MCISE-Moroccan Center for Innovation and Social Entreprise

I want to reach 1M teenagers between 14-18 to empower them to solve the problems of their own schools thus empowering their parents, their teachers to fix their educational system. One Student at a time.

Our organization has developed A Systemic "Solution" to transform public schools to hubs for social innovation.

The "Tamkeen Initiative" programme ( Empowerment in Arabic) has been recognized by Ashoka ( fellowship in 2017) and various international bodies as a unique solution in a region seeking for creative solutions.

If we transform the kids, we will create a whole generation of problem solvers and thus job creators for the future of our planet.

During my university years, I have joined numerous student organizations, trying to expand his horizons and grow in his leadership skills. I became president of Students in Free Enterprises (now known as Enactus), an experience that helped me see a gap between what I was taught in school and the reality of communities where the group was working on economic initiatives.I felt that all learning came from outside my classroom.
In 2010, I launched Morocco's first social innovation contest, where young people could present ideas to solve social problems. The next year, he took the program into several schools in Marrakesh with the aim of making the schools more entrepreneurial. When the local education authority congratulated me for being able to do something in six months that they hadn’t been able to do at all, I knew I was onto something. I started trying to take the idea to more schools. In 2012,I  launched the Moroccan Center for Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship (MCISE) to " find entrepreneurial and Innovative solutions to every social challenge in Morocco " with time this mission took us to more countries and reaching hundreds of schools a year, supporting 200+ projects and thousands of individuals.

Fresh high school and university graduates are not equipped with adequate skills (such as problem solving and analytical thinking) to enter the job market and have a passive mindset that believes that the government should get them job.A s such, the economic exclusion leaves youth frustrated, with little perspective and initiative, whereas the lack of perspective causes high risk of mental instability, violent radicalization and extremism. That is evident in the study conducted by The European Centre of Peace that argues that young Moroccans join ISIS for economic benefits.  

The root of the problem is that the Moroccan educational system produces unemployable youth lacking the necessary mindset and skills for successfully entering the job market. The education system focuses on linear, passive learning methods rather than proactive methods delivering the entrepreneurial, innovative mindset that enhances the student’s self-empowerment which they need in today’s competitive market system. The focus is on linear, uncritical learning methods that are reinforced by education system prioritizing STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). More pressingly, a study by British Council revealed that such uncritical mindset makes educated youth highly vulnerable to follow violent radicalization.
The problem is not limited to Morocco only.

Tamkeen,seeks to change the education system such that it produces innovative changeagents rather than vulnerable, unemployable young people. High school students develop the mindset of problem solvers as they launch their own solutions to challenges they identify in their schools. A 3 module training in community, business, and personal development equips them with skills not provided by traditional education—such as creativity, communication, leadership, critical thinking, design thinking—as they collaborate with each other to create and develop their own projects. Student projects have included sustainable shower system where showers are provided with water that is recycled and delivered using solar energy powered turbines,
Tamkeen works directly in schools, engaging teachers, school authorities, and parents associations to create an enabling environment for the works of their students to thrive. It is also why the student projects focus on the schools themselves, empowering students to drive change in a system that isn’t working for them and to turn schools into spaces of innovation .By providing the 3-module training to community NGOs, we drive a more innovative civil society while also positioning local NGOs across the country to lead Tamkeen’s work in the schools in their communities

Tamkeen  builds a network of local NGOs to administer the whole process of implementation of Tamkeen’s methodology in schools in their communities. He first identifies the local NGOs based on credibility and trust. Adnane gives a version of the three-module training to the NGO staff, helping turn them into more innovative organizations. Personnel learn to understand the essential role of social entrepreneurship in solving societal problems in Morocco and how to deliver this message to others. The involved NGOs are also trained on handling the operations of implementing Tamkeen’s methodology in schools and on raising funds to finance those operations. Upon the completion of that process, NGOs are licensed to use Tamkeen’s methodology to work in schools. Each NGO can manage a total of 15 schools. The NGOs seek the permit from the government to be able to implement Tamkeen’s program in the schools and then recruit the 10 lead students’ school and one teacher in each school and manage the implementation. Tamkeen monitors the work to ensure quality control, support implementation, and address any problems. In two of the eight cities where Tamkeen operates, the managing NGOs are successfully running the program with very little support from Tamkeen.