BY RAYNALD C RIVERA
DOHA: H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson of Reach Out To Asia (Rota), urged youth to play their role in shaping the future of their communities and building lasting peace as she opened the seventh annual Empower 2015 youth conference yesterday.
Addressing 450 young leaders from 24 countries, Sheikha Al Mayassa stressed the pivotal role of youth in nation building and in the promotion of peace in the region.
“You have to empower yourself to reduce tension and build peace in the region,” she said, urging them to look beyond nationality and appearance and treat each other with mutual respect.
She encouraged them to “act collaboratively, build dialogue and overcome your differences and disagreements” in order to achieve their goals.
Sheikha Al Mayassa said young people made up a big portion of the global population, hence they should be nurtured for the future of the world.
“You should be part of the future. You are already part of the future,” she told the attendees.
This year’s youth conference centres on the theme, “Youth Development for Peaceful Societies”, and focuses on three main pillars, namely personal leadership, service learning and global citizenship.
Essa Al Mannai, Rota Executive Director, underscored the importance of the conference being organised by the youth for the youth, and exhorted the participants to exchange ideas and make their voices heard.
He announced that Rota would host a youth summit in September in the run-up to the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul next year.
The Empower 2015 opening ceremony was attended by Sumeyye Erdogan, Deputy Chairman of Kadem, Women and Democracy Association, Turkey and daughter of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. She is participating in Empower 2015 in the framework of celebration of the Qatar Turkey 2015 Year of Culture.
The ceremony was also attended by Dr Sheikha Aisha bint Faleh bin Nasser, Rota board member, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Thani, Rota Goodwill Ambassador, and a number of Qatari and Arab VIP guests.
“This is a highly anticipated, critical opportunity for the world’s young people to talk about the issues that matter to them and learn from each other on how best to tackle these issues in their community. We are absolutely thrilled to see how Empower, which started with around a hundred people in 2009, has become an influential force for change, resulting in powerful declarations crafted by the youth, which have grabbed the attention of leaders well after the event’s conclusion,” said Dr Sheikha Aisha bint Faleh bin Nasser.
Steve Culbertson, President and CEO of Youth Service America, delivered a keynote speech.
Rota’s youngest and newest Goodwill Ambassador, Ghanem Mohammed Al Muftah, was also named at yesterday’s event. Al Muftah is a 12-year-old who has overcome his disability, becoming a role model for his strong will and determination.
Kuwaiti artist Humood Al Khadher, known for his songs that reflect values, ethics and humanitarian messages, performed at the event.
Amal El Mannai, Executive Director of Social Development Center, awarded the winners of the “Tamm” Network for Voluntary Work contest. The winners will travel to Spain to attend a game between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Empower 2015 runs until tomorrow with a full programme of workshops, panel discussions, off-site visits, debates and group discussions.
THE PENINSULA
