A great initiative created by the youth for the youth, InnovaYouth is a global 501(c)3 educational non-profit company that strengthens research, collaboration, and communication skills through workshops and conferences to empower students to become community change-makers.
On the much-awaited evening of 12th November, InnovaYouth’s UAE chapter made their first debut conference on leadership and public speaking at our very own WSO from 4 to 7 pm. Over 180 students interacted with five knowledgeable guest speakers in the BLP. This event was organised by Aryan Raigangar, Raj Bhogal, Zeyad Haggag and Rami Faahim who are the President, Senior Vice President, Vice President and Head of Business Development of InnovaYouth Middle East respectively. These WSO Year 13 students took their time out to organise this wonderful event for us and made our whole academy proud.
Bursting with energy, the BLP was filled with a distinct aura that had never been seen before. A huge crowd of students fumbled on to seats in front of a ‘stage’ where the speakers not only entertained but also taught the youth about how to be successful in their upcoming lives. Followed by the speaker’s talks, there was a small food break where students got to have a few free snacks and drinks and discuss with their friends about what they had learnt. After the break, the students got the opportunity to ask any questions they had to the speakers and figure out how they could improve themselves, marking the end of the event.
The guest speakers who came by to share their very important life lessons were Mrs Orit Mohammed, Mr Jude Chagas Pereira, Mrs May Ali, Mrs Siddharthanni Lobo and Mr TJ Hamed.
Mrs Orit Mohammed, who is the owner of Boon Coffee (the 3rd largest coffee roaster in the UAE) talked about her life story of someone who had no business background as such when she came to Dubai 10 years ago and how she is very grateful for the opportunities that she got. Mrs Mohammed told us that we should go for every opportunity we get as it may help us reach our goals.
Mr Jude Chagas Pereira, who is the CEO of IYCON (a technology solutions company) talked about leadership and how a person should make the correct choices at the correct times. Mr Pereira has received the Strategic Leadership Award at the World HRD conference and so is an expert when it comes to how to be a great leader, making us very fortunate to receive his advice.
Mrs May Ali, a professional public speaker with over 15 years of experience, talked about public speaking and how it should be done right, as well as believing and having confidence in yourself. As someone who received no training in public speaking but learnt from sheer experience and practice, Mrs Ali served as a vital role model in boosting our speaking and confidence at the event.
Mrs Siddharthanni Lobo, the owner of loboand (a retailing and corporate gift brand), talked about how she left multiple jobs in a short time but was still able to bounce back and find something that she liked to do. By showing us to never give up, Mrs Lobo was able to give us the motivation to bounce back as she did and to never stop despite any problems that we may face.
Mr TJ Hamed, a military-trained expert on leadership and communication, talked about how communication between your team is vital to be a good leader and how unexpected experiences change you for the better. Mr Hamed has been in this field for over 10 years and so was able to give us some very prime guidance on how to approach the unknown future.
InnovaYouth’s event at WSO was a step forward and an eye-opener for our students that with dedication, hard work and perseverance anything can be achieved. Most students responded to Blue Review’s interviews saying that they had learnt something that they could take away from the event and apply in tough situations. The event was a major success and was an enjoyable experience for everyone.
By Aryan Orpe
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