Nacereddine Semmar
Posted in Case Studies
Nacereddine Semmar, 2017 SLP Alumnus, inspires over 100 fellow university students to develop their skills through a series of professional development workshops.
Nacereddine Semmar attended the 2017 Student Leaders (SL) Program at Georgetown University where he developed new leadership skills and created a Community Engagement Project (CEP) to improve his home community in Algeria. This project, called, “Awaken Curiosity,” is aimed at helping fellow university students find more value in their fields of study, develop new leadership soft skills, and motivate them to contribute to their communities. Upon his return to Algeria, Nacereddine worked with student organizations at the University of Sciences and Technology Houari Boumediene to develop workshops on leadership, time management, communication, and decision making.
His initial workshop targeted 20 university students recruited from different student-led university clubs. After the successful first workshop the students asked for a second edition of the workshop, and Nacereddine developed a full one-day workshop covering additional topics such as how to seek and obtain employment, exploring university options, and professional development trainings. This second workshop event took place on March 17, 2018 and was attended by over 100 university students.
After implementing the “Awaken Curiosity” workshops, Nacereddine has now decided to continue making positive change through education by serving as an elementary school teacher. He shared with Georgetown University staff that:
“I may not have the possibility to change the educational system in Algeria, but I can influence it through teaching and raising the awareness of students at a young age so they are ready to face any challenges they come across.”
Nacereddine Semmar, 2017 SLP Alumnus
Funding for the Student Leaders Program is provided by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Office of Assistance Coordination (NEA-AC).
Related Program
Student Leaders Program
The MEPI Student Leaders Program is a U.S. Department of State sponsored leadership program for undergraduate student leaders from the Middle East and North Africa. The CIED-designed curriculum allows students to develop leadership skills and expand their understanding of civil society and democratic leadership.