working on ideas for a Business Clinic

In February I participated in a two day workshop run by the Wolfensohn Center and the Dubai School of Government to debate what are the most fruitful areas improving the inclusion of young people in the Middle east region.

A wide range of issues was explored and the workshop eventually focused on employability and employment. The Center are now looking at the next steps of a 3 year project based on the discussions and the papers presented to the workshop.

Chairing one of the workshop sessions

Three years ago I visited the Xingu to discuss how they can help their young people survive and prosper in the modern world while preserving their communal culture. (www.yikatuxingu.org.br). Individual entrepreneurship is not compatible with their culture but enterprise is key. The solution lies more with sustainable agriculture and trading and they need all the support they can get to develop this

Earlier this year Sue and Patrick Cunningham set off to travel down the Xingu river to help promote awareness of the needs of the tribe, you can track their progress at
http://ipcst.wordpress.com

As you will see from their website their need is still great and only with our support will they survive. If you can please give generously to help them preserve their culture.

Talking with the Chief at his village of Kamayura

I have been working on a collaboration between two organisations with whom I am closely involved, the London Symphony Chorus www.lsc.org and CARE International UK www.care.org.uk.
On Easter Sunday the Chorus put on a performance of the St Matthew Passion to support CARE’s work in reducing world poverty. This unprecedented collaboration between one of the world’s leading choirs and the third largest International charity in the world has enabled both partners to speak to a wider audience than either organisation can access alone and demonstrate that the best of art can create value in a wider world context.

This event was a great success. The Barbican Concert Hall was a sell-out with an audience of 2,200. They were able to learn about the work of CARE.. The chorus was able to raise funds for its own work in promoting choral singing and composing and to support CARE’s work overseas. CARE was able to raise its profile, explain its mission and recruit interested members of the public to provide ongoing support for their work.

CARE works through 12 national member organizations who come under the global CARE International umbrella. The confederation has more than 60 years of experience and is one of the world’s largest non-religious, non-political humanitarian organizations devoted to fighting poverty. CARE runs development programs in nearly 70 countries and has a staff of nearly 15,000 employees in the field. Approximately 90% are nationals in the countries where CARE works.

Youth Business Ukraine has opened its first 4 offices in the Oblast of Lugansk. I have been working with them on behalf of YBI www.ybi.org to train officers and mentors and to develop a business plan as the basis for an imminent application for accreditation.

Go to Case Studies for examples of Ukraine’s young entrepreneurs

One of the subjects discussed by the AoC http://www.unaoc.org last year addressed the challenge of how to help young people into decent and productive work, particularly in the MENA region where youth unemployment is so high.

Working with the AoC I produced a paper outlining a possible project for an International Centre for Youth Recruitment and Internship to help young people into employment.

Some of the ideas explored in the paper have been adopted by SHABAB in Syria and other countries have been looking at the possibility of working on similar ideas.

Go to Publications to read a copy of this paper.