KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait continues to support and empower Kuwait’s youth and develop society through comprehensive and diverse programs and initiatives that aim to enhance their skills and instill in them principles of environmental, social and institutional governance. During the year 2025, the bank has upscaled its pivotal role in developing youth competencies and equipping them with the skills necessary to face future challenges and effectively contribute to building a sustainable economy and thriving society. These efforts come under the bank’s overall strategic direction towards investing in human capital and dealing with it as a top priority, which stems from its strong belief that the youth are the future leaders.
NBK Aspire Program
Aspire summer training program is one of NBK’s leading initiatives, and it’s specifically designed for students whose ages range from 14 to 18 years. This program aims to give the youth an opportunity to gain valuable professional experience through theoretical and practical training sessions. NBK has organized 4 training sessions for 133 Aspire students at the bank’s headquarters from June 10th until August 7th, 2025, where they underwent a remarkable experience learning in depth about the bank’s different divisions and departments and AI tools, which reflects NBK’s commitment to preparing a new generation that enjoys the digital and professional skills needed for the future job market.
NBK sponsored ‘Kilma’ program.
NBK sponsored the green adventure program in cooperation with LOYAC.
Bank in strategic partnership with LOYAC to support sustainability for a better future for Kuwait.
Rafa Nadal Youth Program
In line with its continued support to athletic and future talents, NBK renewed its strategic partnership with Rafa Nadal Academy for two more years with the aim of granting all sorts of support for the unique sporting events organized by the academy, which confirms its commitment to growing young athletic talents in Kuwait and enabling them to reach their full potential in tennis.
NBK has sponsored several tennis tournaments for the juniors’ team, whose ages range between 9 and 14 years, at the Rafa Nadal Academy. The team played 5 tournaments abroad with the participation of 39 athletes in Cap d’Agde in France, Lisbon in Portugal, Mallorca in Spain twice, and finally Antalya in Turkey. It is worth noting that NBK places health and sports at the forefront of its priorities, and it always strives to have a positive impact upon society and build a bright future by developing the youth, education, healthcare and environmental sustainability.
LOYAC Programs
Under the strategic partnership that joins the two institutions, NBK continued its sponsorship for LOYAC’s purposeful programs that aim to enable the national youth to reach their goals and aspirations, as well as support them become future leaders.
The junior team of the Rafa Nadal Academy during their participation in Pro Tennis Tournament in Antalya, Turkey.
Participants take a group photo after the Aspire program.
Yaqoub Al-Baqer
Kilma
NBK sponsored “Kilma” program, which aims to enable and empower the youth by equipping them with communication and public speaking skills. The program focused on developing essential skills including effective listening for deeper understanding and constructive interaction, critical thinking for analysis and enlightened decision making, communication and confident speaking skills for clear and persuasive expression, public speaking for preparing influential presentations and fluency in front of audiences, case study analyses and decision making for facing challenges and coming up with effective solutions, and research skills and data collection for better ability to access trusted sources and use them intelligently. The participants were 33 students, who spent three extensive weeks and 5 hours daily from 27 July until 14 August, 2025 at the bank’s headquarters, which established a motivational and practical learning environment.
Youth Leadership Program (YLP)
The Youth Leadership Program is a unique experience that aims to develop leadership and self-confidence skills for high school students whose ages range from 14 to 18 years. 12 students participated in this program from 13 until 19 July, 2025. In this program, the participants underwent a life-changing experience that lasted for one week in the charming nature of Bedfordshire, UK, where they participated in a group of outdoor activities including walking down the green fields and exploring charming villages, in addition to making relationships through a chain of friendly games.
The program focused on developing practical leadership skills based on Stephen R Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, through which the students were able to gain valuable and useful tools to help them manage their ideas, thoughts, actions, and feelings so they can lead with perseverance and confidence.
Green Adventure Program
On an environmental level, NBK sponsored the “Green Adventure” program, which is a unique environmental initiative that joins physical and theoretical education related to the topic of sustainability. It was held in Portugal with the participation of 9 students and lasted for 7 days from 13 until 20 July. This program aims to instill values of environmental responsibility and sustainability, to enable students to become leaders of change in their communities.
The program taught the students, through interactive theoretical sessions and practical field activities, how to design sustainable gardens and natural landscapes, as well as apply sustainable agricultural practices in daily life activities to make positive environmental change. The participants also had the opportunity to explore Portugal’s natural landscapes and diverse wildlife, and they visited the ancient Moorish Castle, in addition to building connections with same-interest individuals and experts from the field, which helped them establish a deeper understanding of the connection between nature and society.
Kon Social Entrepreneurship Program
NBK continued its support and sponsorship to “Kon” social entrepreneurship program organized by LOYAC’s non-profit organization in collaboration with Babson College in the United States, which aims to instill entrepreneurial thinking for the youth and provide them with the skills needed to become change-makers in society. This year’s edition of the program joined 45 students whose ages range from 12 to 16 years, and it lasted for 5 extensive weeks where they had the opportunity to communicate and exchange experiences among different generations of social entrepreneurs. The program’s schedule was filled with training and educational activities, as well as specialized sessions, interactive discussions, online lectures, and virtual workshops all tailored to enhance and develop pioneering social entrepreneurship programs in Kuwait.
Eco Quest Program
This program is focused on the environmental challenges in Kuwait, through which each school is delegated to present an innovative social and environmental plan that addresses one of the important environmental issues. 30 students from 7 schools participated in this program, where they came up with innovative solutions under teamwork schemes, guided by their passion for achieving a sustainable future.
A strong commitment
On this occasion, Yaqoub Al-Baqer, Assistant Vice President, Public Relations and Event Management at NBK commented: “This wide array of programs reflects NBK’s deep commitment to its social responsibility and its vital role in establishing an aware generation equipped with the necessary skills to face future challenges. By investing in the youth, not only does NBK develop and upskill individuals, but it also instills the principles of environmental, social, and institutional governance, which further confirms its role in supporting sustainable development in Kuwait”.
Al-Baqer emphasized that these initiatives are well in line with NBK’s strategy, which sees the importance of investing in human capital to make future leaders, further highlighting that the bank is committed to empowering the national youth and helping them to achieve their goals and aspirations. Due to its strong belief in their positive impact, NBK will continue to support all society segments and non-profit organizations, especially the ones that care for the youth and their needs, aiming to secure a better future.
