Muscat – Outward Bound Oman (OBO) and Lahunna Oman have joined hands to launch Sidrah, a first-of-its-kind leadership programme for young women aged 18 to 25 years.

Drawing inspiration from its resilient namesake, the local sidr tree, Sidrah is set to lay a solid foundation for participants to take a proactive role in identifying viable solutions to some of today’s pressing youth concerns in line with the directives outlined in Oman Vision 2040. The pilot programme will run from June to December of this year.

Adopting a non-conventional learning model, Sidrah will allow participants to hone their employability skills, challenge their self-reliance and perseverance, and unleash their talents.

Phase I of the programme will see them spend four days in the rugged outdoors of Jabal Akhdar.

Taking their learnings from the mountains, Phase II will further cement the growth of the young women through dedicated coaching with an international tri-sector coach from Singapore’s prestigious National Youth Achievement Award – who will expand their horizons in the areas of strategy, innovation and entrepreneurship.

While undergoing this unique project-based learning exercise, Lahunna will curate their networks to expose a select group of participants to leaders from the government, private and civil society sectors in Oman, some of whom will be invited to mentor the young women as they work on concept papers addressing some of today’s pressing national concerns, and leading the way in overcoming them.

Launching the programme, Mark Evans, executive director of OBO, said, “Youth are confronted with what is an increasingly competitive and challenging world. Partnering with Lahunna Oman and co-designing a programme such as Sidrah will not only help build the capabilities of young women and girls but will also open doors for them to expand their professional horizons.

“We hope to cultivate their leadership, resilience and connections through inspiring and challenging discoveries.”

According to Shatha Salim al Maskiry, founder of Lahunna, it was founded on a simple yet powerful premise – to spotlight the infinite possibilities of women in society. She described it is a platform to inspire, to challenge the status quo and nudge change simply by showcasing what is possible.

“Sidrah is a natural extension of Lahunna’s objectives. Participants will understand they do not require championing nor empowering – they have all the ingredients to excel within themselves. We hope to instill a heightened self-awareness by the end of Phase I that will propel them as they navigate Phase II.”

Young women from across Oman are invited to register via https://forms.gle/is1obQm1Vu1oNNgTA