Episode Transcript
Speaker 1 00:00:06 Welcome back here to the eliminate, the gap podcast here this week. Hey, looking forward to a great week this week, right? Eric.
Speaker 2 00:00:15 Absolutely. And, uh, our, uh, you know, a lot of our episodes so far have really touched in some way on the pandemic. And, and this is really when we're going to begin to kind of make a move we'll back into normal, uh, positive use development. And this week's guest is <inaudible>, uh, she's former director of the technical vocation and education training T vet is known in the international development field, uh, in Egypt. Um, and she's based in Cairo and we're very excited to have her on this morning. Um, and we are going to be doing a first, uh, we will be attempting to do a simulcast on the global five network on LinkedIn. So, uh, we might have some interaction, uh, some questions and all of that. So yeah, it should be interesting and hopefully a lot of fun. Uh, yeah, absolutely. There's been a lot of, uh, feedback from our last episode, you know, as we expected, this is starting to, to grow a little bit and we've gotten more and more people checking out episodes in the last one we did on, on education really got people stirred up a little bit. Um, what have you been hearing and, and tell us a little bit about kind of what's coming up for you all, uh, with emerging from the pandemic.
Speaker 1 00:01:37 Yeah. So, so in regards to that education piece, so again, we will thanks, uh, Troy Washington for coming on and, uh, you know, since that's actually happened, actually, uh, joy has actually been, uh, assigned to be an assistant principal at a school actually going to be fairly close. So look at that, look at their look at ETG Hey, come on. You want to move up? Come on. ETG
Speaker 2 00:02:04 Baby.
Speaker 1 00:02:07 So yeah, that actually just happened. And, uh, what, uh, one of the big things here as we talk about, you know, whatever it is in our country is there they're going to be two different sides. And it's just one thing we're doing here is just, you know, we're, we're opening up the dialogue, we're expanding the dialogue. It's, it's all about thought. And again, it's not about, we all have to agree. We just have to kind of to look and understand the other, other side of things in a lot of cases. And there are folks that are okay and comfortable with, Hey, they're ready at this point. We've been in this thing for just the year and they're like, Hey, I'm ready to just go back to normal is see as, as best we can. And then there's others that still have some fears. And again, we understand that and that's to be expected exactly.
Speaker 1 00:03:01 Uh, one of the things that actually is come up here in the DC Metro area, where we have a, one of the largest school systems in the nature nation in Fairfax county, uh, the majority of those schools around here have come out with statements within the last week or two, since our last podcast talking about in the fall Bob days a week, we're going back to normalcy as best we can and boots there, there are going to be options for folks that don't want to come back still, but we're going back to regular five day work week in regards to school, five days education for students. So that's, that's very, uh, encouraging for me at least.
Speaker 2 00:03:44 Sure. And, and just a reminder, and I'm sure nobody watching these podcasts or listening are coming to us for their news. Um, but anything we say here, still check out the CDC guidelines, still check out your local, um, uh, health department and what they're recommending. Um, because I saw earlier this week, it looked like that maybe schools are going to within a three-foot distance, you know, where that's considered safe instead of six feet, uh, social distance. And so I know there's just a lot of things varying out there. Um, as we do continue to come through this, um, and, and whatnot that you just continue to check out your own local guidelines there. We do not pretend to be experts in this area. We're just reflecting and sharing things that we hear, hopefully not perpetuating any rumors or anything like that. So, um, so today's guests, we're pretty excited.
Speaker 2 00:04:42 Um, as mentioned, Shahrukh sedan will join us here in, in, uh, in a moment. Um, we're going to be talking about, uh, gender, uh, in girls involvement and engagement in programming and in all kinds of, uh, walks of life. Um, so gender and inclusion, I know she particularly Shahrukh is passionate about entrepreneurship and, and how, uh, young women can build their skills in enter the, uh, increase their own wealth and, and really contribute to their community in that way. Um, and the fact that troops been able to do this successfully throughout the middle east and Northern Africa, um, should be quite fascinating to hear and, uh,
Speaker 1 00:05:30 Volume.
Speaker 2 00:05:31 Yeah, absolutely. And so we'll, we'll certainly hear about what some of the challenges have been in, in what they still are, but, but more importantly, um, how things are changing and how young girls are beginning to, to, to thrive, uh, in that region and around the world. All right. Well, as promised today's, uh, episode is going to focus on, and of course, as soon as I do this ask call, excuse me, um, today's episode is going to be about gender and inclusion and entrepreneurship and, and really a robust kind of conversation about these issues, particularly with maybe an emphasis, uh, at least initially in the middle east and Northern Africa, but then globally, really, I mean, and we'll have others joining us in a, in a unique format for us. Um, and you'll see people pop on potentially as the conversation continues this morning. Um, but Shahrukh sedan was our, uh, guests this morning and she, uh, is formerly a director of the technical vocation and education training also known in our field as T vet, uh, in, uh, Egypt. Uh, and so she is actually based in Cairo right now. She's been going back and forth between there and London. Um, but she's happens to be in Kira and we're very grateful to have her here this morning. So welcome. Shahrukh, uh, to eliminate the guy, uh, podcast.
Speaker 3 00:07:02 Thank you so much, Eric. And, uh, I'm looking forward to this. It's been quite some time,
Speaker 2 00:07:09 These
Speaker 3 00:07:09 Two work together, right?
Speaker 2 00:07:11 Yeah, absolutely. So for, for, uh, just to state the, out there a true can I worked together for off and on for gosh, five, six years, uh, in a big project in Egypt, uh, in the mid two thousands, um, with the big strategy that engaged, uh, a lot of young people, particularly those in the tech or the vocational ed, uh, track, uh, within Egypt. And we work throughout the country as we went down or up the river Nile, um, to various communities, then, uh, we did quite a bit, we got to know each other, uh, respect each other's work and, and then since then Truett's really blown up in her career. Uh, and so I I'd love to just kind of briefly get a sense from our time running that project in, in doing project management with the, uh, equip to project in Cairo to kind of where you are now, uh, you know, with global five and getting the, uh, you know, platform set up, there's a lot that's happened in between there. So just kind of fill us in and again, touching on the passion that you have for these areas.
Speaker 3 00:08:20 Um, um, I'm sure you remember that, uh, when we first started, uh, the community youth mapping program out here in Egypt, we had, uh, a lot of, uh, resistance from a lot of people, uh, be it, the community itself, uh, the government, uh, different stakeholders. And yet we, we somehow managed, you know, to instill certain, um, uh, development, uh, foundations into the few communities that we began with. And we did, uh, something that, uh, was at the time, very, very rare, which was, uh, taking girls overseas to foreign lands and, uh, having them, uh, you know, take the leadership and introduce all the initiatives that were taking place in Egypt and later on expanded, uh, to other, uh, development countries. And, um, I think that, uh, things began to evolve, uh, more towards, uh, the importance of having youth, uh, become, um, a strong, uh, entity whereby their voices need to be heard, um, across different platforms, uh, in particular with, in terms of, uh, changes in certain policies and certain practices.
Speaker 3 00:09:54 Um, and with the SDG agenda, taking precedence across, across the globe, it, it became, um, even more visible for us as, uh, as a developing nation and for many other developing nations whereby you know, it was time for youth to step forward, and it was time for us to sort of, uh, give the flag to this, to the next generation and see what they have in mind and, and, um, and see, um, how we can support the different pathways that they want to take. So, uh, one of the great things I think that took place was, um, when Egypt took leadership and developed, uh, the world U forum, for example, and, uh, this was an incredible, um, initiative and, uh, uh, you know, it gave you a sense of ownership to something that was different, and that was initiated in a, in a very different, uh, perspective and manner.
Speaker 3 00:11:08 And it also allowed us as middle Easterns or Africans, however you want to attack us, um, to show, um, other youth across the world, our culture, our beliefs, um, start changing, uh, the, the very norms that were embedded due to, uh, political history and, uh, and lack of awareness of, of the region as a whole. So the world forum was a major milestone for, for Egypt, definitely. Um, and every year, uh, there was a theme and, and the theme was, uh, really based on, um, how the world was moving or the, what, what is the current trends that are taking place? And at the end, it was always, um, you know, um, it was set up in a manner that it became a platform, uh, for policy leaders and for the youth to identify what is it that they want, uh, the government to work on, uh, or what is it that, uh, they feel is the most important things that need to take place over the course of a year or more, uh, to meet a specific as the SDG goals, SDG goals.
Speaker 3 00:12:35 Um, and, and so, uh, what the youth and the forefront education started to surface, uh, especially, uh, vet education or technical and vocational education and training. And this is because there has been this realization that this is where the majority of youth is embedded, that the only way moving forward in terms of social and economic development, it is, uh, by, uh, supporting a certain, uh, sector or supporting this very, very important sector and, uh, supporting it in a format where they are also working to improve their own communities. And I think that, um, community, youth mapping, uh, at that time, uh, when we first began in 2004, okay. Uh, it was really all about that. It was about getting the youth to become involved in, uh, all the strategic decisions that are being taken, uh, by the government, within their communities. But no one really grasped this idea and until where we are today.
Speaker 3 00:14:00 Um, so it's, it was, you know, uh, something, uh, it was very interesting for me, and it was very, you know, it was really amazing to see how everyone started talking about, uh, things that we have been calling for for the longest time. It's over a decade now. Um, and I'm sure this thing that took place in, in certain areas or within certain communities and the states and other developed countries, uh, but for, for Egypt itself, this was different. It was different because you have the political will and you have the political support and you have, uh, suddenly, uh, international organizations are working, uh, towards one movement or one strategic vision, uh, youth were being heard. Uh, it became evident that no economic development or social development will take place unless you start participating and becoming an active member of your community, regardless of your background, regardless of your social and, and religious status.
Speaker 3 00:15:17 And, um, at the same time, uh, you know, you, you started seeing this, um, change happening. So SMEs became at the forefront. Intrepreneurship education became at the forefront and entrepreneurship education became something whereby you are trying to fill in the gap that the current education system, uh, is missing, uh, but working towards reforming, uh, but time and, um, you know, uh, time is of essence, as they say, so you embed life skills and you start, uh, embedding things that, uh, uh, you are always looking for. Um, and, and that was great to have. Um, and then, you know, you, you're walking and you're changing all these trends and, and suddenly everyone is working together and we get hit with a major economic collapse. And other things started to surface, which was mainly, uh, gender, uh, and, uh, women empowerment. Yes, we talk about women empowerment and we talk about inclusion all the time.
Speaker 3 00:16:44 Uh, but nothing really takes effect. It's just stock as we are all, uh, very much aware, um, of that. And, um, today it's not the same anymore today. It's about women empowerment because, uh, the economic collapse made everybody and all societies and all communities to realize the importance of the role of gender and of inclusion and everything that we do in starting with leadership, uh, with, uh, uh, making sure that the youth are able to properly understand what is, what is meant by, um, gender inclusion, uh, and women empowerment. It's not about, you know, taking their place, but it's about showing enough respect, uh, to women to, to take into consideration, uh, the principals and to take into consideration, uh, the changes that are taking place socially, uh, because of their involvement, even if it was, uh, behind the scenes. So, um, a group of, uh, colleagues, uh, with myself, we decided to establish, uh, the global five network, because we felt that most of the time, all we have been, uh, looking at is, uh, uh, certain, uh, definitions that are coming from a research perspective and not, uh, practitioners. Uh,
Speaker 2 00:18:31 Absolutely. Absolutely. It's interesting that you say that because a lot of what this podcast is intended to be is, is not while we will bring on research and introduce and discuss research, it's the practitioners, um, audience that we're trying to reach, uh, here in, in, and have conversations with. So I appreciate you doing that. I just wanted to reset real quick. Uh Shahrukh uh, for folks that have joined and that are listening or other ways, um, we're gonna have, uh, continue this conversation a little bit more directly with Shahrukh, and then there'll be an opportunity, uh, here in a moment, uh, to then open it up for some other questions. And if you have questions, uh, right now, feel free to toss it in the chat. Uh, I can raise them that way. Um, if you don't want to ask that yourself, so just we'll continue on with this here and then, um, and then we'll have an opportunity to engage some, some other folks. Um, so I appreciate you pivot into global five, um, continue on just to continue to enlighten folks what it is, and more importantly, how they can join to be a part of your movement.
Speaker 3 00:19:40 Um, so the, the idea behind the network was, you know, bringing everyone and anyone that is interested in, um, gender inclusion, uh, entrepreneurship, and, um, youth development into one network or one platform where they can share their lessons learned, or, or get feedback or get suggestions. And it it's really just the network it's free of charge. Um, we are always looking for interesting topics. We are looking to invite people to, you know, like, like with it, um, with, with you to, to, um, set precedents over something specific. And I think this podcast is something very interesting for all of us. Um, and, uh, the five of us have, uh, different backgrounds. Uh, we come from different globe, uh, different countries, so we pretty much represent the entire globe. Um, and, uh, at the moment we have Maria and there are, uh, who are, um, who have joined, um, and each one of us compliments the other and one way or the other, uh, each one of us is able to tap into, uh, their communities be, you know, be at, uh, SMEs or entrepreneurs or, um, or, uh, young people.
Speaker 3 00:21:17 Uh, each one of us has this ability through their network or through the, the type of work that, that we are each interested in, or that we're each doing. And, um, it's interesting to see how things are shaping up. We, we began, uh, shall we just say a soft opening last November, uh, during the global entrepreneurship week. And we had, we pull hosted, um, a conference with the international council for small business who were, who were very much, uh, keen to support women entrepreneurs, um, during this past period. And, uh, we were amazed at, uh, the, the, the depth and the reach of our different networks and how many women and, and young people and, and other, you know, professionals, uh, were so interested and eager to share their experience and to discuss, you know, uh, I, I, um, I will say the SDG agenda, uh, on different, uh, in different perspectives.
Speaker 3 00:22:38 And it was always focused on women and the role of women, uh, the challenges, how they've overcome these challenges. Um, and it was, it was, you know, it was refreshing, uh, to see CEOs and policy makers and government leaders, uh, so willing to participate and talk about, um, all these, uh, different initiatives that are taking place, uh, from so many, uh, different countries. Um, where are we heading? Uh, it's going to be tough times, uh, for the future. Definitely. It's going to be very, very tough because now comes the realization of, um, the imperative role that the private sector has to play, uh, in, uh, youth development and the economic and social recovery of each country. And we need to be, uh, a lot more strategic as in need to have a long-term vision to where we want to be, and not no longer five years, but more towards, you know, 10 and 20 years time, uh, to be creative and how we want to engage. Uh, these can, we want to engage these communities of private sector, uh, businesses, um, in terms of supporting youth and have, how are we going to get the youth to, uh, move forward and take leadership of, of some of something like that. So it's not going to be easy and, uh, it's, it's going to require, you know, like, uh, we're not, we're not talking, um, I do my thing, you do your thing anymore. It's,
Speaker 2 00:24:41 That's incredible. And just even just ponder for a moment, um, even five years ago, the likelihood of you all connecting in this way, virtually, you know, online to not only come together and maybe have some discussion around some of these issues, but then to form a network and then already be co-hosting conferences and, and moving the dialogue and engaging so many people. I mean, it's just amazing, what's even possible now. Um, and, and so much of, of whether it's the pandemic, whether it's been economic challenges throughout the world, um, there's been silver linings that have come through these things, and, and you mentioned one, right? Just that all of a sudden there was this level setting, uh, that's what's happening in, in, in countries and communities, um, that then enabled or not enabled that's wrong, um, recognize that that, uh, particularly girls young women have the opportunity and are needed to contribute economically, um, have through entrepreneurship and through other things. And so there became this out of necessity became finally this realization of this whole host of folks that can and need to contribute. It's just, um, you know, again, a silver lining through all of this. One of the things that, um, I'm curious about and Domo and I were talking about earlier with was what are some of the sectors I'm sure all of the sectors are open and, you know, and we want young women to consider those, but what are some of the sectors you see that particularly that young women are thriving in?
Speaker 3 00:26:21 Um, oh, well, uh, I think that one of the key sectors, uh, I would say would be the agricultural sector. This is definitely very, very much, uh, land by women. Uh, although not many like to admit that, but it's true, especially when you are looking at, um, uh, the SMEs, uh, factor into that. You also have, uh, technology. You also, of course, of course, the healthcare sector, uh, without, you know, uh, any doubt, uh, is also one of the, of the sectors that, um, that where women are leading. However, uh, now we have nutrients coming out. We have now women who are very much engaged, um, in occupations of relevance to, for example, building and construction or the automotive industry, maybe in the states, this is something normal, but definitely, uh, in an Egypt and other countries, I'm sure this is a very novice, uh, I'd love to see, um, how this is going to transpire further, uh, towards, uh, you know, looking at a young entrepreneurs, uh, who focus on these kinds of sectors.
Speaker 3 00:27:58 We are going to see, um, a lot of movement in terms of, uh, blue economy and green jobs, uh, where I, I definitely, uh, feel that the trend is going to be led by, uh, by women in these sectors. So you're talking, uh, the hospitality business, uh, logistics business, uh, certain changes in industry as the private sector starts to introduce technology, uh, women who have, uh, moved forward into stem education, uh, and how they are going to be making use of this type of education into, um, you know, uh, heavy industry, uh, shall we say, I think, I think this was, is going to be very interesting. And, uh, we do have a couple of my colleagues who also are very much involved in the tech sector that I'm sure can give a lot more insight, uh, with regards to these kinds of trends that are surfacing.
Speaker 1 00:29:13 Yeah. So Maria, without putting your honest, yeah, I was just going to say, if you were talking about those, those trends and it just kind of to make me think, you know, in regards to just my background, did education at least, like, do you think globally many countries need to rethink formal education? And if so, what, what are some of the ways it should change?
Speaker 3 00:29:36 Definitely we need to rethink, uh, education. Absolutely. Um, I think that it's time that we integrate, um, a lot of, uh, different topics that, uh, one has not really, uh, focused on, uh, it's time to integrate at a much earlier stage. I mean, uh, even a pre pre preschool stage, uh, in Egypt, for example, uh, we need to raise, uh, further awareness, uh, with regards to, uh, the importance of TV. Uh, for example, it's not important to have a higher, um, higher education degree. Uh, you need to integrate, uh, Y uh, you know, are not integrate, but change the image and perception of how women are being viewed, uh, that women can be leaders. Uh, and I think, uh, we have all witnessed this in the, in the recent presidential elections in the U S uh, you know, you, we have to be respectful of, of everyone.
Speaker 3 00:31:00 We need to, uh, start to integrate the various cultures, uh, that exist, um, uh, around the world. And in order to kill any kind of, um, stigmatism that, that has, uh, you know, long forever hindered, how, how we look at things. Uh, I remember, uh, um, every time I traveled somewhere on business and people would know that from Egypt, uh, they cannot comprehend that we are a modern society, uh, or that, for example, and Muslim, uh, per hand, how is it that I'm not veiled? And I, I speak the language and I'm a fairly moderate kind of human being, I hope. Um, so these are all things that are important, uh, to integrate. We need to, uh, start, um, introducing, uh, concepts that, uh, uh, today we are hearing about within the intrepreneurs ecosystem, like, uh, what's the difference between, uh, SMEs and being an entrepreneur, uh, what is social intrepreneurship and humane intrepreneurship? What do these mean? Uh, if that means, uh, you know, having curricular activities to embed and instill types of ideas, uh, into, you know, all these young minds, uh, I'm sure that they're going to be amazing by the time they complete their educational pathways.
Speaker 2 00:32:51 So I wanted to ask, uh, a quick question and, uh, about, uh, um, one of the biggest barriers we faced back when we were doing the work, um, was, was parents and parents coming to, uh, accept, uh, provide permission for their girls to participate in some of the activities, let alone travel, you know, to other countries. And so how has, um, working in, in, in convincing parents to have their, uh, girls study certain parts, if they're in formal education or, you know, take on some of these things like an agriculture, which has been traditionally male dominated. So help me understand the parents evolution, uh, in, in this,
Speaker 3 00:33:47 Um, well, this doesn't exist anymore. Uh, I think that it's, uh, duly due to globalization and, uh, being able to, uh, you know, you have social media now, uh, internet is pretty much for free. You get to hear a lot of things that are happening, or a lot of, of, of events that, that are taking place. And at the same time, um, parents are starting to, uh, realize with, uh, uh, uh, realized that, uh, their own contribution alone is no longer enough. So they are starting to look at the, the quickest routes or the fastest pathways in order to ensure that their kids, um, are able to provide additional or necessary support. Um, and, and this is, uh, this has been quite beneficial. Uh, and you, you start to see this young generation of, of young girls who are becoming more persistent, who are, um, you know, sort of fighting their own battles, because they believe in what it is that they want to do. They have a certain passion and they want to go for this passion. It's not the same as it were. Um, when we, you know, when we first started, uh, accessing all these, uh, communities and being, um, and, and having to deal with, uh, the, this rejection of having a girl, uh, participate or do something, or do whatever, um, activities. So, uh, this is really the change that is being witnessed. I think
Speaker 2 00:35:58 That's great. Um, we've got about five minutes or so left, um, in, in this, uh, session, uh, this, uh, part of our episode, and we're, we're, it's been, I mean, you really have shared a tremendous amount, um, a lot for, just to kind of take in, um, I know, uh, that global five is part of, uh, other places around who make up the five there's yourself, and then Maria.
Speaker 3 00:36:33 Yes, we have Argentina. We have the us, we have Indonesia, we have France and we have Egypt, and of course we're always looking to expand, uh, more countries, more people. It's a, that's why it's a network it's, it's open for, for everybody. But, uh, I think it would be interesting. Uh, maybe Eric, if you give the last few minutes to my colleagues, uh, have Willy Naish and Hamdi ragga who both in the vet sector and can definitely shed some light to what we have been talking about.
Speaker 2 00:37:13 Yeah, absolutely. I'd love to hear from them Hamdi, if you're okay with that, maybe go first for a minute or so, and then we can bring in the other folks,
Speaker 3 00:37:32 No. Okay.
Speaker 2 00:37:34 Or Waleed, uh, feel free, uh,
Speaker 4 00:37:40 Uh, hi everyone. And it's a pleasure to attend the presentation, uh, and it's a great initiative. So, uh, if, uh, if you are talking about that Yanni divot in general, in Egypt, I hear Chael was saying also about, uh, the situation where the students or the, uh, the graduates, uh, from TV, always looking for, uh, continue, uh, studying to higher education. As you know, in Egypt, the systems that is schools were generally schools and the technical schools. So generally schools always, uh, is the way to the university, you to be in the general school to join a university and colleges, but technical schools there's doubt about you are going to continue to the university because the system is accepting, uh, I don't know that a percentage, but around 5%, only from the technical schools graduates to join the university and this maybe creating a situation for the families and graduates because, uh, for the social perceptions, we want to, to continue to have a higher education certificate. And this is very, uh, obvious <inaudible> community. I think it's,
Speaker 2 00:39:23 Let me ask a quick question, uh, while he, uh, I, if I remember correctly and I could be wrong, uh, it's happened, uh, the, if I remember correctly, uh, technical schools student, once they graduated it's they wanted to go on to university, they had to wait a year, right. They had to take a gap and then apply if maybe I'm wrong on that. Maybe that's the way it used to be. Um, am I, is that still the case, or am I wrong about that?
Speaker 4 00:39:55 Uh, you mean the technical schools graduates from technical schools, so graduates,
Speaker 4 00:40:05 Uh, actually the, uh, it's, it's not about waiting it's they can join, uh, an Institute for two years, uh, to get, uh, another certificate. And then, uh, the university is selecting only 5% only graduates they can join. So in this regard, you, uh, you always lose your, a specialty. So maybe you are graduate from technical schools in printing industry, but while you are trying to join the university, you can, you can forget about, uh, this specialty and you can join in, in something else. This is a problem it's small percentage and it's it's needed most of the families and the students. They are planning their education to, to get at the end, uh, higher certificates, mostly for the social perception. It's not about, uh, uh, the, the, the, the science or some singles, uh, profession, but at the end, it's the social, uh, perception, uh, lead them to this pathway.
Speaker 4 00:41:21 And this is make the vacation life circle very long because I have to study like 10 years to, to be an engineer. And this is a very time. So, uh, so the point is, uh, as Sean was saying, as that, we need to make the perception of the technical education more, uh, better. But then in the meantime, I think if, if, uh, if, if, if the system a little bit change it to bring the technical education inside the higher education, like colleges and universities to have, uh, to have, uh, another pathway where the students can continue getting the certificate, but while he's in the workplace, you don't have to leave the workplace.
Speaker 4 00:42:18 And this example, I, I saw it in the UK system. It was very successful that the students could finish a level of, uh, uh, technical education. And then you can go to the, to, to join a job or something, or you can join a college, uh, but as apprentice. So, so he, he, he is working in a company, but in the meantime, he can join to get the certificate by, uh, entering the exam. And at the end, the skills are the same. He will take the same skills while he's in the workplace and the same skills if he joined the college, this is, I think, as a successful model, we don't have it in Egypt, but I think it's a very successful model where the students have the chance to get certificates. And in the meantime, they are getting salaries from their, uh, apprenticeship, uh, time. So one of the points I wanted to raise it.
Speaker 2 00:43:20 Yeah. Yeah. It's uh, thank you for sharing that model in it's part of honestly, it's one of the reasons why it was one of the conversations Domar and I were having before we started the podcast. Um, was that very thing that you just described about how young people here in the states and around the world, uh, so many are not succeeding in the way that they could, because we keep forcing them only through one path and only a small number of people. Young people do well in that path. Um, and the rest are left to just kind of get lucky or figure it out or whatever. And, um, as opposed to having a defined multiple pathways, uh, for young people to figure out who they are and their best way for their to contribute their skills, um, and livelihood. Um, and that's kind of the conversation that started this whole podcast. So thanks for bringing that model up wildly. Um, we've got, uh, time for one more, uh, kind of, bit of conversation before we wrap, um, anybody else care to share. Um, this whole area is like just the beginning part of our conversation. Um, we love the fact that the global five network has such a reach, um, around the world. Um, we're uh, while mine and <inaudible> relationship has been each of in middle east centric. Um, many of the things talked about, and the troop mentioned, um, are, are global, uh, in, in nature. So, terrific. Do you have any, uh, other kind of just summary thoughts that you wanted to share before we, uh, conclude this part?
Speaker 3 00:45:18 Uh, no. I think maybe one last thing that I'd love to see is, um, how, uh, young people can start taking, you know, initiative similar to what you guys are doing at the moment. And, uh, and, and we start introducing them, uh, to all these, uh, very culture and maybe, you know, even hearing the thoughts and ideas, uh, it will be, uh, interesting. Uh, it will even be more interesting to see how, uh, they can start connecting, uh, with each other through their entrepreneurial perspective. So it's no longer that you're working within your community to support economic development, but, but rather you're actually crossing borders, uh, to, to do the same thing. So I think, uh, it will be a very interesting period of time over the coming few years. So thank you very much. Uh, Eric, and, uh, thank you, Damar. Uh, this has really,
Speaker 2 00:46:37 Uh, real quick, we've got a raised hand here, so let's, uh, I don't want to miss out here, uh, uh, feel free, um, to contribute.
Speaker 6 00:46:53 Yeah, yeah, yeah. Uh, first of all, thank you for this, uh, uh, this event and, uh, this, uh, informative presentation from message choke, um, and just, um, it sounds made I'm working, uh, international Egypt and project, uh, which work in strengthening women. Intrepreneurs in Egypt, in particular, in, uh, Corbett industry in ISA district. Um, we obviously, uh, faced a lot of resistance and, uh, uh, community and local community. We're not working in just two women. We targeting, uh, the men and also, uh, boys and girls. Uh, we, uh, we keen and we in assessor, we, uh, uh, we keeping, uh, engaged with the men in the process of, uh, gender, uh, economic inclusion, equality, it's, um, in all tool with targeting and, uh, uh, the community leaders and religious leaders in the districts. Um, so my question is about, uh, the, the local communities in Egypt has a lot of contact us, um, uh, resistance contact us, like, uh, the keeping, uh, the women working in the, in their communities.
Speaker 6 00:48:18 Uh, the, if they have a lot of, um, lack of mobility, uh, to go to go out, uh, the communities in, uh, in like, um, and national, uh, national events or nationally exhibitions or international exhibitions. So we think about our, I think thought about, um, hell to cleaning, um, how to bring the markets into the local communities, uh, in Egypt, especially in upper Egypt. It, it, it, it has a lot of, um, crafts or handicrafts, uh, um, there, so we, uh, think, or I think especially, and binging the, the markets fear in their communities, and instead of, um, instead of, uh, um, they go out, uh, their communities is that,
Speaker 3 00:49:24 Yeah, I mean, upper Egypt, we have our stories to share regarding alpha upper Egypt, believe me. Um, I think that your idea is very interesting and, uh, I think that definitely, um, you can, uh, start doing that. Uh, one of the things are one of the, uh, the ways that we worked to, to, you know, um, eliminate this resistance, of course, number one was making sure that we are very visible within the community. Uh, and, uh, uh, we were able to visit homes and, uh, answered everybody's questions whenever they needed a certain, uh, uh, feedback or whatever, uh, with the support of course, with all of the community leaders, uh, whomever they are. Um, but we also, uh, started to target, um, one governorate and another governorate. So we used to have, um, young, uh, the, those who are young people involved, or those involved in our projects go and visit, uh, the opposite community or an, uh, different governorate from, from theirs, um, and showcase that the work they have, they have done, uh, to communicate with each other, see how they can support each other.
Speaker 3 00:51:03 And one of the great things about youth is that they're not like rigid, like a stare, very easy going, they, you know, automatically, oh, are you on Facebook or are you on, uh, uh, what's your number and so on and so forth. And they start communicating and creating their own little groups, um, and, and that's how it begins. Um, and then you start expanding one bit at a time where you can, uh, maybe, uh, go to Cairo, greater Cairo or Alex, or those bigger, uh, governorates where they have, um, handicrafts, um, uh, uh, fairs or, or whatever, uh, taking place and invite them to, you know, the community where you are, uh, you want to have, or you want to host, uh, this is one, one path that, that we took. And then, uh, the other path was, as you say, exchange. So we had people coming from, uh, a couple of, uh, African countries to visit Egypt, um, and, and meet, uh, their peers and learn a lot and, uh, about their expertise or experience with whatever initiative that, that we were doing.
Speaker 3 00:52:34 Um, and you can definitely do the same. And maybe one of the added values given today is, uh, you have an online platform, so you can access however many communities you want and host however many, um, events you want, um, online, uh, starting with, you know, uh, setting up, uh, some, uh, two minute tutorials, for example, um, that have a similar product that is being produced from a different country. And, and this is how they start learning, how they start sharing it by bed. We'll start seeing the, this barrier of, uh, no I don't want, or no, I don't want my family to participate all of that slowly, uh, dissolving because they'll, they'll start to feel, uh, comfortable, um, to, to share, uh, their knowledge or to share their, their products elsewhere. And they'll start to realize, um, you know, the added value of, of having something like the initiative that you're putting out there.
Speaker 2 00:53:48 Yeah. And that's a whole kind of concept of, of positive peer pressure. You can't underestimate that. Um, the, in this a whole nother subject, maybe it's this whole podcast, but I also wonder about, um, just the continued emergence of, of young women in politics, um, in, in, in leadership and in governing, um, uh, and, and even just in just becoming leaders within their community, whether it's in a formal government structure or not. And I know that takes time, but, uh, uh, that's really where change ultimately will become sustainable. In my opinion, that's my opinion, um, is once we have, uh, a far greater representation in our government, uh, governments, um, uh, with, with, with people from different backgrounds. So, uh, again, a whole nother show, um, you know, not for today. Um, again, thank you to everybody who, uh, joined here. Um, this podcast will be available, uh, here in the next two days.
Speaker 2 00:54:55 Uh, once I do a little editing on the first part where Domar, and I work before you all came, I got to cut out some stuff. Um, we, we made some mistakes. Um, so there's a blooper reel later, but, um, but yeah, so we'll do some editing, uh, just in that regard. And then the bowl episode will be out, uh, and available, um, on Casto us, but we'll put it out to another social media, uh, here in the next couple of days. And again, we appreciate everybody taking some time to listen, uh, to contribute and share terrific, specially thank you, uh, to you for organizing, um, folks to be able to join. It, did add added a whole different dynamic to this, something for us to consider for future episodes, for sure. Um, and you know, the global five network, check it out on LinkedIn, um, and continue to, to follow its progress. And if you know, folks that want to be a part of it, um, reach out, uh, they're willing and welling, uh, to bring you guys on, you know, so again, thank you all so much. And, uh, we will, uh, be in touch Del Mar how, uh, cool is that to be able to have, uh, folks joining us and contributing to that conversation?
Speaker 1 00:56:16 Yeah, that was really nice. That was really, really nice. Actually a Waleed had had hit on something and I actually, it down as we talked, as he was talking and, you know, we were reflecting back to our conversation and really the word that comes to mind for me is his choice. And we talk about how choice is such a great thing. And, you know, we're, we're just, we're, we're a little bit behind in regards to our infrastructure to provide choice for young people right now. And I think we're playing the catch up game from a, just like I said, infrastructure, uh, makeup. And that's, that's an area I hope that we begin to address, but continuing on with that, the other piece that we didn't really get to talk about is that muddy release drops all of this. We didn't really get a chance to talk about funding, but that's something I would have liked to have talked about it.
Speaker 2 00:57:13 No, for sure. And, and it's, it's interesting to me also, part of the conversation was, was it's one thing to then have young people have these multiple pathways, maybe an education in girls in particular. It's another thing for them to then be valued by employers and sectors to, to then hire them. And so I mad, uh, at the end with his point and I thought that was pretty cool. And I haven't heard a lot of this. I'm sure it's happening. I just haven't heard about it was having a project specifically focused on young men and getting them to accept young women into the sectors and then two, and how it benefits them ultimately to do that. Um, I thought that was, uh, it seems logical, but I just, uh, when he said it, it just struck me as like, oh, yes, that's probably important. Um, and the fact that I don't know if you picked up, but where he's doing it is in Giza, uh, and Giza is where the pyramids are, and that is, um, such a tourist area.
Speaker 2 00:58:20 And they relax so much on tourism. And I can tell you from visiting there more than a few times, um, it is all male dominated in terms of tourism, shop owners, uh, food, uh, handicrafts, uh, interpret, uh, interpreters, all of it, all male dominated, um, at least that have been in. So it's interesting that that's in particularly the area that he's working. So anyway, great stuff. And again, great energy to bring other people on to listen in, ask questions, contribute. Um, it is something I think with future episodes we can consider which ones make sense maybe to do something like that.
Speaker 1 00:59:02 Yeah, I think that'd be great. It's great added value to, to all that we're doing.
Speaker 2 00:59:10 Absolutely. And it's interesting. So every episode we do a community spotlight and this, uh, episode, we had chosen, uh, goals for girls, uh, which is this soccer or football, depending on your perspective, a way in which brings a young girls in to teach them about leadership and other soft skills, um, and teamwork and inclusion and all these, uh, important components to building young girls esteem and their belief that they need to contribute and can contribute to their community in, in interesting ways. Um, and so we have, uh, we were able to record a segment, uh, about that a few days ago. And we want to share that with you now. And I think it ties in nicely to the theme of this episode.
Speaker 7 01:00:13 <inaudible> good scheme to be, to get it for us as it goes for friends entering, I was able to concede to some of the sessions at the summit and take more leadership for granted. She's given me the tools to be a better leader, and now I'm ready to teach other girls and help empower them to be leaders as well. We won't draw us to transformation just summit is that they are strong, intelligent, and capable of measuring change in their own lives first and therefore contributing to making a difference in their communities.
Speaker 2 01:01:13 We are joined now by Lola part of our features. You've just seen in the short video on goals for girls.
Speaker 7 01:01:24 So welcome. Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 2 01:01:27 Absolutely. I've been a fan of goals for girls and what you all have been accomplishing for some time. It's great to get a chance to meet you. Did you get involved for goals for girls?
Speaker 7 01:01:41 Um, it's an interesting story. Actually. I was thinking about, um, getting involved in female empowerment. I was a lawyer by profession before, um, and I got to a point where I wanted to change and I knew that football or soccer for American friends was something that, um, I was very, very passionate about. So I was researching names of organizations and I came across goals for girls. Um, I sent an email at the time to the executive director to say that I wanted to learn more about the organization and we kept in touch, um, an opportunity that arose for me to join volunteer at every one of the summits in, in 2008. So I was able to participate and see the program in action, and it was just phenomenal, um, such a, an impactful experience for me to see how football can change the lives of so many girls. Um, we didn't kept that open dialogue and, um, six, eight months ago now, um, when opportunity came for me to come on board, um, as an employee and I definitely jumped at the chance. So I guess there's a lot to do with networking and luck and opportunity or meat in itself, but at the same time,
Speaker 2 01:02:53 Absolutely. It's funny how we all come to this profession. Very few of us seem to have gone to school for it. We just, because we, because we care. Um, so for those that are joining us, aren't familiar with exactly what goals for girls is clearly it's, it's young women coming together and learning a lot of skills outside of football, um, but also using football to maybe re-emphasize some of those skills. So just kind of describe it if you could.
Speaker 7 01:03:24 Yeah. It goes to the girls is a, is an organization that uses the power of football to teach girls leadership. Um, one of the USP's for what we do is that we then use that, um, leadership to inspire community change. So when it girls participate on our program, they go home with a goals for girls challenge, and that is to find ways that they can make a positive change in their communities. And so during our summits, we have time for classroom sessions where we talk about leadership, empowerment, education, um, self-worth and then we also have football games that we play, um, for the girls to showcase their talents, um, for those that are new to develop and just to have fun around the game that we will love. Um, they then focus, uh, on a challenge that's inline with the SDG goals. Um, and we asked them to think about their communities what's going on, what could be changed and how can you help? And we, um, support them in their projects. We then have check-in points further down the line to make sure that they're okay, or if they need any support from us, um, that we can provide it for them. And so that's in essence, what we're about providing leadership for young girls through sport?
Speaker 2 01:04:38 Absolutely. One of the things that, uh, having worked in, in more traditionally, uh, aligned communities is the ability that you all have had in getting parents engaged, uh, particularly to, um, I hate to use the word, allow their girls to participate in this way. And so, uh, tell us about the, how you've all been able to overcome some of the obstacles that some of us reach, uh, in trying to engage young women in some of our programs.
Speaker 7 01:05:12 Yeah, I think I'm to solve for, if it's important to, to let people know that, you know, we three main regions at the moment we're in the U S women in India, emergence of Africa. And of course, all of those regions have different views on female participation in sport. And we're quite fortunate in the U S that the women's game is probably one of the largest in terms of soccer being a female school, which is very different from, from where I am in London, where it's predominantly a male sport. Um, in other regions, there's a big stigma, um, against girls playing in sport and particularly playing football, given that, um, the uniform requires shorts, um, and short sleeves, which in some parts of the world, um, is seen as a taboo and is not regularly seen. So we are trying to get these girls to use their voice in a safe way to participate, um, in that, and what we do is, is we try and show and educate parents and mentors that this is a, a great way to channel the energy that these young girls have, um, and that they're able to express themselves through sport.
Speaker 7 01:06:19 And so that's something that we, we try and do and make sure that, uh, it started in a safe way. That's not going to put them in harm's way. And also that we're collaborative with mentors and parents. We do workshops with them and make sure that they're in the know about what we're doing with the girls and how it really can change their lives.
Speaker 2 01:06:39 Perfect. And it is not necessarily as simple as you put. It requires a lot of it. It requires a lot of trust and engagement. And, uh, I certainly, again, admire how you all have been able to continually do that in the communities that you've participated. Um, so we saw the brief video on Bangalore, uh, the summit in 2020, that was the last kind of in-person summit that you all were able to, to have. You were fortunate to even get it in, in 2020, uh, before the COVID hit and kind of disturbed a lot of what we will have been doing as you come into the next summit. And I'm sure it's well under way being planned. How much will you all think about the isolation that's occurred over the past year when you implement and bring your kind of teaching and classroom work with the young girls into how much would that be kind of front and center, uh, this time as opposed to what you've done in the past?
Speaker 7 01:07:49 Yeah, I think, um, for a lot of organizations and a lot of individuals COVID has changed the way that we operate and how we deliver our programming. Um, and you mentioned Bangalore, which just last month had a digital summit with our participants in India. Of course we could unable to meet in person. We're bringing them together online. Um, I'm one of the topics that we chose to focus on which we sent a survey out for the girls to tell us what they wanted. And one of the top picks was a brown mental health. And so, um, we engaged with experts in the field, um, in India who are able to come and do mental health and wellbeing training in session, we talked about self tool, can self image, how we see ourselves in persons and how the world sees us and how we can try and change that narrative for good.
Speaker 7 01:08:39 We talked about, you know, um, meditation and breathing and visualization and just to give them tools that, um, for, so, so many girls at that age have never been forced to consider in the same way before. And you mentioned isolation and we've got, um, teams all over India, all over South Africa and all over the U S. And so what's so powerful is being able to bring them together. We have had a team who have been unable to meet at their academy, um, for the whole of the year and all, all session last month was the first time they were able to see other goals, um, you know, in well in each person, I put it up, but it was so powerful to unite them. You had over 200 girls. Um, we had coaches, we had guests because that were phenomenal to come and share their expertise. So that's how we've done it. We've tried to focus on the messaging that they want and try and give them the tools to kind of stay mentally strong during what's been a tough time for us all, quite frankly.
Speaker 2 01:09:45 Wow. That's amazing that you were able to get that kind of number of folks to participate in. And it doesn't surprise me that the first time some of the peers have seen each other, um, so good for you all for being able to continue that stay connected. As we know all young people, uh, just need to have that care and consistent adult presence and really have an opportunity to belong. Those are such fundamental tenants, these development, and, uh, good for you all to continue to, you know, figure out ways to keep that going so that the young people are in a position to thrive. Um, so I'm sure there are some folks that are interested and have some young girls in their lives, and we would, uh, be interested in learning more and maybe even participating in this, how does one go about, uh, getting more information, uh, to, you know, find out more about programs?
Speaker 7 01:10:44 Yeah. Um, we engage a lot on our social media platforms, so you can find us at goals for goals. Um, and that's for the letter for rather than the number. Um, we have a website www.goalsforgirls.org, which outlines our mission, our programs, um, you know, we're on LinkedIn, we're on Facebook and we're on Twitter on all of those handles. So we're trying to make sure that, um, we have a presence and we welcome everybody to, to check out what we're doing and engage with us online. Um, we also have an online library session for, for those who are able to get access to that, um, post summits, if you participate in online summits, we have an access to an online library, which has hours of activities for girls to do in this isolated time, um, at home with friends, with peers. Um, so that's also available via the website to
Speaker 2 01:11:40 Perfect. Um, it's, uh, it's just very exciting to have you be able to share this with, uh, everybody today. Um, again, Lola, thanks so much for what it is that you're doing, uh, thanks for your time today. Um, and we looked forward to maybe digging a little deeper in a future episode, um, where we look about with particularly sport in the way sport is being brought together around youth development in general. And I think we might be able to go a little deeper, uh, with some of the work that you all been able to do. Thanks so much for joining us today.
Speaker 7 01:12:19 Thank you so much.
Speaker 8 01:12:21 It's pretty cool to check out what goals for girls is doing.
Speaker 1 01:12:24 Yeah, that was awesome. It actually reminded me, uh, when we were actually working together, I was working on a project called sports as a hook. And, uh, you know, we worked a lot at that point in time with America scores. And I know that's a little bit different from goals for girls, but again, same concept where you take sports and you try to implement some youth development practices within that sport as a hook there. So that it's a really, really cool,
Speaker 8 01:12:54 Uh, yeah, absolutely. I was reminded of that too. And maybe there was an opportunity, like I alluded to in my conversation with Lola that maybe we can do an episode where we focus on those strategies. They're still very real clearly and in working. Um, so maybe we can resurface some of our old work and, uh, just kind of check in on where it is. Um,
Speaker 8 01:13:21 While we had this, uh, area, um, we continue to, uh, take in feedback and questions and comments. And because of that, um, outside of the fact that the viewers have noticed that this clock always has the same time, um, they really should get a battery. Um, so the, uh, other than things like that, that are so helpful, um, we, uh, give suggestions on topics and this, uh, next episode is going to be on, I mean, they're all serious topics, but this one's going to be on a very serious topic around youth and isolation and mental health, uh, in how, again, the pandemic in, in just social isolation and the whole host of things, if only made a challenging issue, even worse. Um, and so that's gonna be our next episode.
Speaker 1 01:14:21 Yeah. Just, you know, to bring this kind of full circle in and beginning to wrap this up, you know, we, we talked a lot today about, uh, women's access to things and, you know, it, it thought it was great that these, the, the spotlight and our guests kind of hit on these issues and it was kind of cool to have them. We didn't plan that, but it was kinda cool to just that, that was kind of the theme today, obviously. So, uh, definitely, you know, something that we probably will dive into a little more, uh, in one of our future episodes, but it was really cool. Cause I believe we just began to scratch the surface.
Speaker 8 01:15:02 Yeah. In our guest, uh, next week will be a David or next week. Next episode will be David Berman. Who's the director of the Indiana suicide prevention program out here and a statewide organization. He's connected quite a bit, uh, nationally, uh, to mental health and young people. And so it'll be a very important conversation. Uh, we'll have, uh, with him. And, um, again, hopefully it'll be meaningful to those of you that have stuck with this hour long, special episode of eliminate the gap. So until next time, we'll see, uh, and keep on keeping on.
