A New Entrepreneurship Initiative by Starbucks and the International Youth Foundation

A New Entrepreneurship Initiative by Starbucks and the International Youth Foundation

BADIR, a youth entrepreneurship initiative recently launched by Starbucks and the International Youth Foundation (IYF), is pleased to announce the names of those public, private, and civil society organizations — designated Friends of BADIR — that have pledged support to the program.

Over three years, BADIR seeks to equip 45 young Jordanian leaders with the knowledge and skills they need to strengthen their social change initiatives.

The Friends of BADIR were chosen for their commitment to advancing youth social entrepreneurship and have agreed to help facilitate outreach to qualified youth, assist in the selection of finalists, and provide mentorship to participants. They include: Al Ahli Bank, Al Quds College, British Council, Business Development Centre, Columbia University Research Centre, Development and Employment Fund, Ministry of Social Development, Mowgli Foundation, National for Employment and Training, Ro’ya TV, The Performing Arts Centre, USAID, Wunderman, and Youth Council.

Praising these businesses and organizations for their participation in BADIR, Rana Turk, Jordan’s Country Director for the IYF, said, “On behalf of the International Youth Foundation, I would like to thank our friends for their kind support in helping build a solid base from which Jordan’s young leaders can develop their skills and expand the impact of their social change initiatives. We look forward to announcing BADIR’s first class of Fellows in November and putting to use the expansive knowledge and expertise of our new partners.”

Expressing further gratitude and appreciation was Regional Communications and CSR Manager of Starbucks Coffee MENA Rana Shaheen, who added: “We would like to welcome on board all the Friends of BADIR, and are enthusiastic about the opportunity to work with these esteemed new partners. These businesses and organizations play a pivotal role in BADIR, and in helping Starbucks achieve its goal of promoting a more promising, prosperous future for local communities in the Kingdom.”

The 23 youth selected for this year’s Fellowship will benefit from social innovation skills and management training designed to help them strengthen and expand their projects. An Innovation Fund will provide a monetary grant of $5,000 to participants who have completed the first training workshop and successfully applied to the fund. Through this comprehensive approach, the BADIR expects to directly benefit thousands of Jordanian youth and their communities.

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