This year’s edition of the Youth Lead the Challenge program (YLC) has ended this weekend in Dubai. 51 young adults from 19 schools in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah, had the rare chance to listen to lectures on leadership and entrepreneurship from Harvard Business School‘s professors.
Asked about his impression of the local youth, Harvard’s Jonathan Iyamdemye replied:
Students here are much more aware of the world around them and are a lot more receptive to new ideas than what we have come across in many other parts of the globe. And I think that’s possible because of the cosmopolitan culture that the UAE has.
Students were also fascinated by the opportunity to meet Ivy League academics in person. Grade 12 student V. Rana from Our Own High School, Al Warqa, was a seasoned participant in similar events. However, this one was special, he said, because of the presence of the Harvard mentors.
The selection process for the event was not an easy one. Apart from the other requirements, students had to write a 150-word essay about leadership. The participants were divided into groups. Each group had to work on a case study on a typical business issue involving a well-known company. At the end, each team had to present its solution. Some of the cases included ExxonMobil’s future in fossil fuel and the global future of Uber.
The event was organized by The Education Advisory (TSA), which offers academic guidance to UAE students who wish to continue their studies abroad. It was also supported by Amalthea Capital. Due to the high interest in the event, Kumar said that it would be bigger next year.