Blog

TYO Intern Alumni: Where are They Now?

Posted on by
Tweet
comments (0)

Megan Kelly Alumni

Megan Kelly

To see kids laugh and play every day despite the hardships they faced was inspiring, and to get to be a small part of what brought that joy made the whole experience worthwhile.

A Portland,OR native, Megan taught Arts & Crafts for youth, Fitness and Advanced English for The Women’s Group, and Professional Competency at An-Najah University as an intern at TYO Nablus in the fall of 2012.

What was your favorite moment/story from your time with TYO? 

My favorite moments from TYO were definitely the time before classes started when kids would come in and hang out in my classroom. It was nice to have the time to get to know the kids one-on-one and to get to hear about what they wanted to be when they grew up, what their favorite activities were both outside of and within TYO, and to practice my Arabic and their English with them.

What do you miss most about TYO or Nablus?

I most miss the people I met in Nablus– the kids, the staff, the women, and my awesome translator, Amani!

What have you been up to after leaving Nablus and what are your plans for the future?

I work as a Refugee Youth Advocate with a local refugee resettlement agency in Portland, OR. I help kids to get acclimated to life in the US and registered in school, and then provide ongoing support for the first year kids are in the United States.

How do you think TYO affected you personally and professionally?

Having the first-hand experience of working with kids from a refugee background definitely gave me the start to the job I have now. The three months I interned in Nablus gave me the background that informs the way I work with refugee kids here in the United States. It also gave me the opportunity to be as involved as I wanted to be on a wide array of projects. Personally, TYO was a great reminder of the resilience of people, and especially children. To see kids laugh and play every day despite the hardships they faced was inspiring, and to get to be a small part of what brought that joy made the whole experience worthwhile.

Do you have any advice for anyone considering applying for a TYO internship?

The internship can be challenging and at times frustrating, but the experience is completely, 100% worth it. You take away so many skills and so many memories that you’ll carry with you for the rest of your life, both professionally and personally. Definitely apply– just be ready to roll with the punches. Flexibility is key when working with kids.

Related posts:

TYO Joins the Annual GE “Leading and Learning” Event in Crotonville, NY

Posted on by
Tweet
comments (0)

The Cherie Blair Foundation for Women (CBFW) and GE invited TYO to participate in this year’s prestigious “Leading and Learning” event in Crotonville, NY from May 13-15th.  This year’s theme was to inspire women leaders in business to be “always evolving.”

TYO was honored to be selected to participate and was represented by Ms. Sahar Dwaikat, TYO Nablus entrepreneur and Ms. Nadine Okla, TYO-Lebanon Country Director. The event kicked off on Monday, with a specific closed training session, and catered to the needs of women in business in developing contexts, like Lebanon.

The training topics included:

Effective Communication:

  • Understanding and communicating your brand
  • Consistent and clear communication with employees and customers.

Negotiating for Success:

  • Preparation, planning, strategy and processes

Hiring the Right “Talent:”

  • Preparation, planning, conducting interviews, how to asses and the pitfalls of human resource management
  • Confronting performance issues and managing staff

TYO looks forward to taking the learning from the training back to all of our beneficiaries in a workshop dedicated to sharing the lessons learned, tools and skills that can help our beneficiaries to further grow and expand themselves and their businesses!

 TYO at GE's Closed Training Session for Women in Business

The second day of the event found TYO representatives sharing their stories to a group of 200 women business leaders from around the world. They were afforded the opportunity to present a session about their experiences, best practices, challenges and visions for women-based entrepreneurship in the Middle East.

Sahar Dwaikat Representing TYO Nablus

Country Director, TYO-L Nadine Okla

Other panelists included a long list of esteemed speakers, discussing topics ranging from but not limited to:

  • Manufacturing Best Practices
  • Creativity in Science: Driving the Innovations of Tomorrow.
  • Bringing Ideas to Scale

Some of the speaker highlights included:

  • Mr. Jeffrey R. Immelt, CEO of GE
  • Ms. Angela Ahrendts, CEO of Burberry
  • Ms. Sheryl Sandberg, NY Times Bestselling Author of “Lean In” and COO of Facebook

TYO felt privileged to be able to participate in the event and expresses many thanks to CBFW and the entire GE team!

TYO at GE's Leading and Learning Training Event

To learn more about GE’s Leading and Learning event, please visit: http://www.ge.com/events/leadingandlearning/index.html

Related posts:

She Entrepreneurs 2013

Posted on by
Tweet
comments (0)

A native of Nablus, Ayat Atallah is a current female entrepreneur in TYO’s Women’s Incubation Services for Entrepreneurs (WISE) Program and a former participant of Fostering Women Entrepreneurs in Nablus (FWEN). Ayat’s business, Eco Teryaq, is a business focused on providing natural compost for farmers and in homes

In April 2013, Ayat traveled to Sweden for the first time to participate in the She Entrepreneurs Programme. Ayat shares her experience with us and explains how this program will help her business.

She 1

What is She Entrepreneurs?

It brings businesswomen from the MENA region together for trainings and opportunities for networking. There were 28 women participants in total.

What did you do there?

It was a very intense program! We were constantly participating in trainings, meeting Swedish entrepreneurs and doing team building exercises. I met so many interesting, driven young women and we had great conversations during the weeks in Sweden.

I was the only Palestinian representative so many people were interested in my story and my struggles. But similarly, I was very interested in their stories. I met women who had businesses ranging from donut shops to self-defense training centers. One of my favorite businesses was a woman starting a recycling center! I too have dreams of one day building a recycling plant in Palestine but have faced serious challenges in doing so. It was great to exchange experiences with a fellow environmental entrepreneur!

She 2

What was the biggest lesson you learned?

Meeting and knowing new people. Meeting new people inspires you. I’ve come to learn that it doesn’t matter who they are or what background they have, they can help you and you can help them.

What was the most surprising part of your trip?

I was surprised to see how hardworking and serious in work Swedish people were. At the same time though, they are still so kind. Being a Palestinian, I just didn’t anticipate such overwhelming respect from Swedes. I found that they respect all cultures. When you talk about your struggles, they really feel with you. It was such a nice feeling.

She 3

How will this program help your business going forward?

I was able to go to Sweden and see other women from the Middle East who are all living in similar situations, cultures and communities as I am. It really helped me remember that as a businesswomen in the MENA region, you’re not alone. It’s a hard journey for us but we’re in this together. Knowing that other women just like you are working hard to fulfill their dreams makes you stronger and want to keep fighting and really do things to change.

Related posts:

Representing Palestinian Entrepreneurs in America

Posted on by
Tweet
comments (0)

A native of Nablus, Sahar Dwaikat is 29 years old and is a current female entrepreneur in TYO’s Women’s Incubation Services for Entrepreneurs (WISE) Program. Sahar’s business, Flyer Ad for Graphic Design, began as just an idea in 2010 during the Fostering Women Entrepreneurs in Nablus (FWEN) Program and has since become a fully operating business based in Nablus.

Sahar Telos 1

In April 2013, with TYO’s Psychosocial Program Manager Suhad and TYO Volunteer Amani, Sahar embarked on a journey to the United States for the first time to participate in The Women of Nablus delegation through The Telos Group. Sahar shares her experiences in Washington, DC and Minnesota with us and explains what impact the trip made on her.

What was the delegation?

Amani explained it very well. The Telos Group brought three Nabulsi women to the US to share the Palestinian narrative. I of course, was able to speak about my business and the struggles and challenges I face as a businesswoman.

What story did you tell people?

I started out by explaining my business. Then quickly jumped in to the challenges I face – those due to society and those due to occupation. In terms of societal pressure, my parents were unsupportive of my dream to have my own business at the start – women in Nablus are not encouraged to have economic independence. I also faced problems when dealing with men in the market. Communicating with dealers and suppliers (all men) directly meant that they struggled to take me seriously. It also meant that because they don’t take me seriously, they give other competition – operated by males – advantages.

Unfortunately, the current political situation has also presented its own set of challenges that are unique to Palestine. The restriction of movement means that I can’t leave my city easily and I can’t expand my business beyond my city. It presents a big marketing hurdle for me. As a result of the political situation, the economic situation also has created a very unstable economy for Palestinians and therefore securing investors – especially from those outside of the region – can also be difficult.

IMG_2963

What did you learn?

  1. Public speaking. While in the US, I spoke to many different audiences. I spoke to Congressmen, university students, scholars and people in places of worship. I learned how to adapt my story in each of these situations. In the first meeting, I was terrified of messing up or that my English wasn’t good enough. But soon, I became confident and was able to adapt and adjust my presentation and answer questions according the the target audience.

What was the highlight of the trip for you?

Speaking at these meetings was amazing! I felt special for being selected to represent my country. We got to meet so many people and I got to share my story – I’m still in awe.

How do you think this trip will impact your business?

This trip was all about self-improvement for me.  I am now so much more confident about my public speaking ability. I learned how to present my business with different target groups in mind. I know that this new skill of adaptability, will help give me an edge over competition in my local market.

Sahar Telos 3

What was the biggest take-away for you from this trip?

I think the biggest thing I discovered was that DC is safe and people are so friendly and accepting. I fell in love with DC and realized that I could live there – even alone. As soon as I arrived back in Nablus, I’ve decided to apply for a Fulbright Scholarship to study in the US. I am so excited about starting another chapter in my life!

Related posts:

FWEME Officially Launches FWEME with the 4-Day Intensive Business Basics Training Course

Posted on by
Tweet
comments (0)

TYO-L has been laying the groundwork for the FWEME project with extensive outreach in the Bekaa Valley. We have had the pleasure to meet with municipal, community leaders and potential women entrepreneurs in the following regions of the Bekaa Valley:

  • Zahle
  • Anjar
  • Riyak
  • Keb Elias and
  • Firzol

The Bekaa Valley is one of the most under served communities in Lebanon, with fewer training programs for women so TYO-L is proud to be able to offer our program, and to create opportunities for our beneficiaries.  We were able to reach almost 100 women in our outreach and it has been such an enriching experience to meet all of these capable ladies, who lack the extra support they need to grow and succeed with their businesses. We look forward to a successful 16 months of training, coaching, mentoring and incubation support for the soon-to-be businesswomen of the Bekaa!

We have been so well received in all of the communities that we have met with and we extend many thanks to our participants and supporters in the Bekaa Valley.

Women who are interested to join our 4- Days training course held at Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture Zahle, please feel free to contact farah@tomorrowsyouth.org.

banner(1)

Related posts:

Representing Palestinian Youth in America

Posted on by
Tweet
comment (1).

From Sarta, a village outside of Salfeet, Amani Musleh is 22 years old, studying English Language and Literature at An-Najah Univeristy and is a current volunteer at TYO. Amani has been a TYO volunteer since Fall 2012 as a translator in intern-led classes.

Telos 2

In April 2013, with TYO businesswoman Sahar and TYO’s Psychosocial Program Manager Suhad, Amani left Palestine for the first time to participant in The Women of Nablus delegation through The Telos Group and headed to the United States. Amani shares her experiences in Washington, DC and Minnesota with us and explains what lessons she has learned.

What was the delegation?

The Telos Group sent three TYO representatives – myself, Suhad and Sahar – to participate in a delegation called The Women of Nablus. Through this delegation, we spoke to Americans – from college students to congressmen – about the daily challenges and struggles we face as Palestinians. I spoke on behalf of university students and how Palestinians face incredible barriers towards our education.

Telos 3

What story did you tell people?

I only had about five minutes to tell my story so I made sure I kept it interesting and compelling. I spoke about volunteering at TYO and about being a student. I discussed the issue of checkpoints – how they regulate which school I was able to attend – and obstacles women face in obtaining degrees due to life under occupation. I also spoke on the education system as a whole and how schools cannot afford for its students to learn outside of the classroom. Educational field trips are incredibly difficult as the universities cannot afford travel costs and also, because up until several years ago, students needed permits just to leave the city. Today, permits are still required to go to other cities outside the West Bank – like Jerusalem.

What did you learn?

  1. The power to speak freely. Being in America was the first time I was able to talk freely – especially about politics. Conversations like that aren’t encouraged at the universities in Palestine. Most importantly, I felt like I was able to share my own story without being afraid of what others were going to say. I felt liberated.
  2. People care. Before I met with any Members of Congress, I thought, “They can’t help Palestine and they don’t really care.” But I found that they were so eager to learn from us! They asked a lot of questions and showed genuine interest in my story. It helped me better realize that people do care about what is happening to Palestinians.
  3. A respectful culture. I didn’t know what to expect – wearing a hijab in America. I thought that in meetings, people would find my hijab off-putting and wouldn’t listen to what I had to say. But I quickly found that Americans were so respectful. People were actually interested in understanding my religion and culture. I was even surprised to see Americans wearing hijab on the street and living in such a carefree way without being bothered by anyone.

What was the highlight of the trip for you?

Seeing the mall in Washington was amazing! Taking a tour of the capital building was great  - I learned so much about American history! All of the monuments were just beautiful and we walked for hours just taking in the sites.

Telos 1

Now that you’re back in Nablus, how do you feel?

Ever since the plane landed in Amman, so much has gone through my mind. I’m graduating in July and I have immediately started searching for jobs. Securing a job means I can continue my education. I dream of getting a Master’s Degree and studying outside of Palestine. But in order to do so, I need to have an income as I can no longer rely on my parents.

After returning home, I know that these critical years on my life shouldn’t be wasted. I feel more energy now than ever to go out and study!

Related posts:

Meet Tomorrow’s Youth: Sarah

Posted on by
Tweet
comments (0)

Sarah Volunteer

Sarah Kaplan, 18, from Deir Sharf, a village outside of Nablus, is a current volunteer in the Boys and Girls Soccer Club at TYO. Sarah is a current student at An-Najah University in Nablus and this is her first session as a volunteer at TYO.

What has been your favorite memory at TYO? 

All my moments at TYO are beautiful but the most recent is during the Library Day when I saw the kids from the neighborhood coming to the library to read and do other activities. I was so happy to see energy in these kids and to see that they like reading! When I was young, I used to visit the library because I loved reading and if I was tired or angry, I could escape through reading. I know how valuable reading is and unfortunately we are not a reading community. So seeing those children coming to the library made me happy.

Why is volunteering important and why did you decide to volunteer?

I feel very responsible towards my community so that’s why I make use of every free moment of my day – to volunteer and help others. Even when I volunteer at TYO, an American NGO, I am helping my kids who are the most needy. When I realize that I am making a change in their lives and I am the reason behind their smiles, I feel happy.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing Palestinian youth?

Young people in Palestine need to prove themselves and showcase their capacities and their willingness to change and develop. But the challenge is that young people here don’t have the skills to represent themselves and express themselves so we need to learn more and develop our skills more so that we’ll be ready to show the world that Palestinians are strong, determined people.

Where do you see yourself in five years? 

I am in my first year of university so I hope five years fom now I will finish my BA and MA. I will keep volunteering because at my age, I am still learning and discovering myself. But I hope that I will never become a Palestinian stereotype of a young married girl with many children. Education and being independent are my goals.

How do you think what you’ve learned at TYO will benefit you in the long run?

This marvelous organization added and will continue to add a lot to me. Volunteering at TYO is good for my CV. Every experience and every day I spend at TYO, I learn something new about myself and the world. This is the first work experience in my life and in such a short time, it’s already been unforgettable.

This interview was translated by TYO’s Outreach Coordinator, Futoon Qadri.

Related posts:

Meet Tomorrow’s Youth: Shahd

Posted on by
Tweet
comments (2)

Shahd Volunteer

Shahd Sayyed, 18, from Nablus, is a current volunteer in the Boys and Girls Soccer Club at TYO. Shahd is a current student at An-Najah University in Nablus and this is her first session as a volunteer at TYO.

What has been your favorite memory at TYO? 

Once during soccer class, it was a very hot day and the girls started spraying water on me and for fun, I decided to spray them back with water. We all ran after each other playing with the water. After I went home, I started laughing and remembering the joy and the sounds of laughter from the girls. Although we didn’t do much soccer that day, the time I spent with the girls, and building on our relationship was more precious and important.

Why is volunteering important and why did you decide to volunteer?

Volunteering in my perspective is a joy because when I feel that I am helping others – especially children who need love and caring – I feel valuable. Also through volunteering, skills are developed and I learn how to better deal with children.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing Palestinian youth?

Young people in Palestine suffer from life under occupation. It puts obstacles in front of us. Young people can’t travel to learn, use other resources freely or export material to invest. The occupation makes our lives difficult.

Where do you see yourself in five years? 

I study Industrial Engineering and I hope after I graduate, to finish my Masters and receive my ISO Certification.

How do you think what you’ve learned at TYO will benefit you in the long run?

TYO helps me acquire skills on how to deal with children and respect them so. This will be of great benefit for my future children. Also working side-by-side with the American interns helps me understand the other side of the world and other cultures so that when I have the chance to travel to finish my MA, I will be ready to accept the new community with its culture.

This interview was translated by TYO’s Outreach Coordinator, Futoon Qadri.

Related posts:

Insight Dubai Conference: Speaking English with confidence

Posted on by
Tweet
comments (3)

A native of Nablus, Nour Kharim is a woman entrepreneur with her company Nour, which specializes in soaps, creams and oils made from a blend of 100% natural ingredients found in the Palestine including olive, sesame and clove oil. Nour is the first manufacturer of creams made of natural materials in Palestine. Currently involved in our Women’s Incubation Services for Entrepreneurs (WISE), Nour recently returned from the Insight Dubai Conference.

In March 2013, with fellow WISE participant Mai at her side, Nour headed to Dubai. Nour shares her experience with us and explains how Insight Dubai helped her grow and develop as a businesswoman.

IMG_3964

What was the conference?

Insight Dubai brought women from all over the world together to talk about topics of leadership and empowerment. I learned about many new subjects like human trafficking and early marriage. This was an amazing experience for young women to get to meet other like-minded women from around the world.

Tell us about your first days in the conference.

I have to admit, my first day I was so unhappy. I felt overwhelmed because the conference was entirely in English. I knew I would be forced to speak English and the pressure really got to me. But then I took a moment to think about the amazing time I knew I was bound to have and I took this as a learning experience and a time to practice my English. By day two, I was incredibly happy and using English. Through English I was able to make friends from the conference from Malaysia, Turkey, Italy, Ghana, Ukraine, Pakistan and the US!

Nour Insight Dubai 2

What are the two biggest lessons you learned?

  1.  Patience. When interacting with people from other cultures, you must have patience. Chances are you don’t speak the same language so conversations will take much longer to have. And you may not understand each other at first. I learned that with some time and patience, you can become fast friends!
  2. General self-developement. I have had to do things I’ve never had to do before by observing others. I had my first opportunity to network and make contacts with people outside of Palestine. I had to step out of my comfort zone and network with my peers. This type of networking will not only help my business in the long-run, but also personally in my confidence going forward.

How did this conference help you in business development.

Besides what I already mentioned, I learned that there’s a lot of interest in these type of products. I brought some of my products as gifts and all of the girls loved them and were so happy to receive the soaps and lotions. Because the products were so well received, I also had some local women interested in selling my products from Dubai in shops and boutiques. I feel so fortunate that I was able to come to Dubai and raise awareness about natural products and create a space for my business in the marketplace there.

Nour Insight Dubai 1

What was a highlight of your trip?

It’s hard to pick just one! But probably when I gave my products as gifts, my one friend from Ghana showed a serious interest in starting something similar herself. She is an agricultural engineer but said that I inspired her to take a leap and start her own business making beauty products but from natural ingredients found in Ghana. I explained the process to her and we’re going to keep in touch so that I can share my techniques with her in the hopes that she too can be a successful businesswoman.

Related posts:

TYO-Lebanon asks “What does it take to be a successful entrepreneur?”

Posted on by
Tweet
comments (0)

Most people desire to be an entrepreneur and becoming your own boss is very attractive to most people. TYO-Lebanon works hard with our entrepreneurs to provide them the business and additional training required to build their businesses, but there is a “certain something” that makes an entrepreneur successful and here we examine the top five qualities that make for a successful entrepreneur:

1.            Self-motivated

Successful entrepreneurs take the lead, they do not need someone to hold them accountable or force them to be efficient and productive. It takes hard work and motivation to create your own business.

2.            Creativity

When creating a business idea, many entrepreneurs have to be very creative. There is a good chance that someone else has established your idea. However, with a little creative twist, new entrepreneurs can take old ideas or business models and revolutionize them, making them attractive to potential clients or customers.

3.            Intuition

Success has nothing to do with luck. Every successful entrepreneur created his own path with his intelligence, creativity and intuition. Business models are constantly changing. Consequently, the way business owners market and grow their business constantly changes. The most successful entrepreneurs understand how fast current trends change. More importantly, however, they know how to keep up with the changes.

4.            Authoritative

If you were to open your own business, you would learn very quickly that there are many people with whom you need to network. However, not everyone has your best interest in mind. You may encounter naysayers, manipulators and scammers. Therefore, you must not allow yourself to be easily influenced; you must be authoritative. Though there is nothing wrong with taking advice or opinions, in the end, you must make decisions that you strongly believe will better your company.

5.            Strong-will

Successful entrepreneurs started their business with a vision – a dream. They acted on their dream by taking small steps towards accomplishing their goals. With every step, entrepreneurs get closer to attaining their ultimate goal or vision. However, not all steps are easy to take. Unfortunately, nothing worth fighting for is easy to attain. Successful entrepreneurs only made it past the difficult times by being strong-willed. They never let pessimism, difficulties or challenges stand in their way.

Everyone has the ability to follow their dreams, however, only some people actually try. If you think you have what it takes, join TYO-Lebanon in its Fostering Women Entrepreneurs in the Middle East (FWEME) project!

For more information, contact Ms. Farah Obeid at farah@tomorrowsyouth.org

TYO-L FWEME Announcement Flyer 29-03-13

Related posts: