Programmes / AI, Technology & Entrepreneurship

Programme · AI, Technology & EntrepreneurshipONWARD

Onward Middle East Scholars

Three-week online scholars programme for the Middle East, closing with a Grand Showcase Online. Live online scholars programme for Grades 5-12 across the Middle East. Sundays and Wednesdays, two-hour sessions with Harvard student mentors, finishing with a Grand Showcase Online.

Apply for October →

Next cohort starts Sun, 25 Oct 2026 · USD 399

Cohorts of Small live cohort

Length21 days
Cohort sizeSmall live cohort
EligibilityGrades 5–12 (10–17)
Live sessionsLive session times confirmed on registration · live on Zoom

What your child will actually do

Live, mentor-led sessions - worked problems and real output, not lectures.

1
Learn ai, technology & entrepreneurship the applied way

Three-week online scholars programme for the Middle East, closing with a Grand Showcase Online. Every session is live and mentor-led, with discussion instead of lecture.

2
Work on something real each week

Across 21 days, students produce work rather than notes - cases, drafts, builds or analyses depending on the programme.

3
Get individual mentor feedback

Cohorts are kept small so mentors know each student by name and push them at the right level.

4
Finish with something to show

A final project or presentation your child can put in front of a university, a school or you.

Skills your child will gain

Named, practised skills - grouped the way universities read them, tied to how each is used in this programme.

Thinking & analysis

How your child breaks a problem down before touching it.

  • Note-taking and synthesis

    Practised on live problems in every session - never taught as theory.

  • Basic field vocabulary

    Mentors make your child justify each step out loud before moving on.

Communication

Writing and speaking so an adult expert takes them seriously.

  • Speaking up in a live room

    Rehearsed in front of a mentor and peers, then corrected on the spot.

Building & doing

The hands-on craft that turns an idea into a finished artefact.

  • Python and prompting

    Used directly on the work your child hands in across 21 days.

  • Model evaluation

    Learnt by building the real artefact, not by following a tutorial.

  • Product thinking

    Refined through revision rounds until the output is portfolio-ready.

Working with people

Deadlines, teams, feedback - the habits universities and employers notice.

  • Team work with strangers

    Built through real deadlines and written mentor feedback.

Projects they finish with

Sample briefs from recent cohorts - the actual work that comes out of the programme, not a syllabus.

Project 1

Applied ai, technology & entrepreneurship problem set

Can your child use ai, technology & entrepreneurship thinking on a problem they have never seen?

What they hand inWorked problems and short write-ups reviewed by the mentor each session.

Early sessions
Project 2

The main project

What is worth building in ai, technology & entrepreneurship in 21 days?

What they hand inA finished programme project - the piece that goes into the portfolio.

Middle of the programme
Project 3

Final presentation

Can they explain the work to someone who was not there?

What they hand inA live presentation plus mentor feedback in writing.

Final session
A short project or presentation to close the programme

Builder evidence: something that runs, with a repo and a demo behind it. By the end of Onward Middle East Scholars, the aim is simple: a working prototype, a public repo and a two-minute demo video.

What you end up holding
  • Certificate of completion
  • A small project or presentation
  • A clear yes or no on the interest

What they'll take away

Certificate of CompletionProject or portfolio artefactLive mentor feedbackParent progress updates

How this strengthens their university profile

The point isn't the certificate. It's the line a family can honestly write afterwards - and the artefact sitting behind it.

Before

"My child is interested in ai, technology & entrepreneurship."

Nothing an admissions officer can check.

After Onward Middle East Scholars

"My child completed Onward Middle East Scholars and finished a short project or presentation to close the programme."

A line with an artefact behind it.

Why this programme counts

Exploration, cheaply and quickly. Short live programmes let a child test a field over a couple of weekends before committing months to it - and they are the natural first step in Grades 5–8.

Builder evidence: something that runs, with a repo and a demo behind it.

What a university can verify
  • Certificate of completion
  • A small project or presentation
  • A clear yes or no on the interest
  • Certificate of completion
  • A small project or presentation

Upcoming cohorts

Starting soon
Sun, 25 Oct 202621 days · Grades 512Cohort 2 · 25 October 2026
Live session times confirmed on registration
USD 399Apply for this cohort
Sun, 7 Feb 202721 days · Grades 512Cohort 3 · 7 February 2027
Live session times confirmed on registration
USD 399Apply for this cohort

Session times shown in Dubai time (GMT+4) with US Eastern alongside. Fees are correct at time of publishing - confirm on the programme page.

Live mentors, every single session

Onward Middle East Scholars is taught live by mentors from leading universities and partner organisations - never pre-recorded. Small cohorts mean your child is spoken to by name, not counted in an audience.

Parents usually ask

Is my child the right age for this?

It is designed for Grades 5–12. No prior background is assumed - mentors calibrate to the cohort in the first session.

How much time does it take?

21 days in total, with live sessions live session times confirmed on registration plus light preparation in between. It is built to sit alongside school.

What if we miss a session?

Tell the team in advance and they will share the materials and arrange a catch-up so your child rejoins without falling behind.

How do we pay and confirm a place?

Places are confirmed on the Onward Middle East Scholars application page. Fees shown here are correct at time of publishing - always confirm on the programme page before paying.

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