SAID BUSINESSSCHOOL, UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD

SYRIAOXFORD LEADERSHIP

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

APPLICATION FORM
SAID BUSINESSSCHOOL, UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH DAMASCUSUNIVERSITY
SYRIAOXFORD LEADERSHIP
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME / Module 1:07–11 February 2010
Module 2: 18 – 22 April 2010
Project Presentation: 21 – 22 June 2010
Sponsor Application
THIS APPLICATION SHOULD BE COMPLETED BY A SENIOR EXECUTIVE OF THE SPONSORING ORGANISATION AND RETURNED WITH THE PERSONAL APPLICATION FORM
NAME OF APPLICANT: / Salma Kahale
ORGANISATION: / Office of the First Lady, Presidency of the Syrian Arab Republic
PLEASE GIVE YOUR OBJECTIVES IN NOMINATING THIS APPLICANT:
Youth is a priority field for the Office of the First Lady, an area in which lots of investment is required to catalyze the necessary cultural change in order for Syrian youth to become initiators and leaders within their own lives, communities and country. Salma Kahale is the person leading the Youth Agenda, a new initiative seeking to create this cultural change. This initiative and field in general requires a new kind of leadership skills, as the field is not dominated by one actor but requires coordination and cooperation with many actors at various levels. Ms. Kahale has strong potential to lead in this field, as she is an open and thoughtful connector. She has strong experience working in the field of children and youth with many national and international stakeholders. Her ability to lead in such a challenging field requires further development of her management and influencing skills.
PLEASE GIVE A DETAILED ESTIMATE OF THE APPLICANT’S POTENTIAL IN THEIR ORGANISATION, WITH AN INDICATION OF THEIR PARTICULAR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES:
Ms. Kahale has recently joined the Office of the First Lady to initiate the Youth Agenda. She has shown promise as a leader and strategists and is taking on the role of Director of the Youth Agenda at a critical period in the initiative’s launching. Ms. Kahale’s strengths include her abilityand interest in analyzing issues within a broader context and making links between issues. Her ability to put things within a broader context reflects an understanding of various fields and underlying dynamics and structures, as well as an understanding of regional and international trends and issues. Ms. Kahale facilitates group interactions well, aware of the involvement of the participants and the dynamics of the communication. Ms. Kahale’s communication and advocacy can sometimes be hampered by her tendency to jump to conclusions and to easily expressher opinions/emotions on her face and tone.
PLEASE DESCRIBE THE ROLE OF THE PARTICIPANT’S ORGANISATION, ITS SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL AGENDA, AND ITS IMPACT ON SYRIAN SOCIETY AND IN THE REGION:
The Office of the First Lady of Syria seeks to contribute to Syria’s development by supporting the vision of His Excellency, the President, and advancing sound initiatives which help the people in Syria reach their full potential for the benefit of the country. The Office of the First Lady aims to provide the highest standards of support for the work of Her Excellency, Mrs. Asma Al Assad. The Office endeavors to ensure that the objectives of the First Lady are successfully advanced by carrying out work in a professional and effective manner that safeguards a good reputation for the Office and public service within Syria.
Among the ways in which the First Lady and her Office support the vision of His Excellency, the President, is by carrying out a range of projects and initiatives that contribute to the development of Syria and Syrian civil society including work in the Youth sector. The Youth Agenda fits within the national agenda to promote economic, political and social reform. The Agenda will act as a catalyst for cultural change in Syria youthso that they constructively engage and take greater responsibility within their lives and their community.In particular, the Agenda aims to encourage youth to seize opportunities to create their own livelihoodand take risks to chart their own path, seek economic prosperityfor themselves and Syria through entrepreneurship and other means and to eagerly invest in their own educationand become independent thinkers, which they view as an essential component of being a successful member of society.
PLEASE DESCRIBE THE KEY CHALLENGES FACED BY THE PARTICIPANT’S ORGANISATION:
Faced with many challenges, Syria has embarked on an ambitious economic and political reform agenda. The Office of the First Lady of Syria, supports this reform agenda through various projects and initiatives as well as through her public diplomacy role. Among the key challenges in developing and implementing the reform agenda is ensuring it is effective, relevant and sustainable. To make a lasting change, one that is sustained beyond the involvement of Her Excellency, requires effective change and development which is owned by the communities and society it affects. However, institutions which are necessary to engage persons and communities within the reform process are not currently able to play that role effectively. This is coupled with a lack of capacity within civil society to advocate for the rights and issues of the persons and communities it claims to represent and support.

BY SUBMITTING THIS FORM, THE SPONSORING EXECUTIVE CONFIRMS THAT THE APPLICANT WILL BE COMPLETELY FREE OF ORGANISATIONAL DUTIES DURING THE SYRIAOXFORD LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME. I ALSO CONFIRM THAT I HAVE READ, AND AGREE TO, THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF APPLICATION AND THAT THE NOMINEE IS PROFICIENT IN BOTH SPOKEN AND WRITTEN ENGLISH (FOR NOMINEES WHOSE FIRST LANGUAGE IS NOT ENGLISH)

COMPLETED BY: / Fares N. Kallas / DATE: / 4 January 2010
JOB TITLE: / Director of Projects and Initiatives, Office of the First Lady
Personal Application
PROFESSIONAL DETAILS / FAMILY NAME: / Kahale
FIRST NAME: / Salma
TITLE (MR/MS/DR etc): / Ms. / GENDER: / F
JOB TITLE: / Executive Aide
ORGANISATION: / Office of the First Lady
ORGANISATION ADDRESS: / Presidential Palace
Rouda Square, Abu Rummaneh
Damascus, Syria
PHONE: / +963 11 2231112 / FAX: / +963 11 3345801
MOBILE: / +963 96 9999917 / EMAIL: /
ORGANISATION’S FIELD OF ACTIVITY: / Development
PRIVATE DETAILS / ADDRESS: / Bldg 1. Marwan Bin Abdul Malek St.
Abu Rummaneh
Damascus, Syria
PHONE: / +963 96 9771144 / EMAIL: /
DATE OF BIRTH: / 1978/09/06 / NATIONALITY: / Syrian
PLEASE GIVE YOUR REASONS FOR WANTING TO ATTEND THIS PROGRAMME AND THE NEW COMPETENCIES YOU ARE LOOKING TO DEVELOP BY ATTENDING:
As a development specialist working in Syria, my studies in political science, gender and development studies provide me with a strong theoretical basis from which to analyze the situation of children, youth and women. My experience of research and community organizing provide me with practical skills needed to develop, implement, monitor and evaluate programmes. Working in development also requires strong influencing, management and leadership skills. While I have partially developed these skills at work and in volunteer organizations, I believe that it is important for me to further develop these competencies in order to better achieve my work goals and objectives.
Development work relies on influencing institutions, leading and inspiring others and managing relationships with other organization in a way that empowers and enables them. In the field of youth development and participation, where leadership and authority in the field is contested, leadership and influencing skills are even more essential. This is particularly the case in Syria, a place changing in an often uneven, ambiguous and nuanced manner. The ability to understand, lead and manage change is vital to being effective in the development field in Syria.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT SKILLS IN WHICH YOU EXCEL?
I believe that I excel atanalyzing issues and phenomenon within a broader context and making links with other trends.I am always interested in exploring the relationship between national or local phenomenaand the regional and international context, as well as seeing how trends within one field are linked to or applicable for other fields. I believe that my communication skills, written and oral, are among my strengths. These include my ability to facilitate discussions and debates, ensuring participation of all parties and having awareness of the dynamics of the interaction.
PLEASE DESCRIBE YOUR ROLE AND ITS IMPACT ON SYRIAN SOCIETY AND IN THE REGION:
My role as Director of the Youth Agenda requires me to build relationships with different institutions and persons working with and for youth in order to influence their approach to working with youth, create cooperation programmes and develop a partnership and coordination platform. Being based within the Office of the First Lady means that this engagement needs to be conducted with the utmost skill so that the principles and programme results are what people coalesce around rather than the organization and its position.
My role is one that will, if carried out successfully, impact the way youth policies, strategies and issues are dealt with in Syria. It will allow for parties with overlapping mandates and varying agendas to come together, dialogue and debate in a constructive and positive manner. The impact of changing the approach to policy and programme development within one field with multiple stakeholders should then be felt in different fields suffering from a multiplicity of actors and a lack of real leadership. I believe that if the Youth Agenda can successfully develop and illustrate the role of convenor, it will lead to a much needed development in the way that governmental commissions and non-governmental alliances work on multi-actor issues.
The impact of such work at the regional level will be in creating a successful example of alliance building between governmental and non-governmental organizations working with and for youth, coalescing around the core principle of enabling youth agency and initiative, with youth participation.
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES THAT YOUR ORGANISATION FACES TODAY?
In order for economic, social and political reform to be effective and sustainable, it is important that it not be solely led from the top. Reform needs to occur in a context of open dialogue and debate, with government, private sector and civil society at various levels able to influence the course of the reform. Open dialogue enables ownership of the reform to grow and ideas to be further developed and refined. While the ambitious reform agenda of the President, supported by the First Lady, is being proposed with an invitation to dialogue and engagement, the institutions and systems through which such dialogue ought to take place are not adequately equipped. Media, government institutions and governance structures need to further engage in a critical, constructive debate on reform. Furthering hampering such a dialogue is the lack of capacity within civil society to engage fully in reform, whether at the policy advocacy level or on the implementation of new approaches. The shift from the charity-based work of NGOs to development and policy engagement is occurring at a slow pace.Enacting reforms that are deemed necessary for the country’s development at an appropriate pace while ensuring that sufficient debate, dialogue and ownership occur along the way is a challenge. However, the Office of the First Lady, in its support for the President’s and First Lady’s priorities, works to achieve this balance between results and approach in its various projects and initiatives.
PLEASE DESCRIBE YOUR KEY PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL CHALLENGES:
In taking on the task of directing the Youth Agenda, I have accepted the challenge of creating a new entity with all that entails in developing strategy, structure and programming. Working to achieve these objectives will allow me to further develop my management and leadership skills, as well as providing me with new experiences. The project’s ambitious goals of building alliances and creating cultural change will require great skill and a delicate balance between being inclusive and achieving goals.The mission that I am embarking on will be a challenge for me due to the new relationship dynamics within which I will work with other organizations. Dealing with relevant organizations from a sensitive yet powerful position will require more nuanced and careful relationship building and management.
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE YOURSELF TO BE PERCEIVED BY SYRIAN SOCIETY IN THE NEXT TEN YEARS?
As someone who has returned to work in Syria after living abroad, I would like first and foremost to be seen as a Syrian able to propose ideas and approaches that are new and indigenous at the same time. I would like for space to exist for myself and other Syrians to discuss and debate and challenge our society and government, a space that respects and reinforces our right to do so, whether we have lived abroad or not. In Syrian society the right to speak and engage is often curtailed by preconceptions about what people may or may not have to offer as experience, allegiances and thought. Therefore, I would like to be perceived as someone who has made a significant contribution to creating space for all Syrians to engage in debate in society.
In addition, I would like to be perceived as someone who has helped develop the debate and dialogue culture and practices within the Syrian development context. I hope to be seen as contributing to the creation of a space where different parties with overlapping interests and mandates can come together and cooperate and coordinate. I would like my work and approach to contribute positively to the role of convenor, one who brings people together and enables constructive dialogue,beingunderstood and valued withinthe Syrian development context.
WHAT ARE THE VARIOUS MANAGERIAL TASKS YOU ARE REQUIRED TO PERFORM IN YOUR PRESENT JOB?
As the Director of the Youth Agenda, I am responsible for strategic planning and direction of the Agenda. In consultation with others, I set goals and objectives for the agenda, monitoring and reviewing their relevance and impact. I am tasked with managing human resources for the project, including creating the organizational structure, hiring and managing staff. I am also responsible for managing partnerships for the Youth Agenda. This includes developing cooperation agreements with various organizations working with youth, as well as coordinating and indirectly influencing the approach of others.
CAREER HISTORY
ORGANISATION / INDUSTRY / POSITION / DATES
Office of the First Lady, Syria / Government / Executive Aide / Oct 09-Present
United Nations Children’s Fund, Syria / International Organization / Child Protection Officer / Dec 05-Oct 09
Gender Institute, London School of Economics / University / Research Assistant / Nov 04-Sept 05
International Organization for Migration, Syria / International Organization / Researcher / Jan 04-June 04
International Organization for Migration, Syria / International Organization / Research Intern / Jan 03-Aug 03
First Nations Partnership Programme, University of Victoria / University / Curriculum Resource Support / May 00-Oct 02
Ministry of Advanced Education, Training and Technology, British Columbia / Government / Research Assistant / Sept 00-Dec 00
Ministry for Children and Families, British Columbia / Government / Research and Information Management Assistant / May 99-Aug 99
EDUCATION (LAST TWO INSTITUTIONS ONLY, DATES ATTENDED, DEGREES RECEIVED)
● / London School of Economics, 2004-2005, MSc in Gender, Development and Globalization with merit.
● / University of Victoria (Canada), 1997-2002, Bachelor of Arts (Major: Political Science; Minor: Women’s Studies) with distinction
PREVIOUS EXECUTIVE PROGRAMMES YOU HAVE ATTENDED:
None.
WHAT ARE YOUR CAREER GOALS IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS?
After having worked in Syria with international organizations on child protection and foreign domestic work, working on the Youth Agenda with the Office of the First Lady provides me with the opportunity to increase my understanding of the Syrian development context from a new angle. I will have an opportunity to increase my knowledge of various fields of social development by developing my understanding of youth issues. I will also be able to get a new perspective on Syrian development, its actors, dynamics and discourses from within government and by working closely with civil society. In addition to learning more about youth issues and the Syrian development context, I would also like to further develop my management skills, including team leadership and advocating and influencing others.
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS OF WHICH YOU ARE A MEMBER:
None.
NAME THE IMPORTANT BUSINESS NEWSPAPERS, MAGAZINES AND JOURNALS THAT YOU READ ON A REGULAR BASIS AND WHY YOU READ THEM:
The Economist provides succinct analysis within the fields of business, politics, culture and sciencefrom all over the world, exposing me to topics that geographically or thematically I wouldn’t otherwise be exposed to, providing me with the necessary information to make links between the various fields.
COMPLETED BY: / Salma Kahale / DATE: / January 4th, 2010

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