Next Generation Foresight Practitioners

THE MENA FELLOWSHIP

The Middle East & North Africa (MENA) Fellowship

For the fourth time in 2027, we’re reserving space for emerging practitioners to join the Fellowship from the Middle East & North Africa region, in partnership with Dubai Future Foundation, through the Global Futures Society.

A valued partner of NGFP, the Dubai Future Foundation lends its support to elevate the voices of young and emerging foresight practitioners from the region. 

This includes the countries of Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

The Fellowship offers the next generation of future and foresight practitioners with:

  • A global peer network
  • A project partner (usually an expert foresight practitioner) 
  • A USD 1,000 kick-starter fund and opportunity to win a USD 10,000 prize
  • Opportunity to be part of regional or thematic hubs 
  • Access to relevant events, projects and our bi-weekly sector news and opportunities email
  • Foresight capability building via our introductory training course

We seek individual and team applicants who are:

  • Applying where the project impact is based in the MENA region
  • Applicants with nationality from the MENA region
  • 18–35 or older with less than 1 year of foresight experience
  • Passionate about systems-level change and long-term impact
  • Committed to learning, collaboration, community, and network-building
  • Working on challenges related to: Climate & Just Transitions, Democracy & Sustainable Development, Emerging Technologies, Futures Methods From Around the World & Indigenous Futures, Intergenerational Fairness, Nuclear Security, and Peacebuilding.

In 2024, our inaugural year of the MENA fellowship, one team and one individual received the fellowship.

Imane Lahlou & Issam Skalli from Morocco are exploring how futures scenarios and narratives can empower the rising Moroccan female generation to leverage emerging technologies so as to activate their full potential and thrive in the economy.

Tareq Layka from the Syrian Arab Republic is exploring ways to leverage foresight methodologies to design inclusive, proactive health and peacebuilding strategies that strengthen community resilience in conflict-affected regions. 

In 2026, one individual and one team joined the MENA fellowship.

Shreya Singh from Canada is exploring how public spaces in the UAE can be reimagined as inclusive and regenerative “third places” that foster intergenerational belonging, cultural connection, and community resilience in rapidly growing urban environments.

We welcome two new fellows to the MENA Fellowship this 2027.

Sahira Al Nahari from Saudi Arabia explores how creative expression can support dignity, wellbeing and resilience in healthcare. Her project, Shifā Art, uses foresight to imagine healthcare systems where art supports patients and staff, from trauma-sensitive art kits to psychologically safer hospital environments.

Rawan El-Bendary leads a team from Egypt, Lebanon and Syria working to strengthen the Arab region’s foresight ecosystem. Their project, the Arab Futures Society’s website and hub, connects Arabic-speaking futurists, an open-source Arabic futures lexicon and a shared knowledge base to help practitioners find one another and build on existing work.