A few years ago, Jordan launched an initiative called BADIR to support budding young entrepreneurs, eager to contribute to positive change in their communities. Now Kuwait is following suit: the “n-mu” program endows participants with the skills and resources necessary to create real social change.
N-mu? That’s a funny name, you might be thinking. But it’s not a typo. It’s “أنمو” – the Arabic word for “I develop,” written in phonetic English. Through the program, participants will develop a solid grasp on what it means to be an active citizen, and they’ll also be encouraged to develop their own projects as social entrepreneurs.
This is one of several programs developed by a Kuwaiti organization called en.v, which advocates for the trifecta of education, environment and capacity-building. Created as a way to engage youth, n-mu promotes active citizenship through critical reflection, discussion, and action.
The third and final training session of the current n-mu program begins on January 31, and the commitment is meeting twice a week for four weeks. It’s time to apply, if you’re eligible! In order to participate, one must:
- Live in Kuwait
- Be under the age of 30
- Speak Arabic (as this session will be conducted in Arabic)
- Genuinely care about community issues and want to address them!
Even if you’re aware of the issues, addressing them is easier said than done. Luckily, the n-mu program doesn’t merely provide training; it also allocates funding! The grants will kickstart approved community projects proposed by ambitious and inspired participants.
The latest news on En.v’s twitter page is of GreenBagQ8, an “n-mu initiative” advocating for reusable shopping bags, which is slated to be featured in a documentary that will be broadcast by Kuwait’s Al-Arabi TV.
This kind of offer doesn’t surface every day…if you’re eligible, go for it! You can not only be the change you wish to see in the world, but also make it happen.
And if you’re not eligible, like me, you can just smile because you know that programs like this exist!
Photo of seminar from n-mu training session #1 from the En.v website.
Author: Kelly Vaghenas
A recent graduate of Montclair State University, where she double majored in Dance and Anthropology and minored in Arabic, Kelly loves exploring cultural and performing arts, learning foreign languages, cooking healthy food, and frequenting her favorite ethnic restaurants. Her wanderlust keeps her intent on traveling the world, and starting in the summer of 2011 during her trip to Lebanon, CouchSurfing became her way of finding free accommodation and new friends. She is obsessed with Pinkberry frozen yogurt and, after recently discovering that the majority of the chain's international locations are in the Middle East, is determined to place an order at every counter in the region during her lifetime...
