The Protégés G1 Meets The Ambassador

Date : 20^th of March, 2011

Place: Embassy of The United States of America in Kuwait

Deborah K. Jones The Ambassador of the United States of America welcomed a group of The Protégés First Generation and Mentors, where they delightedly met her and explained the program, its aim, concept and achievements with the Al Sariya project. The meeting went along for almost an hour. The Ambassador was charmed about the student, and encouraged them to join more programs like this and the benefits of such programs on their future. She also thanked Pink Coffee Marketing & PR for hosting such initiative programs.

We as Pink Coffee and on behalf of The Protégés First Generation thank Ms. Safa AlHashem for arranging the meeting with the Ambassador, and thank the Ambassador for Welcoming us and giving the chance to the student for the amazing meeting.

The Protégés G1 TEAM ALSARIYA MEETS THE AMIR OF KUWAIT

The Protégés have been working hard on their final project, Al Sariya, a statue of the first scene of Kuwaitis lifting the flag during the Kuwaiti liberation of 1991. The scene depicts Kuwaitis forming a human ladder to raise the Kuwaiti flag. Its emotional factor reflects how Kuwaitis are all united during the hard times without any societal, racial, or ethnical prejudice. The statue will feature a human ladder carrying a transparent glass sail that has the national anthem printed on so the national anthem would be reflected on the ground when the sun shines through.

To acquire sufficient funding, team Al Sariya scheduled a meeting on 25/08/2010 with Sheikh Sobah Al-Ahmad, the Amir of Kuwait, knowing that if there was anyone who would support such a national project, it would be his highness.

His highness was extremely generous with the team providing them a location and full financial support of the project. He was happy to see such initiatives from Kuwaiti youth and was extremely appreciative of their efforts saying he wishes to see more of these pure national incentives that unite Kuwaitis under one principle – The Love of Kuwait.

The Protégés G1 – Day 32

The day has come, the day each Prot dreaded. Was it really over? It couldn’t be.

Our Prots grew closer to one another in the past 6 weeks. A family, beating with one heart, filled with laughter and joy. It began to feel more like home here at “The Protégés”.

To begin with the fun stuff, there were awards to be given. Awards for:

“Best Hair” – Bader Al Tahous

“Best Smile” – Nasser Al Humaidi

“Most Mysterious” – Haya Al Ghunaim

“Best Speaker” – Maryam Al Omani

“Best Voice” – Fatima Abdul Salam

“Best Dressed” – Eman Al Reshaid

“Most Healthy” – Fatima Al Awadhi

“Most Improved” – Nasser Al Othman

“Biggest Appetite” – Altaf Al Mudhayan

“Best Laugh” – Mohammed Al Munaiykh

Congratulations to our winners!

A videoclip created by Mentor Shamlan Al Bahar was shown. The clip showed the “Women of the Proteges”, and how their beauty is not shown in their outward appearance, but deep inside in the depths of their souls. It was a very sentimental moment for our ladies.

Moments later, Shamlan threatened, “If ANYONE looks behind them, he or she will be expelled from the Protégés program on their last day.” The problem here was that he was dead serious. Our Prots were clueless why, and Shamlan was not planning on giving anyone an explanation. So our Prots did as they were told.

“Memory is a way of holding into the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose.” – Kevin Arnold

Mohammed Al Munaiykh and Noura Al Hajeri were called onto the stage, to talk about our memories together during the Protégés program. Even the smallest incidents left a remarkable memory, and no memory created here at the Protégés could ever be repeated.

Shortly, Mohammed and Noura were called off of stage by Shamlan, and speeches were given by our mentors about their experiences with our Prots during the program. Next up, our Prots were individually called onto stage to talk about their experience at “The Proteges”. But our Prots were in for a surprise. Once our Prots were on stage, they then understood why Shamlan asked them not to look to the back of the room. Our families were sitting right behind us. Thank God for Mishari’s session!

A presentation was given by sisters Dalal and Sharifa Al Sulaiti, to inform our families on what we have been working on during the course of the program. This was then followed by a videoclip showing our journey at “The Proteges”.

Our day had now come to an end. That does not mean that it was the end of “The Protégés”. It’s only just the beginning to something big.

Bader Altahous: Best Hair

Eman Alrushaid: Best Dressed

Fay Alomran: Best song (Waka Waka)

Zaian Alotaibi: Best Fall

Nasser Alothman: Most Improved

Noura Alhajri: Best MC (Pew Pew!!)

Fatma Alawadi: Most Healthy

Haya Alghunaim: Most Mysterious

Nasser Alhumaidy: Best Smile

Zaina Alotaibi

Nasser Alothman

Noura Alhajri

The Proteges First Generation !

The Protégés G1 – Day 31

“Glossophobia” is defined as the fear of public speaking, or speaking in public. Mentor Mishari Al Mufarreh took on this session to teach the protégés how to combat the fear of public speaking. Mentor Mishari also explained the importance of body language, voice, and tone when speaking in public.

Mentor Mishari Al Mufarreh

Videos were shown to the protégés on what makes a good and terrible public speaker. Even presidents, sometimes, can be bad at public speaking. Mentor Mishari focused on the following structure when giving a good speech:

1. What: Start by telling a joke to break the ice with the audience then introduce yourself and your topic.
2. Why: Explain why you have chosen to speak about this topic.
3. What: Talk about the details of your topic.
4. How: End your speech with how the audience can help and end your topic.

The protégés were divided into groups of 3 to practice their public speaking skills. Within each group, each member had to talk about a random topic to practice using speech structure (what, why, what, how). One member from each team would act as the speaker, the other would be the audience, and the other would obverse the speaker and the audience’s reaction. The observer would then give back their feedback to the speaker.

Group exercise

After the group exercise, each protégé was called onto the stage to give a speech. The protégés seemed to be more confident and capable of tackling any topic that was given.

The Protégés and mentor Mishari

The Protégés G1 – Day 30

“Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” – Winston Churchill

Etiquette is a behavior, not a personality. Many think that etiquette is something snobbish, however, it is a way of showing polite manners. Etiquette projects confidence, authority, and a positive image.

Ms. Ma’ab Al Qasem, The House of Etiquette managing partner, welcomed the protégés to teach them about the basics of etiquette. To start things off, the protégés were given a short test to see how much they know about etiquette, and surprisingly the majority knew very little.

Ma’ab Al Qasem, managing director of The House of Etiquette

The protégés inside The House of Etiquette

Etiquette was created by Louis XIV, meaning the ticket in French. Ms. Ma’ab talked to the protégés about the history of etiquette during Louis XIV’s reign. She explained that after Louis’s death, there came many other forms of etiquette because different cultures had different norms.

The protégés were taught how to greet, introduce, sit, walk, and eat in the right manner. They were even introduced to the 12 different types of cutlery used for eating.

Ms. Ma’ab talking about the etiquette of eating

Ms. Ma’ab also talked to the protégés about etiquette when it comes to entertainment and event planning. She covered the differences between formal and informal events, different kinds of clothing worn at certain events, seating arrangements, and menu planning.

To assure that everyone understood the topic, the protégés were divided into 2 groups to put their etiquette knowledge to the test.

Picking a topic to be tested on

Testing the protégés knowledge about cutlery

To master etiquette, one must know the basics of etiquette through appearance, behavior, communication, and dining. Thanks to The House of Etiquette now the protégés have mastered these skills.

The protégés with Ms. Ma’ab Al Qasem inside The House of Etiquette

The Protégés G1 – Day 29

“The constitution is the guide I never will abandon”.  –George Washington

When we hear the word constitution we directly link it to a political matter, but in fact the constitution was never about politics. The constitution grants the rights of all the aspects of life, even personal matters. Everything in life has its own constitution; countries, companies, and even people have their own self-constitution.

Kuwait’s consitution

Sout Al Kuwait translated into The Voice of Kuwait was the destination for this day; a group of Kuwaiti men and women united in the desire to work for the advancement of Kuwait and the protection of its constitution and democratic system.

The protégés gathered in Sout Al Kuwait headquarters in Khaldiya, where Hessa Al Humaidi, one of the founders, introduced the organization and how it started. ’s residence, when Ms. Hessa Al Humaizi, one of the founders of Sout Al Kuwait, started off by introducing the organization to the students, how and why it started. The protégés were amazed by the persistence, patience, and perseverance of Hessa and the other founders.

Hessa Al Humaidi

Afterwards, the protégés headed to the Society of Engineer, without a clue of what to expect. Once they entered the society, they were taken through a journey of Kuwait’s constitution. Guides from Sout Al Kuwait stressed on the importance for every citizen living on this land to know their rights and how to appreciate this treasure because it was not given on a golden plate.

Constitution journey

Discussion circle

The long, harsh, journey Kuwait’s constitution went through was not simple and it is essential for each and every person to understand the past in order to appreciate what they take for granted today.

The Protégés with Sout Al Kuwait

The Protégés G1 – Day 28

“Tolerance and celebration of individual differences is the fire that fuels lasting love. “ – Tom Hannah

The protégés were fired up for today’s discussion with Dr. Ebtihal Al Khateeb, professor of arts in Kuwait University and social activist.

Dr. Ebtihal Al Khateeb during the session

Dr. Ebtihal started off my discussing the thin line between respect and tolerance and how it complements each other. Shed handed the protégés some articles and asked what they thought was the writer’s point of view on a certain matter.

A protégé reading the articles

A small exercise was conducted by Dr. Ebtihal to test the tolerance of each protégé. She said that everyone carries an invisible bag filled with personal beliefs, feelings, opinions, and point of views. She tested the protégés by talking about different situations and see where they stand on each matter. Most of the situations were simple, yet the protégés found it hard to take a stand due to the invisible bag they are carrying. The lesson was that in order to be tolerant, we must understand; and in order to understand we must take off the invisible bag.

The protégés discussion

After the mind stimulating lecture, the protégés asked Dr. Ebtihal questions on different subjects and she gladly listened and answered everything. Her tolerant and professional attitude truly civilized the level of discussion.

The Protégés G1 – Day 27

Today, the protégés were taken to one of the leading investment companies in the GCC region, Global Investment House.

Rania Banoub, Assistant Manager of Marketing Communications introduced the protégés to the “Global Family.” It was nice to see how a large and successful company has maintained and cultivated such strong relationships with its employees. All the departments had a specific purpose for being in the company, and operate together for the success of the company. Each department is just as equally important, and none have a higher priority over the other.

A tour around Global Investment House

The next speaker was Mr. Bader Al Sumait, who is Global’s’ Chief Executive Officer. He explained to the protégés about the history of Kuwait Stock Exchange, through its ups and downs, miseries and glories.

Mr. Bader Al Sumait

The protégés during the lecture

Later on, mentor Abdulaziz Al Loughani gave the protégés a lecture about entrepreneurship and how to become an entrepreneur in such a shaky economy.

The protégés discussion during the lecture

The last speakers for the day were representatives from Kuwait Small Projects, Mr. Al Rumaih and Mrs. Al Thunayan, who gave the protégés tips and tricks on how to start their own business in Kuwait and how Kuwait Small Projects can help.

Mentor Abdulaziz withe Kuwait Small Projects representative

The protégés group picture in Global Investment House

The Protégés G1 – Day 26

The element of surprise is one of The Protégés program main characteristic. The protégés were asked to wear Islamic outfits the previous day without a clue why.

At first, mentor Reem Al Hunaidi gave the protégés a brief lecture on how to be connected to god by practicing the five pillars of Islam.

The protégés arrived at the Grand Mosque, where the session will take place. The Grand Mosque is one of the largest mosques in the region. It spans over an area of 45,000 square meters, out of which the building itself covers 20,000 square meters. The mosque is worth KD 14 million. The construction of the mosque commenced in 1979, and was completed in 1986.

The protégés

The protégés

The protégés were given a tour around the mosque. They had the privilege to enter a special room, which was designed in 1986, and has not changed since then. It holds an attributed “Mus’haf” to the time of Prophet Mohammed’s companion Othman Bin Affan.

The protégés inside the Grand Mosque

Attributed “Mus’haf”

After the tour, the protégés were given a lecture by Sheikh Jaza’a Al Suwaileh about the flexibility of Islam when it comes to reading the Qur’an. By using the ten different methods of readings or قراءات people from all regions with different accents are able to read the Qur’an.

Sheikh Jaza’a Al Suwaileh

 

The Protégés G1 – Day 25

“Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it or work around it.” – Michael Jordan.

Mentor Shamlan Al Bahar began the session by talking about basketball’s ultimate legend, Michael Jordan, who managed to leave a legacy even after his retirement. Michael Jordan was not only a basketball player, he was his own businessman and was able to successfully market himself.

Mentor Shamlan talking about Michael Jordon

Michael Jordan gained 6 Championships in his career as a basketball player. After his 3^rd championship, Jordan decided to retire as a basketball player because he believed he could not excel any further. He moved onto baseball for 2 years, then returned back to his first career and gained 3 more championships to please his fans. Throughout the years, many player have tried to overthrow his legacy, but none succeeded.

One of the protégés reading Michael Jordan’s quote

“My attitude is that if you push me towards something that you think is a weakness, then I will turn that perceived weakness into a strength.” – Michael Jordan. Many have tried to push weaknesses onto Jordan, and Jordan always managed to successfully prove them wrong.

“The economy has produced 6.1 million jobs since I became President, and if Michael Jordan comes back to the [Chicago] Bulls, it will be 6,000,001 jobs.” [Bill Clinton in 1995]. From basketball and sport shoes, to music videos and movies (Space Jam), Michael Jordan has even managed to influence the economy.