Blog: JA Mascareignes at the 2021 Women in Global Development Leadership Forum

/0 Comments/by

Can you imagine being on a journey to a bold and inclusive leadership? Yes, it is possible at JA Mascareignes! Empowering the Mauritian youth constantly requires an upgrading of one’s own skills, and the JA Mascareignes staff follow ongoing training so that the organisation gets better at what it does.

In this line, JA Mascareignes provided, through an opportunity offered by JA Worldwide, its staff with the possibility of participating in the 2021 Women in Global Development Leadership Forum during the first week of May 2021. Created by the WILD Network which stands for Women Innovators & Leaders Development, this event brought together 900 people coming from 120 countries, with 90+ speakers who are either a leadership expert or a global development sector leader. It started on the 4th of May and extended over 3 days. Content of the event ranged from the next-level leadership to inclusive leadership of entrepreneurs and sector-wide initiatives.

This forum has indeed been enriching, insightful and enlightening. While speakers shared their experience of leadership throughout their career paths, participants were welcome to engage in meaningful discussions through networking tables. Interactive workshops on topics such as strategies to build resilience, managing project development during COVID, leaders advancing gender equity, stories of failure and success and challenging our imposter syndrome. These sessions brought forth a new pair of lenses to look at things in the world of leaders and innovators.

The 3 days spent in the forum were full of golden nuggets to be cherished for long. Our heartfelt thanks go to the WILD Network for having created such an event, and to JA Worldwide for having provided the JA staff the opportunity of becoming better leaders for the generations of today and tomorrow.

JA Mascareignes partners with Eco-Sud to provide Entrepreneurship training to those affected by the Wakashio disaster.

/0 Comments/by

JA Mascareignes is partnering with Eco-Sud for the implementation of the JA ITS TYME program in Mahebourg. Eco-Sud has since last year set up a series of support activities and programs to help those who have been affected by the Wakashio Disaster. The JA ITS TYME aims at equipping the beneficiaries with the necessary tools to successfully start and run their business.

The training started back in March 2021 with a group of around 20 participants. The session had to be put on hold during the lockdown period and restarted in mid-June 2021. The participants were divided into two group of 8 and 9 respectively so as to respect the Covid-19 safety measures.

The JA ITS TYME program is divided into the following sessions:

Stage 1: Developing Life Skills

Session 1 (Self-Esteem, Self-Awareness and Ethics) – Understanding concept of self-esteem and self-awareness/Learn about the importance of positive thinking.

Session 2 (Goal Setting, Time Management and Critical Thinking) – Learn to set goals/Learn the importance of time management

Stage 2: Identifying the Right Business for You

Session 3 (Understanding Entrepreneurship)

Understand what it means to be an entrepreneur / Understand the difference between being a business owner and an entrepreneur/ understand the importance of team work.

Session 4 (Identifying and Communicating your Business Idea) – Identify a business idea / develop or strengthen their public speaking skills by learning how to clearly present their business ideas / learn the importance of collaboration and exchange to come up with a business name.

Stage 3: Developing Your Business Idea

Session 5 (Market Research and Analysis) – Learn the importance of market research and analysis / Learn how to carry out market research and analysis / develop a marketing strategy.

Session 6 (identify Funding Sources and Business Management) – Identify sources for your business start-up / Learn how to manage your business.

Stage 4: Financing and Launching Your Business

Session 7 (Saving for your Enterprise) – Learn the different sources of funding available / Understand the importance of saving and borrowing

Session 8 (Writing your Business Plan) – Learn the importance of a business plan / write a one to two-page business plan.

Stage 5: Managing Your Business

Session 9 (Costing and Pricing Strategy) – Learn how to determine the right price for their product or service / learn the relationship between the costs and profit/ learn the importance of controlling costs to ensure profit.

Session 10 (Financial Management) – Learn the importance of financial management and create processes and procedures to track their finances / learn how to prepare profit and loss, cash flow statements and balance sheets.

Session 11 (Finance in Action) – Learn the importance of a personal budget/ learn the importance of finance in business / learn how financial institutions work.

Stage 6: Making Your Business Sustainable

Session 12 (Leadership and Conflict Resolution) – Learn the meaning of leadership and leadership skills / learn how to use active listening skills to tackle conflict in workplace / learn negotiation and problem-solving skills.

Session 13 (Overcoming Failure in Business) – strategies that can help prevent failure in business / learn strategies for continuing business even in the case of failure.

Session 14 (Personal Action Plan) – Identify career options / learn about problem solving, critical thinking and goal setting / write an action plan.

Ernst & Young and Junior Achievement Worldwide release Gen Z Report

/0 Comments/by

In late 2020, EY and JA collaborated to conduct a quantitative evaluation of nearly 6,000 young people, all current or previous JA participants, aged 16 to 25, with regards to their experiences in education and their views toward the future. JA Mascareignes alumni were among the contributors from Mauritius, which was among the 17 countries that were surveyed. The report has now been published and provides a great insight into Generation Z’s expectations from the educational system and, as the report states, could help to understand how to better prepare this generation for the World of Work.

Generation Z is defined as anyone born between 1997 and 2015. The overall findings show that this generation of young people are highly engaged and feel optimistic about the future. They want more hands-on experiential and real-life learning opportunities in topics such as Global Citizenship and the environment. They also strongly feel that their education should not be limited to the classroom. They are asking for educators to “offer innovative and creative learning opportunities that augment traditional teaching methods, and for businesses to support their development and education”. They, however express that they are less confident that the formal education is currently preparing them to be work ready, and this feeling increases among those who have already entered the workforce.

When it comes to the skills that they have and those on which they need to improve, the study identified the following: “Gen Z participants report feeling a high level of confidence in the 4Cs, with more than 75% of respondents stating they feel they know how to listen and work with others, solve problems, participate, voice their ideas and enjoy creative acts. The areas in which they felt least confident are related to resourcefulness and to improving upon what exists — suggesting that while they identify as a generation of original thinkers, they may struggle to integrate into the workforce or combine their ideas in meaningful ways once there”.

The respondents were less confident that formal education was fully aligned with the demands of the workplace. The report stating that “approximately 40% of Gen Z workers surveyed do not believe the subject focus or teaching methods in their education will successfully prepare them for life in 2030”. This perception is felt even more by some of the Gen Z who have entered the workplace. “Some in this cohort discovered they did not understand which job-ready skills employers value. In particular, they report feeling less prepared to think on their feet and solve problems.”

When asked about what they would want the education system to look like, many referred to some of the positives of the current disruption. “Around 75% of surveyed students stated that, when the pandemic concludes, they wish to continue virtual instruction in some form — indicating a strong preference for hybrid education”. They also strongly feel about having more “experiential opportunities” that engage the business community in terms of “real-life work” and “professional mentorship”. “More than 50% of Gen Z respondents expressed that they look to corporations and large businesses to prepare them for trends such as automation, globalization and new work norms (….) the more that corporations partner with educators, to provide hands-on work this generation craves, the more likely they are to see the value of the skills and experiences these contributors bring to the classroom”.

The report ends by emphasizing that there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach but that the current disruption in traditional schooling has allowed for creativity and experimentation in teaching. The same should be continued and include Gen Z and their preferences. “It would be a disservice to the next generation if we fail to consider how some of the positive aspects of the shift to virtual education can be carried forward once the pandemic has concluded. Now is the time for educators to re-imagine how blended time can be used and how technology can enable learning both inside and outside the classroom”.

The same can be said to encourage more involvement of businesses in education, “not only will collaborating with educators and working with students earlier on give businesses a window into this generation, it may also support recruitment and growth efforts while better equipping the next generation with the skills needed for jobs of the future”.

The full report is available here.