Empowering young Saudis with an entrepreneurial mindset

The Prince Salman Science Oasis (PSSO) has organized a seven-week entrepreneurial program comprising six weekly workshops. Each workshop will run for a 90-minute duration, which will also be featured at a marketplace at the Sahara Mall that kicked off Thursday. These efforts come amid moves aimed at empowering young Saudis with an entrepreneurial mindset that will benefit them in future.
TREP$ teaches children between the ages eight and 16 the skills they need to start their own businesses and helps them in presenting themselves well on college and job interviews. Other objectives are to encourage them to set goals and follow through with them, enabling them to be creative employees and employers and to live with open eyes and a confident spirit.
According to the organizer, about 25 students (boys) from five different schools competed with each other.
Khalid Taher, supervisor general at Prince Salman Science Oasis (PSSO), said: “PSSO has been successfully running the TREP$ program, this being the 4th year of successful implementation.”
Taher, who is also the Mayor of Madinah, said TREP$ focuses on life skill education, attempting to lead toward intellectual development in each child through experiential learning.
Outlining the objectives of the program, he noted: “Kids engage in learning about the basics of business, money, math, marketing, advertising and sales in the weekly workshops. Kids practice these real-time at the marketplace, while dealing with real customers. The TREP$ program helps develop teamwork, creativity, critical thinking, innovation, responsibility and leadership.”
He added: “The marketplace was buzzing with activity where kids transformed their learning of the past five workshops into a practical success. The TREP$ marketplace is a culmination of events that took place over six weeks and takes place on the 6th week in TREP$, an after-school American program, giving the kids a memory of a lifetime. This is the night the kids launch their first business,” he added.
PSSO is a nonprofit organization charged with developing a science center. Through the science center and its associated activities, PSSO aims to enhance the awareness of science in the public and its practical application for the benefit of mankind as a whole. PSSO has already launched a number of programs, while others are in the pipeline targeting children of different age groups.
“The objective of TREP$ is not to incline kids toward business. Rather, the aim is to cultivate a holistic development in kids, enabling them to develop life skills which are of primary importance not only to survive, but rather to excel in today’s competitive world,” said Syed Ehsan Zafer, program manager at PSSO.
To show their support, some of the parents were present during the expo. “I believe that this program for children is unique and is able to teach children something that does not exist in Saudi Arabia. Well done!” Mohammed Al-Qureshi, a self-employed father of a young boy, Abdullah Al Qureshi from Ambassador’s School, told Arab News.
“It’s the best program I’ve got for my kids to attend as they know how to value money. This exercise has made them more interested in earning money and some idea about business,” adds Reem Al-Qureshi, mother of Tariq Mufti and Hythem Mufti from Abdulaziz International School (SABIS)
“I would like to thank everyone who contributed to making this an experience that my son will hopefully remember. I noticed that all participants were engaged in this event and contributed to making the environment more comfortable by buying things off each other. If this was to be more effective in any way I would suggest giving the kids an opportunity to work as partners as it would give a great deal of experience in dealing with a business with someone else,” Majid Barhouthi, father of Omar Barghouthi from Najd School. Sixth graders Abdulaziz Al-Othman and Abdulaziz bin Jahlan, both from Al Ghad School, bagged the check worth SR 500 for the 1st Prize “TREP$ Young Entrepreneurs Award”.
A check for SR 400 for the 2nd Prize “TREP$ Young Entrepreneurs Award” was won by 4th grader Mohammed Kamel (from Najd School), 5th grader Khalid Al-Yahya (from Al Ghad School), 5th grader Yousef Al-Rabiah (from Tarbia Islamiah School) and 6th grader Feras AlMarhoon (from Al Ghad School).
Lastly, a check for SR 300 for the 3rd Prize “TREP$ Young Entrepreneurs Award” was won by 5th grader Rayan AlRossais, 5th grader Raed AlRossais and Mouhanad AlRossais from Najd School. These winners will get a chance to open account in a bank and have an experience of real-time banking from early age.