Erbil, Kurdistan – On September 1st, 2016 Rwanga Foundation celebrated the achievement of the joint effort with MyeDream, in launching the MyeDream Erbil Bootcamp and Championship Day. MyeDream, in partnership with Rwanga Foundation, aims to benefit youth and young professionals across all Kurdistan and Iraq. The Championship Day is a culmination of a two week MyeDream Erbil Bootcamp, during which 13 start-up ideas and teams of 30 young people were trained on how to turn their dreams and ideas into viable businesses through training in visioning, human-centered design, business model, customer discovery, and market research. The MyeDream Erbil Bootcamp kicked off on World Humanitarian Day, Aug 19th, with 165 youth registered, 37 ideas pitched, and a 12-day hackathon and workshop, supported by and carried out at Rotana Erbil. Among the thirteen ideas, three were awarded for the most creative work; Online Appointment project took the first place, Freelancers project took the second and third winner was Best Discount team’s project.
The objective of the first event of its kind in Kurdistan is to enable young people of all backgrounds with innovative ideas or the drive to solve problems they face in their daily lives to have the space, skills, and systematic connections to help them succeed in starting their own small and medium enterprises. Based on global best practices and in collaboration with leading incubators such as 1776, Invest2Innovate, and Wamda, the MyeDream model is a critical precursor to engaging youth in reviving the economy, rebuilding the economy, and creating jobs in a diversified and sustainable private sector.
This partnership comes at a critical time in the Kurdistan Region, when we are amidst a serious economic crisis and challenges that require solutions are not business as usual. Private sector growth, corporate governance, and supporting the culture of entrepreneurship are critical to turning the tide of economic downturns and creating a diversified private sector-led economy that benefits everyone, especially youth, women, and marginalized communities. The event was attended by the spokesman of HE DPM Qubad Talabani, HE the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, HE the US Consul General, IO, Representative Ministry of Culture and Youth and other notable members of the Kurdistan Regional Government, business community, and civil society.
