From March 24 to March 29, the semi-final (bootcamp) of the Beginit: Leadership for Social Justice program is taking place at the Ak-Bulak mountain resort in Almaty. 70 talented schoolchildren from 10 regions of Kazakhstan and the Chui region of Kyrgyzstan are improving their social leadership skills and preparing for the implementation of a social project. These guys became the best among 500 participants of the four-month online course and 1,150 applicants at the pre-selection stage. In 2024, there were 50 participants, which indicates a significant increase in interest in the program.

Beginit is an annual educational program for the development of social leadership. The program combines online learning, intensive bootcamp and the implementation of social projects, helping students become agents of change in their communities. This year, high school students from Aktobe (6), Aktau (4), West Kazakhstan region (7), Karaganda (5), Kostanay and districts (13), Pavlodar and Borovoye (7), East Kazakhstan region (8), Zhambyl region and Kyzylorda (12) are among the participants., as well as 6 schoolchildren from Kyrgyzstan (the cities of Kant and Kara-Balta).

The bootcamp format develops key social leadership skills through trainings, meetings with role models, and personal mentoring. Psychologists and educators help children improve their critical thinking, public speaking, and teamwork. Living in conditions close to independence encourages effective cooperation and adaptation. Thanks to this approach, participants not only prepare for their projects, but also understand themselves better, find their role in the team, and create communities of like-minded people who can solve social problems together. This year's inspirational role models are InDrive ambassador Altair Abdrakhmanov, founder of IDOS Games Aidos and a member of the Ninety One Ace group.

The key stage of the program is the Project Module, where students implement the Safe Way to School initiative in their communities. The project draws the attention of local communities to the problems of child safety on the way to school, and also expands cooperation with local authorities to find effective solutions. Special emphasis is placed on the involvement of villagers and villages.

Last year, students from 37 localities studied 339 road sections and offered 37 comprehensive solutions to local authorities. An illustrative example is the Balausy Satymbek project. Her initiative to create a safe stopping point was successfully implemented at the end of 2024 in the village of Zhasorken, Zhambyl region.

"InDrive Company in Kazakhstan implements flagship projects in the field of education, which then spread to other countries where we do business. We strive to provide access to modern knowledge and skills for schoolchildren, helping them become leaders of social change," said Elena Tropinova, head of the Beginit project from InDrive.

The Beginit program is fully funded by InDrive, including flights, accommodation and all expenses of the participants. Finalists receive prizes and a chance to enroll in the new inVision U University, which opens in September 2025 in Almaty. The university offers free tuition, scholarships for accommodation, meals and transportation costs, as well as a Foundation course aimed at developing critical thinking, English, mathematics and IT for successful undergraduate studies.

About the project

Beginit is an annual educational program aimed at developing social leadership skills and implementing social projects in local communities. The program combines theoretical training with practical experience, helping high school students from the regions of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan to master leadership competencies and apply them in practice.

Popularization of social leadership is a key mission of Beginit, which inspires participants not only to acquire knowledge and skills, but also to turn them into real actions that can change their communities for the better. The target audience of the program is active high school students from the regions who are interested in solving social problems and improving the lives of their communities.

The Leadership for Social Justice training course includes the development of critical thinking, public speaking skills, teamwork, and other important competencies. Participants study the theory of social leadership and immediately put it into practice, developing and implementing their own projects aimed at sustainable change in their communities.

InDrive is a global platform for mobility and urban services, whose mission is to fight social injustice. Guided by its mission, the company aims to have a positive impact on the lives of more than a billion people by 2030. She achieves this goal both through her core activities supporting local communities through a fair pricing model, and through the work of her non-profit organization inVision. inVision's community strengthening programs help develop education, sports, arts and science, gender equality, and other important initiatives.  

InDrive operates in more than 888 cities in 48 countries. The InDrive application was downloaded about 300 million times by the time the book was translated and became the second most popular mobile application for calling transport in 2024. In addition to taxi hailing services, InDrive provides a wide range of urban services, including intercity transportation, cargo delivery, courier delivery, financial services and e-grocery. For more information, visit www.inDrive.com