Empowering 250,000 Youth In 9 Countries: A $6M Regional Commitment Over Three Years

Just one year into its launch, EmpowerME has already equipped over 86,000 young people across MENA and Türkiye with practical skills for employment and entrepreneurship—laying the foundation for a bold regional movement in youth empowerment.

Driven by a USD 6 million, three-year partnership between the Starbucks Foundation and Alshaya Group, EmpowerME aims to reach 250,000 underserved youth across nine countries, offering them the tools, confidence, and connections to shape their futures.

The program combines immersive learning and mentorship with locally led trainings by youth ambassadors—meeting young people where they are, whether in schools, community centers, or Starbucks stores. Implementation is led by INJAZ Al Arab/JA MENA in Egypt, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, and by Habitat Association in Türkiye, Jordan, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan.

EmpowerME’s integrated model blends hands-on programs, scalable webinars, ambassador networks, and psychosocial support—creating inclusive pathways to opportunity across the region.

“By opening our stores as learning spaces and connecting youth to mentors who believe in their potential, we’re seeing practical skills turn into confidence and real pathways to work,” said Mohammad Mahmoud Al Najjar, Senior Vice President of Starbucks at Alshaya Group. “We’re grateful to our partners at INJAZAl Arab/JAMENA and HabitatAssociation, and to our Starbucks partners who volunteered their time and expertise.”

Year One Outcomes

INJAZ Al‑Arab/JA MENA (FY 2024-25)

• 41,769 youth engaged across Egypt, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, including 5,013 in intensive, hands‑on programs; a further 36,756 joined scalable webinars and short‑format sessions.
• Inclusion among intensive cohorts: 3,710 young women; 3,221 youth facing barriers to opportunity; 1,174vocational/technical students; with refugee and orphan participation across several markets.
• 61 Starbucks partners volunteered as mentors, coaches, and judges across more than 82 engagements, alongside 611 community volunteers.
• Portfolio included the Company Program; Innovation Day Camps (Well-being & Social Entrepreneurship; Female Empowerment); Sustainability & Green Entrepreneurship; employability pathways; and Youth Entrepreneurship Celebration (YEC) activation.

Habitat Association (YTD 2025)

• Türkiye: 149 trained youth ambassadors from 61 provinces delivered 572 local trainings since January, reaching 42,108 youth in schools, universities, youth centers, municipal venues, Habitat stations, and Starbucks stores across 40 cities; monthly sessions at the Istanbul Community Store began in June.With the participation of sector experts, four career planning webinars were organized, providing support to 204 young people to help them gain competencies for their professional lives.
• Jordan: 23 newly trained ambassadors have reached over 2,400 youth since April; seven psychosocial support workshops served 201 participants (at least half from refugee communities), with 12 workshops planned for the year. Ambassadors also came together with young people during the Starbucks store trainings in the Kingdom.
• Entrepreneurship pipeline (Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan): 428 youth participated in bootcamps and a hackathon; 14 teams advanced to the International Acceleration Program culminating in a Demo Day in Istanbul. At the end of the Demo Day, the three winning startups received a total grant support of $17,500.

Looking ahead, INJAZ will expand EmpowerME into Morocco, Bahrain, and Qatar—growing its footprint from five to eight markets—and enhance hybrid delivery and mentor matching so volunteers align even more closely with student needs. Habitat will scale the ambassador‑led network in Jordan toward a 3,500+ youth target by year‑end, complete all 12 psychosocial support workshops, and continue store‑based learning in Türkiye and Jordan to keep access high during school breaks. Together, the partners will deepen inclusion and strengthen green and digital skills, keeping EmpowerME on track to equip 250,000 youth with future‑ready capabilities over three years.