YLF is among the pioneers to dedicate sharp attention to female students in vocational schools across Egypt, with a strong focus on women’s economic empowerment and gender equality. Unlocking the potential of Egypt’s young women with “She Leads” – a pioneering program reshaping the landscape of vocational education. Empowering future female entrepreneurs through high-quality training and innovative projects, we break stereotypes and foster a culture of economic empowerment. Join us in cultivating confident, well-rounded female entrepreneurs ready to thrive in the workforce and drive innovation.
Achievements and Numbers
Why Female Students in Vocational Schools?
The goal is to enhance women’s agency to contribute to:
1) Personal benefit and future careers of our beneficiaries
2) enhance their agency to influence public policies in Egypt
What is the process?
This program offers the girls a development plan that includes quality training that will focus on their personal development and give them the required business knowledge that will qualify them to be real entrepreneurs in the future. The program works through Three main development phases and a final competition that selects the best projects to receive financial support along with a sustainability plan for them.
It starts with an orientation phase that includes an explanation of the stages and steps of applying to the program and an introduction to the Application forms inside the chosen schools. Then during the filtration process, students present their ideas, each team consists of 3-5 members. Every team’s idea is assessed based on how accessible, affordable, and applicable their project is Infront of subject matter experts judges,
- The application: when the application call is open, teams can apply through the announced form.
- Orientation: Selected teams will be called in for an orientation session to fully understand how to prepare for the next steps.
- Judging Panel: As a second filtration, Students present their projects in front of a judging panel composed of experts in various fields from different sectors.
After the filtration phase, students undergo an online assessment using an international assessment tool to identify areas for development and strengths. This tool generates individual development plans (IDPs) for each student, which are then discussed with subject matter coaches. Following this, students embark on skill development to realize their ideas, creating prototypes and acquiring necessary skills for professional presentation through entrepreneurial and interpersonal training.
As part of the development phase, students receive practical training from specialized mentors in manufacturing, crafts, arts, recycling, programming, and technology, aimed at enhancing their technical skills for project development.
Additionally, the development phase includes awareness sessions on women’s rights, coinciding with the 16 days for women, and addresses combating addiction.
Before the final competition, there is the important Mentorship phase, which complements the development process. During this phase, students discuss their projects in detail with their technical mentors to identify areas for improvement. Mentors from respected companies provide their expertise and guidance, supporting the girls until the final competition. These mentors help supervise the implementation of the students’ ideas, ensuring they are well-developed and ready for presentation. This phase not only improves the students’ technical skills but also enhances their overall learning experience.
Finally, there is the final competition, where teams will compete in the program’s final competition by presenting their projects and prototypes. During the competition, the judging panel evaluates their projects.
The closing ceremony acts as a massive networking opportunity as it includes winners’ announcements and awarding funding grants, in the presence of our governmental and private partners.
The learning journey of She Leads doesn’t conclude with the final competition; instead, it continues with participation in several exhibitions aimed at enhancing market and customer focus skills. A significant highlight is the presentation of She Leads Recycled products before H.E First Lady Ms. Intessar El Sisi during COP27. Beneficiaries of She Leads also showcased their products at the “Our Heritage” exhibition under the patronage of the President of the Republic, as well as at the Turathna Event and various other bazaars.
The Winners
Team 11
Team 11
Team 11
The Program is Under the patronage of
Sponsors
