The “Ripples of Happiness” program was launched in March 2012 and took place simultaneously in universities across Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine. It aimed at training university students on identifying opportunities in their countries while inspiring them to implement projects that will have a positive impact within their communities. In Bahrain, the universities participating in “Ripples of Happiness” were the University of Bahrain and the Royal University for Women.
With training and mentoring from a team of volunteers from INJAZ Al-Arab and Coca-Cola networks, the students defined challenges within their communities, selected their projects and developed action plans that they implemented on a small scale. The projects adopted by the teams in Bahrain aimed at raising awareness on illnesses that were common in the Kingdom as well as creating an electronic platform for charity and volunteer work.
Executive Director of inJAz Bahrain, Shaikha Hessa Bint Khalifa Al Khalifa, congratulated the winners and commented on the significant role of youth in building societies:
“Such initiatives are intended to encourage youth to engage socially and take the lead in inducing social change in their communities through “Entrepreneurship”. Today our youth have shown success in responding to social needs facing their society and actually contributed and gave back to their communities.”
At the end of the program, students compiled their case studies and submitted them to a judging panel combining representatives from the Coca-Cola Foundation, INJAZ Al-Arab, and various community leaders. The judging panel then joined forces to choose the top 5 community projects based on 3 major criteria: The Ripples of Happiness microsite voting, Facebook Voting Application and the Case Studies. The winning projects received grants to support implementation on a larger scale which will take place over the 2 months following the announcement of the results.
“Drawing on Coca-Cola’s commitment to give back the communities in which it operates, the Ripples of Happiness program was tailored to empower and train the youth so that they can create a positive impact on the lives of those around them,” said Antoine Tayyar, Public Affairs and Communication Director, Coca-Cola Middle East, said.
“The first edition of “Ripples of Happiness” was a huge success; we were thrilled by the engagement and the commitment of the youth in the Middle-East who showed readiness to lead change in their communities,” he added.
The Royal University for Women team was also recognized for the outstanding job they did on their project “Bab Al Khair” which aimed to take advantage of technology and the society’s dependence on the internet to create a website that connected volunteers and those wishing to make charitable donations with charities and others in need.
Winners across the region were announced as follows:
Birzeit University in Palestine was awarded for their project “Yabrood”; The Lebanese American University in Beirut was awarded for their project “WeCycle”; The University of Bahrain was awarded for their project “Ambulance”; The University of Jordan was awarded for their project “Droplet of Happiness and The College of Business Administration for Women in Saudi Arabia was awarded for their project “S.O.S”.
The remaining teams also received distinction awards for the outstanding job they did throughout their projects:
The American University of Beirut project “Mommy Made” was awarded best “Women Empowerment Driver”
The Royal University of Women in Bahrain project “Bab Al Khair” was awarded best “Use of Technology in CSR; The College of Business Administration for Men in Saudi Arabia project “Green Planet” was awarded best “Extraordinary Voluntarism”; Al Amman Al Ahlyia University project “My Environment, My Address” was awarded best “Environment Friendly Initiative” and The Bethlehem University project “Hospital Libraries” was awarded best “Humanitarian Touch”
Ripples of Happiness, is a multi-year programme and the next edition will reach out to more universities in the participating countries.