jusoor’s 3rdannual global conference

empowered youth. brighter future

february 21st, 2015los angeles

Table of Contents

Welcome Letter 3

Thank You to the Many Supporters of Jusoor 4

Conference Schedule 5

Conference Master of Ceremonies / Keynote Speakers 6

Panel descriptions and speaker bios

Refugee Education Panel 7 - 8

Innovative Spotlight Series 9 - 10

Entrepreneurship Panel 11 - 12

Innovation Workshops 13

Donors to Jusoor’s Scholarship Fund 14

About Jusoor 15

Our Programs 15

Jusoor Leadership Team 17 - 18

Welcome Letter

Dear Friends,

Thank you for joining us at Jusoor’s Third Annual Global Conference. It is wonderful to be establishing a tradition in which Syrians meet every year in a different city to discuss how we can collectively make a difference for our beloved country. The enthusiasm with which Syrians from around the world have embraced Jusoor’s mission is deeply inspiring - our network has grown to nearly 80,000 individuals, compare that to 4,000 at the time of our first conference in New York in November 2012 and 25,000 at our second conference in London in October 2013. Let’s continue to build on this momentum today, with a conference full of enriching discussions and new ideas.

Our goal for today’s event is that each individual leaves with: • More hope for the future;• A rejuvenated energy and inspiration for working collaboratively; and• A deeper understanding of the path we need to take to rebuild our country.

The teamwork that went into making our Third Annual Conference and Charity Dinner possible was deeply inspiring. We would like to thank our Conference and Charity Dinner planning committee for their extraorindary effort to make this gathering a success and by doing so to support the cause of Syrian education: Mohanad Malas, Hazar Duwaji, Rose Farah, Nora Abduljawad (who led all coordination with UCLA), Hisham Zawil, and Hasan Ghadban. They have worked tirelessly over the past 3 months. What an inspiring team!

We would also like to thank our sponsors for today’s event: Rafia Gallery’s artists for their generous art contributions; Rafia Koudmani, who curated such an exquisite collection of art for our charity art auction this evening; Aramex, who shipped all the artwork; and Lahlouh Inc., who donated all the printed material for today’s two events.

Jusoor’s hope is that we continue to build on this momentum year after year. Indeed, our hope is that over time the Syrian global community will become the most organized expatriate community in the world. Imagine what we can do for Syria if every Syrian family around the world is involved in some capacity.

We are looking forward to a very inspiring conference and Charity Dinner. Thank you to each of you for joining us today and for your commitment to Syria.

Syrians Forward Together.

Sincerely, Jusoor Leadership Team

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Thank you to the many supporters of Jusoor

The Jusoor Leadership Team has been truly amazed by the outpouring of support for the organization. Whenever we present Jusoor, we walk away with countless new volunteers who want to get involved in the cause. From designers to video producers, website developers and programmers to translators - almost everything Jusoor has done to date has been on a voluntary basis.

Thank you in particular to the individuals below. We would not have been able to build Jusoor without your support.

MBC Group and MEMAC Ogilvy Jeddah who supported the Jusoor Campaign for Educating the Children and Youth of Syria in Ramadan 2014. MBC channels and Al Arabiya donated highly valuable air time across their Middle East and international networks throughout Ramadan so that Jusoor could air the 30 second TV commercial created by the MEMAC OGILVY team on a pro bono basis and recently also submitted to the Dubai Lynx Award due to its outstanding creativity and execution.

Amine el-Daouk, President of Al-Makassed Association in Lebanon, who so generously lent us a school for two years and has been such a strong supporter of the program. Nadia Chatti who has fundraised tirelessly for our refugee centers in Lebanon. Patrick Chalhoub and family and the Asfari Foundation who have funded two of our refugee centers in Lebanon with their exceptionally generous donations and tireless support. Syria 123 led by Taufiq Rahim, Yousef Kudsi and Rasha Al-Duwaisan who led a crowd funding campaign that raised $123,000 for our refugee program. Sulaiman Naim who donated tablets to our schools and has been a strong supporter all along.

The 250+ volunteers who have played a key role in building our refugee education program in Lebanon. These individuals come from different backgrounds and nationalities and have traveled from around the world, paying their own expenses and giving up vacation time to bring hope and a smile to Syrian children and to help safeguard their education.

Dana Theodory, our designer, who is constantly donating her time and her creativity to develop beautiful materials to help build a strong brand for Jusoor.

Lojain Jibawi and Mohammad Sabbagh who have devoted their time and expertise in the development and creative design of our website.

Rose Farah, who is interning with Jusoor and leading a few key programs for Jusoor. Even as a junior in high school, she has demonstrated an exceptional ability to motivate others to give time and resources to support Syrian education.

Our partners: Our friends at Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), Institute for International Education (IIE) and EducationUSA that have shown an incredible commitment to Syria and its youth. We thank you sincerely for what you have each done for Syria:

• IIT: Jerry Doyle and Megan Mozina• IIE: Daniela Kaisth• EducationUSA: Monica Ibrahim

Finally, Team Jusoor in Lebanon: Hani Jesri; Director of our Refugee Education Program in Lebanon. Hani’s unparalleled project management skills, his deep passion and commitment to educating our Syrian children, and his strategic thinking and vision have been extraordinary to watch in action. We also want to deeply thank Suha Tutunji, Alexandra Chen, and Mahmoud Khalil, who have been invaluable key partners in Jusoor’s refugee education program.

And in closing, our most ardent supporters who have believed in Jusoor and our mission from the very first day and made our programs possible: Kareem Sakka and Dania Debs, Sulaiman Naim, Patrick Chalhoub, Ayman Asfari, Wafic Said, Talal Sawaf and Family, Hossam Shobokshi, Marieke Bosman and the Asfari Foundation, Neville McBain and the Said Foundation, Oasis500, Al-Madad Foundation, Rania Kouzabri, Omar Sawaf and Rafia Koudmani.

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Conference Schedule

8:00 - 8:45 Registration and Coffee

9:00 - 9:15 Welcome and Introduction

9:15 - 10:00 Keynote Address Fadi Ghandour

10:00 - 11:00 Refugee Education Panel

11:00 - 11:15 Networking Break

11:15 - 12:15 Innovative Spotlight Series

12:15 - 1:10 Lunch

1:00 - 1:15 Entrepreneurship Competition Winners and Highlights

1:15 - 2:00 Keynote Address

Omar Hamoui

2:00 - 3:00 Entrepreneurship Panel

3:00 - 4:30 Innovation Workshops

4:30 - 5:00 Conference Close

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Conference Master of Ceremonies

Lara SetrakianLara Setrakian is the Co-Founder and Executive Editor of News Deeply. She’s spent more than five years as a foreign correspondent, covering the Middle East for television, radio, and digital platforms, reporting for ABC News, Bloomberg Television, the International Herald Tribune, the Business Insider, and Monocle Magazine. She has since focused on the fusion of news and technology; her first platform, Syria Deeply, launched in December 2012 to wide acclaim. TIME Magazine dubbed Syria Deeply “The Future of News,” while Fast Company said it “outsmarts the news business, redefines crisis coverage.” Fast Company went on to name Setrakian #20 on its list

of the 100 Most Creative People in Business. She was also dubbed one of the Top Women of 2012 by Marie Claire Magazine. Prior to joining ABC News, Lara worked as a business analyst with McKinsey & Company, focused on finance and corporate strategy. Lara graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University and is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Keynote Speakers

Fadi GhandourFadi Ghandour is the Founder and Vice Chairman of Aramex. He is currently Managing Partner of WamdaCapital, a new Venture Capital fund focusing on technology investments in the Arab World, He is Member of the Board of Abraaj Capital, Member of the Board of Endeavor Global, Member of the Advisory Council of the MIT Media Lab and Member of the Board of Trustees at the American University of Beirut (AUB). Ghandour is the Founder and Chairman of Ruwwad for Development, and Ruwwad Micro-Venture Fund, an equity-based fund providing seed capital and support for micro-businesses and micro-entrepreneurs.

Omar HamouiOmar Hamoui is an Investment Partner and Partner at Sequoia Capital. Mr. Hamoui focuses on mobile investments. Mr. Hamoui serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Churn Labs, LLC. He served as President of Mobile Ads at Google Inc. until 2010. He joined Google in 2010. Mr. Hamoui founded AdMob Google Inc. in 2006 and served as its Chief Executive Officer until 2010. Mr. Hamoui focused on AdMob and ran one of the fastest growing and most innovative companies in the mobile world. He started and ran several companies in the mobile, Internet and computer software industries including Vertical Blue, GoPix and fotochatter. Mr. Hamoui is a Director at Relcy,

Inc. He has been a Director at Kahuna, Inc. since 2014 and Lifi Labs, Inc. since June 23, 2014. He serves as a Director of Offermatic, Inc. He served as an Executive Director of AdMob Google Inc. until 2010. Mr. Hamoui has an M.B.A. from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from University of California.

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Panel

Refugee Education Panel Overview Nearly 3 million Syrian children are no longer in school and more than 1 million children have become refugees living in neighboring countries. School enrollment rates among Syrian refugee children is now among the lowest in the world. Providing these children with a basic education is critical to the future of Syria.

This panel will address the following questions:

• What refugee education programs are working well? What is working less well?• What can we learn from the experience of other countries who have faced refugee education challenges?• What innovative ideas do we have to dramatically increase the number of refugee children we are able to educate? • What can participants in the room do to make a difference in refugee education?

Moderator

Hani JesriHani directs the Jusoor Refugee Education Program in Lebanon and administers the educational centers and Jusoor’s scholarship program in Lebanon, he joined Jusoor in 2012 and worked as Director of Member Engagement before moving to Lebanon to run the refugee program. He previously held the position Digital Account Manager at Memac Ogilvy where he was responsible for overseeing various digital accounts for multinational brands in multiple industries. Prior to that, he worked with international telecommunications and Internet solutions companies, and also worked in Syria with different NGOs in the fields of education, children, and youth. Hani graduated with a bachelor degree in Economics from University of Aleppo and holds a Diploma in NGOs Leadership from Columbia University in New York.

Panelists

Deya’ Leonard DresnerDeya’ Leonard Dresner is the Director of Development and Student Affairs at The Hope Fund. The Hope Fund is an NGO that secures and manages American university scholarships for Palestinian refugee students from the Middle East. In addition to securing scholarships at universities including MIT and Lehigh, Deya’ finds students summer internships and raises funds to help them complement their scholarships with holiday housing, transportation, computers, clothing and medical needs. Deya’ also works closely to support the students through graduate school and job placements back in their home country. Deya’ is an American with Palestinian roots, educated in the French, British and American school systems.

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Suha Tutunji Suha Tutunji is the educational consultant for Jusoor. She has an MA in School Administration and Supervision as well as over 22 years of experience in education both as a teacher and an administrator. She was head of an elementary school run by Quakers and later became a Vice Principal of an international school in the United Arab Emirates. Six years later, she returned to Lebanon and headed a school in an impoverished area. Suha also aided in a study on Action Research in schools and the experience that resulted from the study was later published in an Australian magazine called Connect. Suha worked as a senior researcher in the Center for Lebanese Studies were

she co-published a paper titled Widening Access to Quality Education for Syrian Refugees in Lebanon. She is a member of the Lebanese Association for History and the co-founder and president of an NGO which caters for young adults with special needs.

Kinda Hibrawi Kinda Hibrawi is a Syrian-American painter and humanitarian originally from Aleppo. Her work has been exhibited in galleries across the US and internationally, and is sought by art collectors worldwide. Her work has also been acquired for the permanent collection at the Arab American National Museum in Detroit, Michigan. In 2007, Hibrawi was named “Artistic Ambassador” by Arab News for helping to bridge cultural misunderstanding between Arabs and Americans through her work. In 2012, Hibrawi was named a Rio+20 Global Thinker and Influencer by the United Nations. Hibrawi is the Innovative Education and Creative Director of Karam Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Chicago. In 2013, she co-founded Karam Foundation’s Zeitouna – a creative therapy and physical wellness program designed to inspire and heal the youngest victims of the Syrian conflict: the children. Since then, Hibrawi has led teams of international mentors on four missions for Syrian refugee children in schools on the Syrian/Turkish border. These missions have featured over 70 mentors and served over 2000 Syrian youth. Karam’s innovative education programs have been featured prominently in media outlets including the New York Times, NBC Nightly News, Huffington Post, NPR, BBC and Al-Jazeera.

Alexandra ChenAlexandra Chen is a child protection and mental health specialist from Hong Kong working with refugees in conflict and post-conflict zones. Alexandra graduated from Harvard University (A.B., A.M.), and has worked over the last several years in the Middle East and Africa, most recently as mental health and psychosocial Advisor to the UN on the Syria crisis. While continuing in her post advising the UN, Alexandra is also pursuing a Ph.D. in Human Development and Psychology at Harvard Graduate School of Education to study the impact of refugee trauma on child brain architecture. Prior, Alexandra designed peace education curricula, facilitated trauma therapy workshops

for youth, researched the rights of migrant workers, and trained frontline refugee camp staff in conflict management in Israel-Palestine. As a consultant for multiple UN agencies and NGOs, she has also evaluated community-based child development and protection mechanisms in Ethiopia and Somalia, developed peacebuilding and citizenship education curricula in Iraq and Lebanon, and researched the role of Islamic law in nation-building and constitutional reform in Egypt. Alexandra speaks 10 languages, including Chinese, Arabic and French.

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Innovation Spotlight Series

Overview During this session, we will hear from three presenters who are addressing the challenges facing Syrian youth through innovative approaches:

Project Syria, Nonny de la Pena: Project Syria, a recent project from the University of Southern California’s Interactive Media Lab, uses VR goggles to place virtual visitors inside the meticulously researched world of a Syrian citizen caught in the conflict. It’s being billed as “immersive journalism” for its capacity to put people inside the story.

Ideo.org Amplify Program, Luisa Covaria: Next March, The Amplify program will be launching an open innovation challenge focused on education in areas of conflict with a focus on refugee communities, including the Syrian diaspora. This open innovation challenge is part of the Amplify program, a series of 10 international development challenges, sponsored by the UK’s Department for International Development. It is a collaboration between OpenIDEO and IDEO.org. OpenIDEO’s challenges are based on IDEO’s design methodology, enabling collaboration amongst diverse teams and fostering iterative idea development.

ArabCode.org, Hadi and Marwan Aladdin: ArabCode.org is launching a MENA initiative to introduce 1 million Arab students (aged 8 and above) to the general principles of logic and computer programming, through game-based approaches. Through established partnerships with various entities, including Tatweer (the official Technology Arm of the Saudi Ministry of Education), this initiative is Phase I of a larger roadmap being implemented by CoursePeer Inc. to achieve a stronger culture of computer science in the region. Oil and Gas, Logistics, Telecom and Tech companies in Middle East are coming on board as sponsors for this ArabCode.

Speakers

Nonny de la PenaNonny de la Pena is pushing technological boundaries for narrative endeavors, including exploring 3D environments for fiction, news, and documentary. Named “One of the 13 people who made 2012 more creative” by Fast Company’s CoCreate, she has built more than five virtual reality constructs including Hunger in Los Angeles, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2012. Her other projects include Gone Gitmo, a virtual Guantanamo Bay Prison; Cap & Trade, an interactive exploration of the carbon markets built with Frontline World and CIR; Ipress, which investigates detainees held in stress positions; and Three Generations, the Games for Change winner on the California eugenics movement. A graduate of Harvard University, de la Pena is currently

working at USC to develop sophisticated linear stories in virtual reality that explore the experiential nature of spatial narrative. De la Peña’s other credits include co-founder of Stroome, a collaborative video sharing site which won a Knight News Challenge Grant in 2010.

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Luisa CovariaLuisa Covaria is the Impact Strategy Lead for OpenIDEO– IDEO’s open innovation platform. Luisa strategizes and runs initiatives to increase the platform’s social and educational impact. As part of her role to push the boundaries of what is possible with the online platform, she leads the last mile engagement and in-country network building efforts for the Amplify program –a five-year project with the goal of making international aid more collaborative and human-centered. As part of this role, Luisa is running different outreach strategies to encourage the participation of those with no access to the Internet. She is also building Amplify in-country networks run by local social entrepreneurs in East Africa and Asia. Before this role, Luisa worked as a user experience designer for various boutique agencies and NGO’s in New York City; started a social venture to facilitate online conversations around pressing social issues; and developed programs to empower marginalized communities in Asia and South America through filmmaking. Luisa graduated with a master in interaction design from the Interactive Telecommunications Program at New York University and holds a bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College. She is the recipient of various social entrepreneurship fellowships such as the Reynolds Fellowship and is part of the United World College scholar program.

Hadi and Marwan AladdinHadi Aladdin (CEO, CoursePeer Inc.) and Marwan Aladdin (COO, CoursePeer Inc.) are entrepreneurs, published authors, speakers and start-up mentors. Over the past 10 years, the Aladdin brothers have founded various ventures in North America and the Middle East including CoursePeer Inc., Kula Technologies Inc., Lifestyle Wellness International, and Organic 2.0, spanning the fields of education, food ordering, wellness & fitness, cleantech and agriculture. CoursePeer Inc. is a global provider of Learning, Collaboration and Decision Making solutions for Enterprise, Government and Academia with offices around the world. The Aladdin brothers have been entrepreneurs since high school, when they co-founded their first venture in the

video games industry with a six-figure angel investment in Dubai. They have served on the boards of various North American organizations, and have been providing software and middleware consulting services for organizations and healthcare institutions in Canada and the Middle East. The Aladdin brothers are heavily involved in not-for-profit and charity organizations including the Daughters for Life Foundation, and have advised various corporations in the fields of Cyber Security, Middleware, Video Teleconferencing and Big Data Analytics. Both Hadi and Marwan hold a Bachelor of Applied Science in Computer Engineering from the University of Toronto.

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Panel

Entrepreneurship Panel Overview This panel will focus on the importance of entrepreneurship and the creation of a strong start-up culture for young Syrians. Key questions the panelists will address include:

• What is the importance of creating a strong start-up environment for Syria at this time?• What is the state of entrepreneurship in the Arab world? How can young Syrians better integrate into the momentum building

around start-ups in the region?• What can we all do to support Syrian youth in building strong start-ups? How can we engage global Syrian and Arab entrepreneurs

in supporting new Syrian businesses?• How can we collectively work to help improve the quality of startups from Syria? and how can we maintain their connection to the

country in the future when they are forced to relocate under current circumstances?

• Is the current Syrian market a viable one to build a business on?

Moderator

Rama ChakakiRama Chakaki has 22 years of experience in management, strategic planning and communications. Her passion is to promote a collaborative approach, invest in social enterprises, use technology for social development and nurture a generation of social entrepreneurs among youth and women in the Arab world. In 2007, Rama setup Baraka Ventures investing in social enterprise. In 2012, Rama established Dubai-based B Street Advisors, a digital communications agency rooted in the region’s culture and values and aiming to socialize business. Among her other activities, Rama runs women and youth leadership programs as well as entrepreneurship and civic engagement workshops. In 2013, Rama co-founded BarakaBits, a new media venture delivering Good News from The Middle East. Rama sits on the board of TechWadi and PACES Charity. She was featured in Forbes and is one of 35 women featured in Arab Women Rising, a Wharton School Publication. Rama holds a Master’s in Multimedia Systems and Engineering Management from George Washington University and a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science.

Panelists

Ali DiabAs Collective Health’s CEO, Ali brings more than 15 years of technology startup and executive management experience to the company. Ali also brings a strong personal motivation to improve the quality and cost of company-sponsored health care after experiencing a major health problem while employed at a growing technology company. Prior to co-founding Collective Health, Ali was VP of Product Management and Business Operations at AdMob, a leading mobile advertising company, acquired by Google in 2010. Previously, Ali held executive and management positions at Goldman Sachs, Microsoft and Yahoo!. Ali is a graduate of Stanford and Oxford universities.

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Ossama Hassanein Dr. Ossama Hassanein is an entrepreneur, mentor, and venture capitalist. Over the last 30 years, he has managed $1 billion of international technology funds in diverse leadership roles including Chairman of Technocom Ventures in Paris, President of Newbridge Networks Holding in Ottawa, and Chairman of the Rising Tide Fund in Silicon Valley. In the eighties, he led the mezzanine financing of 80+ Silicon Valley based IT companies that became spectacular successes including: Atmel; PMC Sierra; LSI Logic; and Oracle. Combined market value today exceeds $200 billion. He was chairman or cofounder of seven leading-edge digital communication startups in the US, UK, Switzerland and France whose combined market value at exit exceeded $2 billion.

He currently serves on the board of Bank of the West in San Francisco, is chairman of TechWadi, and charter member of the C-100, both Silicon-Valley based associations dedicated to mentoring and financing MENA and Canadian entrepreneurs. He has served on the Board of Advisors of Harvard University Center for Middle Eastern Studies and of UCSF Department of Ophthalmology in San Francisco. He also served on the Board of Directors of Relief International, a non-profit, focusing his efforts on social entrepreneurship and women development in the Middle East. He was vice-chairman of PSD, an NGO dedicated to providing one laptop per child for 130,000 Palestinian children in need of education.

Dr. Hassanein was a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the American University in Cairo. He was a guest speaker at the White House, the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, MIT Enterprise Forum, Qatar Computer Research Institute, American University in Beirut, and the Global Initiative in Science and Technology in Rabat. He lectured on Management Science at Stanford University and the University of San Diego, and on international business at UC Berkeley and Santa Clara University.

Ahmed AlfiAhmed Alfi is the founder and Chairman of Sawari Ventures, a Cairo Based venture capital firm founded in 2010 which helps transform the Egyptian and MENA region economies through the creation of sustainable, high impact businesses. In 2011, Sawari Ventures created and funded Flat6Labs, its own startup accelerator. Alfi is also the founder and chairman of Nafham Education, an online educational platform linked to the mandated public curriculum, providing free crowdsourced 5-20 minutes video lessons revised by professionals. He previously served as CEO of EFG private equity and co-founded Hybrid Capital Partners, a private investment partnership. Sawari and Flat6Labs have funded and helped launch 45 companies in the past 3 years.Alfi has also served as CEO

at Alfigen, a genetic diagnostic company. He has extensive experience in creating and nurturing early stage companies, as well as structuring international M&A transactions. Alfi was was Senior VP of Jefferies & Company, where he worked for 10 years. He is currently a member of the Board of directors of Waqf Endowment, and several for profit and nonprofit boards.

Adnan Tarabishy Adnan Tarabishy is the CEO of a business group that owns Professional Development Institute, which trains in professional financial certifications and Y2Ad, an Advertising Agency established in 2001 in affiliation with Impact BBDO Group operating in Syria and Iraq. Tarabishy is also the co-founder of Second Step, a business outsourcing agency operating in Egypt & Iraq since 2010. Adnan is the founding member of Taalim, children education support, and serves as the President of the LAU Alumni Association, Damascus Chapter. Adnan’s launched the WIN WIN initiative, which aims at connecting entrepreneurs with potential investors. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business and an MBA from the Lebanese American University, LAU. Adnan also is a candidate at the Executive Education Program at MIT Sloan, MI, USA (2015).

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Innovation Workshops

Workshop 1: Innovative Problem-Solving: The Power of “Human Centred Design ” to start a conversation around Syrian refugee education

How might we tell stories about the Syrian refugee reality in a way that inspires action by others with skills and resources to create change?

During this workshop designers from IDEO.org will invite participants to learn and use the human-centered design process to raise awareness and inspire action around Syrian refugee education. Participants will walk away with basic insights into how to use the concepts of human-centered design to create innovative solutions for social change.

This workshop is part of IDEO.org’s effort to engage the Syrian diaspora in the next Amplify challenge focusing on improving education for displaced populations. The Amplify Program is a series of 10 design innovation challenges which aim to improve the lives of the billion people living in extreme poverty around the world. Leveraging the OpenIDEO.com platform for open innovation, Amplify sources the best solutions from around the world. At the end of each challenge, a select set of ideas receives seed funding from the UK Department of International Development and design support from IDEO.org to bring them to life in the real world.

Workshop 2: Identifying innovative and scalable solutions to address the Syrian refugee education crisis

There are now over three million Syrian refugee children across Lebanon, Turkey, and Jordan. The vast majority of them are not enrolled in school and are not receiving a primary education. All the more, the children who are enrolled in the school are at high risk of dropping out, due to the psycho-social challenges they face, high cost of transportation, the tendency of parents to put their children into work at an early age, and several other factors.

This workshop will focus on identifying innovative ideas that can ensure a larger share of Syrian refugee children receive a primary education.

Workshop 3: Building a strong network of Syrian university graduates in the United States

As a result of Jusoor’s scholarship program and programs like Institute of International Education’s Syria Consortium, the number of Syrian students who are able to come to the United States to complete their university education is rising. In order to amplify the impact of these scholarships on Syria’s future, we need to build a strong Syrian alumni association (for Syrian graduates across the United States) so that they (1) establish a recurring scholarship fund to give back to future generations of Syrian university students, (2) mentor current university students to help them with their job search, and (3) continue to collectively work on supporting Syria, its economy, and its people, even if from a distance.

The workshop will review the business plan put together by the founders of the Jusoor Alumni Association and identify recommendation to strengthen the plan and launch the effort.

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Our Donors

Benefactors ($100,000+)

The Asfari Foundation

The Said Foundation

Chalhoub Group

Patrons ($50,000 – $99,999)

Ossama and Lara Abbasi

Ansari Family Foundation

Iyad and Hazar Duwaji

Sulaiman Naim and Family

Ali Ojjeh and Sirine Ojjeh

Kareem and Dania Sakka

Talal Sawaf and Family

Hossam Shobokshi and Family

Sponsor ($20,000 – $49,999)

Tareq Abu Zayyad and Family

Jameel and Laleh Akhrass

Teymour Alireza and Family

Aramex

Antoun Chiniara

Andrew Dean

Abdel Hadi Debs Foundation

Al Madad Foundation

Omar and Sima Sawaf

Rasha Al-Duwaisan and Yusef Kudsi

Sara Tayeb

Sharaf Yamani and Yasmin Alireza

Donor ($5,000 – $19,999)

Naji Ali Adeeb

Jameel Khaled Akhrass

Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi

Rania Ashur and Family

Rabih Amine and Elie Majdalani

CPC Holding

Samer and Lama Danial

DEPA

Werner Ebm

Sami and Rania Idliby

Mohammad Ismail

Amid Jondi

Georges Makhoul

Sayed Merzaban and Family

Khaled Samawi and Maha Samawi

Bashar and Hoda Succar

Pierre and Nawal Zayat

Sahar Abdulla

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About Jusoor

Jusoor is a non-partisan NGO founded by members of the Syrian expatriate community in 2011. Through various programs and initiatives in the fields of education, career, and global community engagement, Jusoor aims to support Syria’s development and help Syrian youth realize their potential. With over 80,000 members Jusoor strives to engage and connect the global Syrian expatriate community in the process.

JUSOOR HAS ACHIEVED SEVERAL NOTABLE MILESTONES SINCE ITS ESTABLISHMENT, INCLUDING:• 80,000 members, 53% of them inside Syria in Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Latakia, Hama, Tartous, Sweida, Idleb, Deir Ezzor• 47 university scholarships in 2014• 1,250 children enrolled in Jusoor’s Refugee Education Program • 100 Syrian teams engaged in Jusoor’s Startup Competition• 180 participants in Jusoor’s career mentorship workshops

Please email us at info@jusoorsyria.com If you would like to get involved in any of these programs.

Our Programs UNIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMJusoor runs several scholarship programs for Syrian university students. In 2014, Jusoor funded 47 scholarships totaling $470,000 and enabled 110 total scholarships through our partnerships. Jusoor is working to establish scholarships with leading universities around the world, and to this end, we announced a new partnership with Cambridge University’s Global Leaders Initiative in September, through which Jusoor and Clare Hall College at Cambridge University will jointly provide full funding for one graduate student per year across a wide range of subjects that will support Syria’s future. To date, over 250 Syrians have applied for this opportunity. We are absolutely thrilled to see so much young Syrian talent applying to one of the best universities in the world.

Jusoor is also working to increase the number of university scholarships available in the Arab world given the lower cost of funding strong education in the region. Earlier this fall, Jusoor joined the pilot program of “From Camps to Campus” led by the Institute of International Education (IIE), which will provide university scholarships to refugees in the Za’atari camp in Jordan. Through the pilot, we will jointly fund 4-5 university students. In addition, Jusoor awarded scholarships to 9 Syrian students in Lebanon this academic year, with majors ranging from banking to law to medicine. We received over 200 applications for these scholarships in less than two weeks.

Finally, Jusoor has been working with US and European universities to provide scholarships to Syrian students as a founding member of the Institute of International Education (IIE) Syria Consortium. Through this effort, 60 universities across the globe (primarily in the US) are providing scholarships with full or partial funding to Syrian students. Over 4,000 Syrians applied this past year to these scholarships to date and nearly 160 scholarships have been awarded during the two years of the program. Today, as a result of efforts like these, there are more than 500 Syrian students studying at American universities. Our goal is to increase the number of Syrian students studying at US universities to 1,000 each year over the next five years.

REFUGEE EDUCATION PROGRAMJusoor runs three informal education centers for Syrian refugees in Lebanon: one in Beirut and two in Bekaa Valley. The schools now serve 1,250 children and employ a staff of 45 teachers and administrators, who in many cases are Syrian refugees themselves. At these centers we are teaching children basic Arabic literacy, as well as English, Math, Science, Art, Sports and Peace Education. Our goal is to prepare these children to successfully enroll in the Lebanese public school system, once places open up for them.

These centers have been made possible because of donations from so many Syrian families around the world. Today, over 60 Syrian families are sponsoring these children’s education through our ‘Generation Hope’ program. In addition, we are deeply grateful to the two major donors who made these centers possible. Chalhoub Group is funding our Jeb Jenine Center in Bekaa and the Asfari Foundation is funding our tent school in the Jarahiya neighborhood of Bekaa Valley. Their contributions have been extraordinary.

These centers are full of joy and happiness and the educational outcomes have been very uplifting. They are true safe zones - where these children can return to safety and childhood. Two elements really set these centers apart in the impact on the children. First, the centers are full of volunteers. Over 200 Syrians, Arabs, Europeans and Americans have traveled to Lebanon to spend time with the children. They bring so much love to these children; new ideas on how to teach them English or math, and endless adventures, games and songs. The focus on volunteers not only helps children, but also gives so many of us a direct way to give back to these children.

The second element that distinguishes our program is that we have hired Syrians from local communities as teachers and administrators. On the one hand, this is wonderful because the teachers know what these children have been through and can be extremely sympathetic to their needs. On the other hand, by employing these young men and women, we are helping to safeguard our future labor force. So many Syrians have graduated with strong degrees and are now disengaged with no opportunities in Lebanon. Recommencing their professions and work at Jusoor, they have returned to hope and to life; this is making a tremendous difference in the refugee camp communities when they return home each evening.

MENTORSHIP PROGRAMSSince Jusoor was founded, we have paired Syrian expatriates, who volunteer as mentors in the US, Europe, and the Middle East with Syrian youth looking to apply to undergraduate or graduate programs. Mentors provide guidance to Syrian students on which degrees to pursue, which universities to apply for, and tips on the university application process. Nearly 100 Syrians from around the world have participated in this program since we launched it in 2011, helping hundreds of Syrians complete a successful university application process.

CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMJusoor offers career workshops aimed at enhancing the skills and competencies of young Syrians looking to find jobs in today’s competitive market. Developing the young Syrian workforce has become increasingly important as several Syrians have had to relocate to new countries as a result of the ongoing conflict in Syria and to adjust to new labor markets. The workshops allow individuals to benefit from the expertise of Human Resources professionals knowledgeable in the recruitment process of different industries. The program introduces Syrian youth to Jusoor resources, provides routes to successful application and specialised courses in business topics. The program has seen great success in helping young Syrians find jobs outside of Syria where the job market is completely different from what Syrians are familiar with. Most importantly, these workshops leave participants with a renewed sense of hope and empowerment.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAMJusoor launched the entrepreneurship program in 2014. This program includes a monthly series of webinars led by successful Syrian entrepreneurs around the world, in which young aspiring Syrian entrepreneurs dial in and ask questions. In addition, this year we launched a Startup Competition for Syrian youth that includes cash prizes of up to $30,000 for the winning team. Over 100 Syrian teams applied to be part of the competition.

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Jusoor Leadership Team

Leen Al Zaibak: Leen recently served as policy advisor to the Ontario Minister of Children and Youth Services and has 5 years experience in government. She is a frequent conference speaker on the topic of philanthropy. Leen manages the Consortium for Higher Education in Crisis as well as the Ambassador program at Jusoor. She handles communications and partnerships with universities in North America as well as EducationUSA and IIE, the International Institute of Education. Leen holds a Master’s in International Relations from the University of Manchester and received her Honours Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from University of Toronto, Trinity College.

Iyad Duwaji: Iyad is currently a business entrepreneur and a private investor. He is the President and founder of Dallas based Enanna Equity Partners. He also continues to manage West Asia Partners, a private equity firm that focus in investing in UAE and Gulf Cooperation Countries (“GCC”). He also serves as a director of various companies and investment funds.

Dania Ismail: Dania founded her own entertainment based company, Third Eye Agency, in Dubai and is a co-founder of Jusoor as well as the Director of the Jusoor Entrepreneurship Program. Prior to establishing her own company, Dania held the position of Strategy and Business Development Manager at MBC Group for nine years, Dania also set up and managed the group’s corporate VC investment fund. Dania is passionate about working with Syrian communities on projects that accelerate the growth and realize the potential of Syrian youth.

JP Chilazi: JP is a Private Equity Associate in the Boston office of Bain Capital. Prior to Bain Capital, JP was a Business Analyst at McKinsey & Company, first in New Jersey and subsequently in Dubai. JP received an A.B. in Economics from Harvard College and will be attending Harvard Business School in the Fall. JP handles Jusoor’s financial activities.

Maya Malas: Maya received her Masters in Urban Development Planning from The Bartlett School of Architecture at UCL after completing her BSc in Architecture at Damascus University. She currently works as a Development Manager at MAF Properties and has nine years of experience in real-estate development. Maya is also engaged in several philanthropic and educational activities related to Syria, and is passionate about progressive transformation through effective civic engagement. She leads Jusoor’s art initiatives in support of education.

Aziza Osman: Aziza started a social enterprise in health and well-being across Dubai and holds idea cultivation workshops for startups in the region. Prior to pursuing entrepreneurship, Aziza worked in Marketing Intelligence and Strategy for Philips Electronics Middle East. At Jusoor, she runs the Career Development and Mentorship programs, working with students and graduates to increase their skills and enhance their personal and professional profiles.

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Fadi Salem: Fadi is the Director of the Governance and Innovation Program at the Dubai School of Government; and former Associate at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Lee Kuan Yew School. Over the past decade, he led regional programs focusing on digital governance, the Internet, youth empowerment and public policy; including the impact of digital media on social and political discourses in the Arab World. Fadi is passionate about the empowerment of the Syrian civil society and the role of technology. He graduated from the London School of Economics and Aleppo University; and currently pursuing a PhD in Public Policy at Oxford University.

Rania Succar: Rania is head of North America Brand Solutions at Google and prior to that was an engagement manager with Mckinsey & Company based out of the Chicago and Dubai office. Rania co-founded the Harvard Arab Alumni Association (HAAA) in 2001. Rania received an MBA from the Harvard Business School, an MPA in International Development from the Harvard Kennedy School and an AB in economics from Harvard College.

Rami Zayat: Rami is a corporate lawyer at DLA Piper Middle East LLP experienced in private equity and mergers and acquisitions transactions. Rami specializes in representing local, regional and international financial institutions on structuring Shari’a compliant investment and finance products. He is passionate about preserving Syrian cultural traditions while developing an educational system and economic forum that provides the structural basis for the development of youth.

Hani Jesri: Jusoor Refugee Education Director: Hani directs the Jusoor Refugee Education Program in Lebanon and administers the educational centers and Jusoor’s scholarship program in Lebanon, he joined Jusoor in 2012 and worked as Director of Member Engagement before moving to Lebanon to run the refugee program. He previously held the position Digital Account Manager at Memac Ogilvy where he was responsible for overseeing various digital accounts for multinational brands in multiple industries. Prior to that, he worked with international telecommunications and Internet solutions companies, and also worked in Syria with different NGOs in the fields of education, children, and youth. Hani graduated with a bachelor degree in Economics from University of Aleppo and holds a Diploma in NGOs Leadership from Columbia University in New York.

Rose Farah: Jusoor Intern: Rose is a high school student from New York City. She is the vice president of her school’s student body, and a member of the speech and debate team, French literary magazine, and varsity lacrosse team. Rose is of Syrian and Palestinian descent and is passionate about helping Syrian refugee youth through her work with Jusoor.

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