Taqaddam is an innovative programme that provides young people with skills for learning, skills for life and skills for work. To date, the programme reached more than 3,000 15–17-year-old students across the Middle East and North Africa.
During Ta’atheer, the 14th MENA Social Impact and CSR Forum, Taqaddam was awarded the Ta’atheer Best CSR Impact Award for 2017. The Award recognises outstanding programmes and initiatives demonstrating significant sustainable impact that is measurable and innovative.
Over 100 submissions for the Best CSR Impact Award were submitted and Taqaddam provided clear evidence on the sustainable impact this programme has been providing to young people in this region.
Commenting on this, Sabrin Rahman, Head of Corporate Sustainability, MENA & Turkey at HSBC said; “I am extremely proud of the recognition received by Taqaddam as an initiative that has had significant social impact in the Arab region. What began initially as innovation in blended learning has surpassed our expectations in terms of reach and scale.”
Gail Campbell, Director Education MENA, British Council said; “Winning Ta’atheer Best CSR Impact Award for 2017 has provided external validation that programmes such as Taqaddam impact young people and teachers in very positive ways as well as developing those essential skills that young people need for life and for work.”
Eugenie Teasley, CEO, the Goodall Foundation said; “We are honoured and delighted with this recognition of the positive impact Taqaddam has on young people. We are hugely proud of our partnership with the British Council and HSBC. We hope this is just the beginning of a new way of developing crucial skills in the region.”
Taqaddam is a targeted skills development initiative developed by HSBC Bank Middle East Limited and the British Council using content created by Spark+Mettle, part of The Goodall Foundation, in collaboration with Ministries of Education across the region. Taqaddam aims to develop skills, confidence and lifelong learning, and to enable young students to be prepared for the next steps in their lives.
The strategic direction of Taqaddam is one of continuous innovation and sustainable growth, adding greater value to the lives of the young people who take part in the programme and the educational and social ecosystem to which they belong.
Hend Kamal, Communications Officer, British Council Egypt
Tel: + 20 (2) 3300 1644
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We create international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and build trust between them worldwide.
We work in more than 100 countries and our 7000 staff – including 2000 teachers – work with thousands of professionals and policy makers and millions of young people every year by teaching English, sharing the Arts and delivering education and society programmes.
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About Taqaddam
Taqaddam means ‘Move Forward’ in Arabic and is an innovative youth-development programme that is delivered across seven countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). It has been developed in partnership with HSBC Bank Middle East Limited and the British Council, with content developed by Spark+Mettle. The programme is designed to equip young people with a wide set of enduring personal and professional strengths and skills that will enable them to lead successful and fulfilling lives.
Taught over seven weeks, Taqaddam starts by a face to face workshop with young people to cover the skills required to be a team player, creative innovator and organized planner. Following the workshops young people have access to Taqaddam online platform where they will develop their character strengths through undergoing missions and skills challenges.
Students have another opportunity to meet in a face to face workshop where they develop the initiative taker, effective communicator, and critical thinker skills.
The programme ends with a National Future Ideas competition.
Before the start of the programme teachers take up a specially designed ‘Train the Trainers’ training on Taqaddam and both students and teachers undergo a survey to identify their strengths and which characteristics they need to develop further.
About HSBC
For HSBC, sustainability is core to our everyday business. It allows us to support individuals and organisations in achieving their goals by contributing to socio-economic development and environmental protection. Investing in the community, particularly through education, is an important element of HSBC’s sustainability strategy and we place great emphasis on employee volunteering. In 2016, HSBC committed US$137 million to community investment and our employees volunteered over 255,000 hours.
About Spark+Mettle
Spark+Mettle, a member of a larger grant-giving organisation called the Goodall Foundation, is the UK delivery partner for Taqaddam... They have been working in the UK for over 4 years, supporting and enabling young people to identify, articulate and improve key character strengths, build their soft skills and grow their professional networks.
For more information, please visit the website.
