From left: Fatima Alqaedi, one of the Empower 2018 Youth Planning and Organising Committee Leads; Abdulla Al Bakri, Rota’s Community Development Manager; Essa Al Mannai, Executive Director of Rota Programme, and Yacoub Al Yacoub, Rota Youth Advisory Board
DOHA: Reach Out To Asia (Rota), a programme of Education Above All (EAA), marks the 10th edition of its annual Empower Youth Conference, gathering around 450 local and international delegates under the theme ‘Youth and Effective Citizenship’.
To be held from March 15 to 17 at the Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) Student Center, the conference aims to raise awareness and knowledge as well as build the capacities required to enable young people to take leadership roles in addressing local and international developmental issues of concern to them.
The three-day event will include panel discussions, keynote speeches, workshops, seminars, off-site activities, exhibition, social programme and youth artistic expression.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Essa Al Mannai, Executive Director of Rota Programme, said:“This conference is a wonderful opportunity for young men and women to come together to propose action-orientated solutions to some of the world’s most pressing issues. We at Rota are dedicated to fostering active global citizens and equipping participants with the skills and tools necessary to become the future leaders of tomorrow.”
“Following the success of previous Empowers, we opened the conference to the region and youth from international countries. And with this year’s intensive and carefully-developed program that tackles the most important challenges and issues facing tomorrow’s young leaders, we expect our 10th conference to be another remarkable success for Rota and the participants, bearing fruitful outcomes for the future of our nation, the region and the entire world. We are really excited to go through the thousands of anticipated applications and get to know the youth who will help us orchestrate a successful event that is poised to bring progress to the development of the country and its human capital,” he added.
Fatima Alqaedi, one of the Empower 2018 Youth Planning and Organizing Committee Leads, said: “The Empower 2018 will give our youth the opportunity to share views and exchange experiences, to acquire additional skills needed to tackle the issues that really matter to young people. EMPOWER’s programme guarantees participants will not only leave armed with new knowledge and skills, but a collection of memories and friendship circles that reach out across the world.”
Yacoub Al Yacoub, one of the Rota youth Advisory Board Members, said:“This youth-centric event aims to help the youth develop their own approach to leadership and develop further in their quest to be more effective leaders. Empower has gained a reputation for being the first youth led conference in Qatar to focus on equipping young people to take active roles in building communities and having a voice on global issues.”
Empower 2018 will provide a platform for youth from different countries to network with the youth of Qatar as well as an excellent opportunity to learn from each other’s best practices. The event will be a unique platform for youth to discover their voice, realise their potential to make a positive contribution and develop their skills, understanding and attitudes to take on active leadership role within their communities. This is in line with Qatar’s National Vision 2030 and its focus on youth development as one of its key pillars.
