Changemaker Festival launches its second Lebanon edition focused on investing in 10,000 youth and women
BEIRUT, Tuesday, March 5, 2019 – The founding partner of Changemaker, Karim Samra announced plans for the second Lebanon edition of the Changemaker Festival, in collaboration with the President of the Women’s Leader Council (WLC), Madiha Raslan, and the President of the Lebanese Economic Organizations Mohamed Choucair. In a press conference held at the Chamber of Commerce, coinciding with the week of International Women’s Day, the festival’s partners introduced this year’s theme, ‘Inspiring Women & Youth to be the Leaders of Today’ before they opened the floor for the press, youth, and women attendees to voice their questions.
The 2019 Changemaker Festival will focus on giving youth and women a platform to empower themselves, raise their voice, connect, learn from others, be inspired, and build a network and support system. “Today, as the President of the Economic Organizations and Minister of Telecommunication in Lebanon, I announce my full support to initiatives like the Changemaker Festival, which we are in desperate need of to retain our pioneering position in the region and the world. I promise to provide all resources needed by such initiatives,” commented the Minister.
The Changemaker Festival promises its attendees countless opportunities, which will create intrapreneurs, artist-preneurs, and entrepreneurs, to address the regional and global employment crisis. The festival is organized in collaboration with Hult Prize, the Central Bank of Lebanon, BLOM BANK, Kobeissi & Frangié Attorneys, and many more.
Almost 18 percent of Lebanese youth are unemployed, and only 4 percent of females in the workforce hold a top position in a business or firm. These alarming numbers pushed the Changemaker Festival to place women and youth at the heart of the event. “I’m so happy and proud that this year’s Changemaker Festival, hosted by Changemaker and WLC, will bring together more than 10,000 women and youth to inspire, educate, celebrate, and invest in the future of Lebanon. This is the largest women and youth focused educational event in the Middle East,” stated Samra.
The Changemaker Festival aims to give women and youth unprecedented opportunities, like Competitions and Hackathons with prizes exceeding $300,000. Other key components of the festival’s program include Keynote Stage, Inspiration Café, Consulting Academy, the Rapid Learning Center, Startup Showcase and the Career Navigator, among other opportunities. “We aim to establish partnerships between women and youth to create innovative initiatives and promising job opportunities,” asserted Raslan.
Early bird tickets are now on sale on www.changemakerlb.com
More info about Changemaker
Changemaker, founded by impact pioneers Ahmad Askhar and Karim Samra, is a decade-old learning company that works with leading corporations, governments, and family offices to help accelerate in-country youth’s contribution to national economies via purposeful entrepreneurship. In 2018, Changemaker trained over 900 youth in Lebanon, raised over $300,000 in funding and brought in over 80 CEOs, pioneers, and speakers to mentor, train and inspire the youth. Check out more www.changemakerlb.com
More info about The Women Leaders Council (WLC)
WLC is the first council in Lebanon within the Federation of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in Lebanon (FCCIAL). WLC strives to consolidate their position in the national economy. Check out more: www.wlclebanon.org