Over 200 students from Bahrain have been inspired to reach greater personal heights after successfully completing the youth development programme Taqaddam.

The new initiative, a partnership between HSBC Bank Middle East and the British Council, helped young men and women in Bahrain to build their self-confidence and develop the life skills they need to fulfil their potential, said a press release.

Students from 10 schools participated in the programme which was designed to run alongside the school curriculum and was delivered outside of school hours.

“The aim of this unique programme has been to develop enthusiastic, self-aware and motivated young people, who can make a positive contribution to the world around them,” said Sabrin Rahman, head of corporate sustainability for Mena region from HSBC.

“We’ve seen some tremendous growth in the students and we are so proud of how far they have come. They have achieved a lot and we are pleased to see how enriching the experience was for them. With increased confidence, they now have vital tools to move forward and make an impact,” she added.

The content for Taqaddam, which means ‘Move Forward’ in Arabic, was delivered by Spark and Mettle, a youth development charity based in London that supports and enables young people to identify, articulate and improve key character strengths, while also building their ‘soft skills’ for a brighter future.

Students who participated logged on to a tailor-made, on-line resource that helped them to identify their personal strengths and abilities, as well as areas where they needed further development.

Other key learning outcomes involved in the programme included an understanding of what life skills are, and how to communicate and demonstrate these skills to others with increased confidence.

Two workshops covered a range of important life skill areas, including critical thinking, effective communications, organised planning and how to take the initiative. Students also learnt the value of showing resilience, grit and determination, while finding purpose and managing emotions were also a key part of the learning experience.

“The results of the workshops showed that the Taqaddam programme has helped to motivate the students,” said Gail Campbell, director of education at British Council, Mena. “Their hard work and personal development gained over seven weeks have been rewarded today.  It is our hope that they take the learnings from Taqaddam with them for the rest of their life.”

The seven-week programme culminated with a final workshop and ‘Future Ideas’ competition that saw students develop innovative ideas and concepts to win a range of prizes.

Students had to work in teams to devise an innovative idea that addressed key global challenges related to the environment, health or community well-being.

Muharraq Secondary School for Girls, who came up with a ‘Pet-Fit’ concept watch that tracks the users’ physical activity and exercise history, were announced as the winners of the competition.

The Taqaddam programme is being delivered in eight countries across the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region to help youngsters acquire a broad set of life skills that will serve them and their communities in the future. –TradeArabia News Service