Alnowair’s Young Women Leadership Initiative

(1st Generation) 2023/2024

About the Initiative

The Problem

Although women in Kuwait today have a lot more freedom and opportunities to excel, due to cultural stereotypes that are still applicable, many women tend to shy away from and do not feel confident enough to take up leadership positions.

Owing to a social system that has historically allowed men to have a stronger voice, has led to many women being cocooned into themselves and their immediate surrounding, lacking decision-making skills, self-confidence, and self-esteem, which are some of the most important characteristics of being a good leader.

This has led to many women accepting lower level or administrative positions rather than pursuing leadership and senior roles, which in many ways leaves Kuwait devoid of a very important opportunity for growth.

Initiative’s Goal & Proposed Solution:

The goal of Young Women Leadership Initiative is to support young women to overcome personal, emotional, psychological, and social barriers that limit their growth and participation in leadership positions through the transformative power of Applied Theatre.

Our capacity building workshops that use the transformative power of Applied Theatre aim to equip young women across Kuwait with essential tools to enhance and develop their personal and leadership skills and grow their personalities that enable them to become future leaders. The initiative aims to raise a future generation of women leaders from Kuwait, who are not just educated, also equally confident, resilient, decisive, self-reliant, and influential.

This interactive initiative leverages the transformative power of Applied Theatre and integrates essential international frameworks, including the UN SDGs, Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), the 4Cs of 21st-century learning, and emerging skills from the World Economic Forum. Our Initiative is designed to equip, engage, and inspire young women aged 14 to 25.

Initiative’s First Year Key milestones

Initiative rolled out in 4 educational institutions

Engaged 56 female students

Conducted 4 capacity building workshops (total 36 sessions)

Performed 5 purposeful plays

Held 3 Board of Experts meetings

Organized 1 Round Table Discussion

Produced a documentary

Launched Initiatives’ website

Initiative supported by 7 partners

Impact Measurement

Quantitative and Qualitative

The initiative closely tracks improvements in participant’s self-confidence, communication skills, leadership skills, level of empathy, life satisfaction, ability to deal with stress and other vital qualities.

Our program has made a significant impact on our students, enhancing key skills essential for leadership and personal growth.

Initiative Impact analysis has reported Improvement of:

18.2%

in Leadership Skills

93.1%

in Self-Confidence

62.6%

in Emotional Regulation

59.1%

in Stress Management

20.7%

in Being True to Oneself

15.7%

in Teamwork Skills

54.3%

in Life Satisfaction

48.8%

in Soft Skills

72.3%

in Public Speaking

67.8 %

in Soft Skills

Dareen Tawil, AUS counselor

“I observed remarkable growth in my students participating in this initiative. Connections were formed, friendships were made, and many students learned to regulate their emotions more effectively. Their confidence increased, and their self-esteem soared. In addition, these young women have consistently demonstrated academic excellence throughout the year.”

Impressively, 100% of the participants expressed their desire to engage in future leadership opportunities, and over 83% showed improvement in their confidence. Furthermore, over 80% stated they are interested in becoming a mentor for future participants or a mentor serving high school students.

Voices from Participants

“I learned about the importance of being vulnerable.”

– AUS

“I learned that being a kind leader builds trust in others.”

– GBS

“I learned how to control my stress and emotions by breathing.”

– UAS

The initiative not only empowers young women but also contributes to the broader goal of gender equality and socio-economic progress in Kuwait.

Initiative's 360 Approach

Board of Experts

9^th of October 2023

Capacity Building Workshops

2023/2024

Purposeful Plays

2023/2024

Round Table Discussion

14^th of February 2024

Grand Ceremony

29^th of May 2024

Impact Measurement

Quantitative and Qualitative

Documentary

Initiative Approach Explained

Board of Experts

9^th of October 2023 Board of Experts establishment and inaugural meeting

The Board of Experts was formed in September 2023 and is Chaired by Alnowair’s Founder, Sheikha Intisar AlSabah.

The first inaugural Board meeting was held at United Real Estate Co. Chairmen’s Club. The key objectives of this meeting were: sharing the objectives of the initiative with the experts, experts getting to know each other and their roles, discussing and planning Initiatives operations.

The Board met 3 times throughout 2023/2024 and consists of 12 members who contribute with their expertise to the success of Alnowair’s Young Women Leadership Initiative.

The members of the Board of Experts are:

Sheikha Intisar Al Sabah
Alnowair’s Founder & Board Chairwoman
Sheikha Bibi Al Sabah
URC’s Chairperson
Ms. Gaja Kruchlik
Alnowair’s Director & Board Member
Mr. Ali El Chalabi
Purposeful Theatre Director & Board Deputy Chairperson
Mrs. Dima Al Ansari
Chief Executive Trainer & Board Member
Dr. Bassam Shuhaibar
External Affairs and Partnership Director & Board Member
Dr. Louise Lambert
Researcher – Impact Measurement & Board Member
Dr. Georges Chedid
Researcher – Impact Measurement & Board Member
Mrs. Pascal Harfouche
Consultant & Board Member
Dr. Reham Al Awadhi
Executive Trainer & Board Member
Dr. Tina Zubovic
Conference Director & Board Member
Mrs. Dareen Tawil
Educational & Empowerment Director

Capacity Building Workshops

2023/2024

4 workshops rolled out in:

American United School (AUS)

Universal American School (UAS)

Al Ghanim Bilingual School (GBS)

American University of Kuwait (AUK)

Capacity Building Workshops consist of a series of training sessions that employ purposeful theater techniques. These workshops span 9-days and are designed to guide young women on a journey of personal and leadership skills development.

Purposeful Plays

2023/2024

5 plays produced and performed at:

American United School (AUS)

Universal American School (UAS)

Al Ghanim Bilingual School (GBS)

American University of Kuwait (AUK)

Initiative Grand Ceremony

The plays are enacted by the workshop’s participants after the 9-day workshop. They highlight a specific social issue that is important and selected by the workshop participants.

Conductor engages the audience to participate in the play and ask to offer solutions to the issue presented which are later enacted by the students live on stage.

Some of the issues raised during the mentioned plays: family favoritism, peer pressure, verbal and cyber bullying.

Round Table Discussion

14^th of February 2024
"In their Shoes"

The Round Table Discussion “In Their Shoes: Understanding the Effects of Social Pressure on Young Women’s Confidence” was organized and held at the American University of Kuwait to address a key issue raised by the workshop participants.

The Round Tables was a truly special gathering where accomplished and influential women come together to engage in dialogue, share insights, and actively participate in discussion on topic chosen by the workshop participants.

Round Table discussion Panel consisted of:

HH Sheikha Intisar AlSabah
Alnowair’s Founder

Dr. Ayesha Kamal
Clinical Psychologist

Ms. Dima Al Ansari
Alnowair’s Chief Executive Trainer

Ms. Dareen Tawil
Alnowair’s Educational & Empowerment Director

Ms. Jane Al Sabah
UAS Head of Counselling Department

Layan Zaidan
GBS Student Representative

Lujain Gharib
UAS Student Representative

Grand Ceremony

29^th of May 2024

At the Grand Ceremony’s we:

Celebrated and awarded all 56 First Generation Initiative graduates and 7 partners

Shared Initiative Impact through a Panel represented by: researchers, parent, counselor, student testimonials)

Screened Initiative’s documentary

Inspired audience with a purposeful play performed by a group formed by representatives of 4 different educational institutions

Shared future plans

Grand Ceremony was held at the American University of Kuwait. It was attended by 400 guests including members of the Royal Family, Ambassadors, Diplomats, Governmental representatives, representatives from International Agencies, Founders of Educational Institutes, CEOs, Parents, Students and Educators.

The Grand Ceremony received extensive media coverage, with over 40 local media outlets publishing about the event.