Family and Community
Engagement and Support Program
Overview
The primary goal of the program is to highlight and provide practical steps to families and communities so they understand the critical role they play in supporting Nationalization and the future success of their youth.
The program takes parents and community leaders on a culturally rich journey, imparting practical skills that empower participants to guide youth toward meaningful, creative, and successful lives in business and the private sector.
Engaged Parents
The role parents play in the future success of their children can not be overstated. We know from local and international research that engaged parents who challenge and support their children throughout their early-years, education and career choices, the chances of youth finding meaningful, productive and well-paid work over their lifetime increases dramatically.
Supportive Communities
The community is the cultural foundation for youth in Arab culture. The influence the extended family and community leaders have on children’s engagement in education, exposure to experiences that stretch and develop them is significant. Youth employment and private sector Nationalization is a community issue and the community must understand and feel empowered to act to the benefit of their youth and society.
Youth Centric
Youth employment, Nationalization and economic prosperity in the future requires societies around the Arab world to act now. The responsibility sits with the parents, communities and leaders to ensure we make the future about youth. The Emarise program helps attendees understand what their role is, how to act and why the time to act is now.
The Research
Due to the increased pressures of modern life, increasingly parents are less involved in their children’s up bringing when compared to previous generations.
Through dozens of interviews, young Emiratis have talked of how they have noticed a decline in the time spent with family and in the community.
Our research points to a need, especially for boys, for active participation of parents in the lives of their children. This need is particularly important throughout the school years and parental participation and engagement is a significant factor in whether a child will successfully transition into Higher Education and beyond.
Head teachers from High Schools across the region talk of the challenge of arranging parents’ meetings and from our own experience working in education institutes, parental participation has been negligible.
Parents and community, despite the declining active involvement in their children’s lives, maintain a position of huge influence and stature for children. Our research suggests that the imbalance between influence and participation is causing poorer outcomes in education and careers for young people.
For further insight, read Cultural Border Crossing in the UAE
Problems and Challenges
Modern Life = No Time
Modern parents who are busy with business / work, have less and less time to spend with their children.
Parenting Cannot Be Outsourced
Day-to-day parenting is being entrusted to maids / nannies, who are unable to provide the level of culturally relevant support and engagement children require.
Insufficient Engagement and Guidance
Without the support of parents and the community, youth are not being stretched or receiving guidance from those they trust and respect the most to help them succeed in education and make the right career choice for them.
Public Sector Employment Options Dominate Career Advice
Parents and the community continue to guide youth toward public sector employment rather than truly engage with and help their young people define what they want to be doing with their working lives.
National Employee Recruitment and Retention Is Hard
Although the private sector can always do more to make the transition into the work place smoother for National employees, potential recruits and early-stage employees are prioritising income and benefits over career development and experience. Young National job-seekers need help to understand the real value of private sector experience to long-term success of their working-lives.
Solutions – Engagement Journey Program
Overview
The importance of family and community in young people’s lives must be illustrated using a narrative that appeals to and is founded in the things that are culturally important to parents and community elders.
The program is centred around the Engagement Journey, a culturally relevant narrative that immerses participants in a story of the regions cultural past, using the narrative to illustrate why parents and community are as important to the future success of society as they have ever been. The goal is to lay a path for cultural transformation and create a sense of purpose and urgency.
Key Points Of Leverage
- National pride
- Desire for continued social stability and prosperity
- Duty to family and community
- Cultural preservation
Program Components
- School / College based program delivery – we use the existing network of parents and community groups that form around schools
- Community outreach and community leader facilitation / induction
- Communications campaign – online and offline
- 4 week Engagement Journey – 1 nigh per week for 2 hrs
- Post-engagement checkin – 3 months following the completion of the engagement journey
Delivery Formats
The program can be delivered in a number of different formats and can be tailored based on the size and specific needs of a group / cohort.
- Small Groups – 20 to 40 group members – 1 Lead Facilitator and 2 Supporting
- Large Groups – 40 to 100 group members – 1 Lead Facilitator and 5 Supporting
For more information on the program, you can download the overview using the button below.
Outcomes
Short-Term
Parents and community leaders will complete the Engagement Journey with the awareness, knowledge, and skills to be able to engage with their youth on education and careers.
Online resources will be available after the Engagement Journey to provide continued support to participants.
Parents and community leaders will be able to influence and guide the thinking of youth at crucial times in their education and career decision-making so that more youth understand the real value of pursuing career in the private sector or business.
Mid-to-Long-Term
The priority for National job-seekers will change as they will no longer be pushed / influenced by parents to find a job in the public sector. They will be more open to pursuing career development opportunities in business and the private sector.
The recruitment and retention of National job-seekers will become easier. Although the private sector will continue to ensure they provide suitable support in the early stages of the transition into work, National employees will have a far clearer understanding of the benefits of working in the private sector on their long-term career success as an employee, leader and / business person.
Contact Us To Understand How We Can Deliver This Program For You