Connecting talented young refugees with business leaders
Turkey is home to 3M+ refugees from Syria, many of them with skills and expertise needed by Turkish businesses, but because of misconceptions, stigmas and legal barriers, they often struggle to find work to make use of their talents. Embark is a reverse mentoring scheme that connects Turkish business leaders with young Syrians to exchange ideas, develops understanding and builds meaningful connections.
Here's some quotes from the programme participants:
"It is a great feeling to be mentee (business person) and very exciting today as we pair with our mentors (young Syrians). The energy was so high in the room and everyone so excited to meet with each other and they all believe that they can create an impact."
"I think this was one of the most fulfilling experience I've had in the last few months [as a mentee]. At the end of the day, this is so important. Why? Because nobody is a teacher here but the mentors will play a role as an awakener. This programme will foster an exchange that I would personally consider unprecedented."
"The corporate sector could potentially tap into a labour market that is quite abundant, quite valuable. I would be hoping that it will show the amount of talent that is available here that is being neglected."
Watch this 3 minute video to meet some of the people on the programme and more details:
Could we use something similar to break down barriers with refugees in the UK?
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From a video by Unilever, 17/07/2018