Education systems across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region are unable to meet the demands of a growing youth population and a rapidly modernizing job market. Across the MENA countries, citizens under the age of 30 make up nearly 60% of the population. However, foundational skills for success in the 21st century – critical thinking, emotional intelligence, teamwork, creativity – are overlooked in favour of rigid rote curricula that are often poorly aligned with what the market needs.

As well as career skills, young people lack information about and access to paths of entry into the job market. This includes internships, scholarships and entry-level jobs that pave the way to more formal long-term jobs. A 2019 World Bank publication found that many college graduates in MENA countries are not adequately prepared to enter the workforce.2 One result of this skills gap is that youth unemployment in the region has for years persisted at higher rates than in any other region in the world.

A range of NGOs are working on youth-focused programmes to address these skills gaps; however, there is little coordination between them, which makes programmes short-lived and ineffective. Youth from across the MENA region often express feelings of hopelessness and point out the need for alternatives. Oxfam partner Leaders of Tomorrow (LOT) decided to create the FORSA online portal to address these challenges. LOT is a youth-led organization focusing on social innovation. It was founded in Jordan in 2007.