Omar El Awar is a 17-year-old high school student with a big dream list and a clear strategy to make a change in his society through his Facebook page, Inspiring Egyptians.
The Social Journey
Starting on Facebook and reaching over 17,000 people, the Inspiring Egyptians project shares the stories of passionate Egyptians who’ve championed their way to success through agony and suffering. But the brains behind the initiative is not a team of incisive journalists, an educational strategist, nor a rising entrepreneur: it’s a 17-year-old high school student.
Armed with a restless dream and convinced about the ripple effect that an inspirational story can have, Omar is setting out to impact Egypt’s youth by doing something everyone would love to do: meeting every single person he has ever admired, be it celebrities or mentors.
In 2015, Omar participated in a competition at Georgetown University where he competed against a mix of international nationalities. When introducing himself as an Egyptian, he sensed there were misperceptions about his background.
The way Arab stereotypes are being spread around the world, forced Omar to get ready for a change and shed light on the inspiring and successful people of his home country.
The journey started with a Facebook page, “Inspiring Egyptians” and the network started to grow by using his father’s network through Facebook messenger where he requests to meet with these inspirational Egyptians and conducts interviews to publish on his Facebook page. The approach resulted in positive responses and have reached inspiring people like Amr Waked and many other leading figures in Egypt.
The project, once just the reverie of an idealistic child, swiftly became a full-fledged program that involves education, media, and entrepreneurs. The young change maker aims through his project that he could change the stereotype of Egyptians and Arabs around the world.