A Bootcamp in Ghardaia to nurture the next generation of Algerian Business Leaders
We finally landed in Algeria, in Ghardaïa’s Moufdi Zakaria Airport on March 9th, after months of preparation. Ghardaïa is the capital of the M’zab oasis region in north-central Algeria and is located in the northern Sahara (desert).
The Algerian Sahara is known to be a place of breath-taking beauty, with rolling sand dunes, incredible rock formations and endless blue skies. It’s also a place where people are filled with a spirit of resilience and determination. Ghardaïa was indeed, the perfect location for our recent youth training or ‘boot camp’ that I was fortunate enough to co-deliver together with my colleague and friend Jessica Northey. This training was part of our aim to create a positive impact for young people drawing on our research on youth participation in societal transformation, supported by the Ferguson Trust and in partnership with Catalyst Development. If Ghardaïa was already known for its architectural uniqueness, our experience revealed the uniqueness of its people’s welcome and kindness.
The boot camp was held in a stunning location in the middle of the Beni Isgen palm grove, in a beautiful family house that was the perfect setting for such an inspiring event. The house was equipped with a lovely swimming pool, surrounded by natural beauty of acres of palm groves. This peaceful atmosphere helped to create the perfect environment for creativity and innovation for our young participants. The spacious rooms and traditional comfortable furnishings provided a warm and welcoming atmosphere, allowing the participants to immerse themselves in the work very quickly.
The boot camp focused on youth leadership for entrepreneurship and sustainable development in Algeria. It brought together seven coaches from Algeria, Florida, Dubai and of course the UK represented by myself and Jessica Northey.
Twenty five young entrepreneurs from all over Algeria took part in what they defined as an “unforgettable experience”. The goal was to support these young people develop their ideas for new businesses and provide them with the skills they need to turn those ideas into reality.
Upon arrival on the 9th in the evening and during dinner, participants and coaches were greeted with the joyful sound of traditional Sahraoui instruments, including the Bendir and the Guembri, creating an atmosphere that put everyone in a good mood for the four days of hard work ahead.
Jessica Northey was surprised by Catalyst Development organisers with a delicious birthday cake, which she shared with the participants and coaches. Through the shared experience of the music, beautiful food, and cake, everyone was able to connect with one another, creating a sense of community and camaraderie that lasted the duration of the boot camp.
Cultural tourism was also at the heart of our stay. We visited the palm groves of Beni Isgen, the local market and the ancient town of Ghardaïa, which is famous for its traditional mud brick buildings and winding streets. It was a great way to get everyone excited and motivated for the days ahead. It also highlighted to us all the huge potential for high quality tourism in Algeria as a new potential source of livelihoods for young people if developed sustainably.
Over the next few days, we worked intensively with the young entrepreneurs to help them refine their business ideas and develop their business plans. The coaches were all experts in their fields, and their passion for supporting young people was clear.
Despite the challenging conditions, with hot sun and dry climate, the young people were incredibly focused and engaged. They worked tirelessly on their business plans, taking feedback from the coaches and making adjustments as needed. They were also keen to meet with local environmental associations in Beni Isguen to learn from their projects and experiences.
A most inspiring part of the boot camp was seeing how the young people supported each other. They formed strong bonds over the course of the week and were always willing to lend a hand or offer advice when needed.
One of the exciting sessions was a pitching competition, where the young entrepreneurs had the opportunity to present their business ideas to a panel of judges . It was incredible to see such wonderful projects developed in just a few days. The ideas were all innovative and the judges had a tough time choosing a winner.
The success of the boot camp was also largely due to the hard work of Catalyst Development, our partner. Hocine Boukredoun and his team handled every detail, from logistics, to recruiting the talented young people who took part. The Catalyst Development team made sure that everything was well-prepared and organised, allowing the boot camp to run smoothly from start to finish. They even went above and beyond providing beautiful gifts for the participants, adding a personal touch. We would like to express our gratitude to the Catalyst Development manager Omar Mekdade for his inspiring and thoughtful leadership. Omar suggested bringing in a coach, Soufyane Rahmoune, who focuses on providing psychological support to help young entrepreneurs succeed in creating their startups. This level of care and attention truly made a difference in the success of the event, and we are grateful for the opportunity to partner with such dedicated partner.
Our next step is to take our project further south in the Sahara, where we hope to hold our next bootcamp in the magical region of Bechar. By doing so, we hope to reach out to more young female entrepreneurs from the Sahara, who are often excluded from such activities due to the difficulty of travelling to and attending events in Algeria’s northern cities. This was one barrier flagged to us in our interviews and discussions with young people.
Overall, the boot camp was an incredible experience. It was amazing to see how much passion and creativity there is among the youth in Algeria and how they imagine their future. I feel incredibly fortunate to have been a part of it and to have worked with such a talented and motivated group of coaches and young entrepreneurs.
To see more of the training – take a look at the video below:
