Youth in Action: Volunteering for a cause

Published: 13 May 2013 - 10:20 pm | Last Updated: 02 Feb 2022 - 01:18 pm

Over 150 youth took part in Youth in Action: National Volunteer Weekend, which was organised by The Youth Company from May 9 to 11. Three days of voluntary activities at different locations in Doha had the goal of raising awareness about local social issues, promoting active citizenship and community engagement, and developing a sense of ownership in the volunteers so that they help improve the society and serve its needs.

National Volunteer Weekend started with a beach clean-up, organised with support from the Ministry of Environment. Over 40 youth equipped with the necessary tools spent several hours cleaning up Al Wakra beach. The large amount of trash collected motivated the volunteers to reflect on local habits in terms of environmental care and waste management.

Another environmental activity took place on Saturday in Ras Laffan, where over 50 youngsters helped conduct wildlife research about dhubs with Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI). A lot of effort is needed to find and mark dhub burrows, thereby the help of volunteers -- they found more than 50 burrows in an hour -- is essential in the research.

Apart from environmental activities, participants in the National Volunteer Weekend got a chance to tackle issues of humanity and health with the help of Hamad Medical Corporation. Over three days, groups of youth visited children with special needs at Al Rumailah Hospital, spent time with the elderly at Al Rumailah Rehabilitation Center and learned about the life of dialysis patients at Fahad Bin Jassim Kidney Center. On seeing how diseases affect people’s lives, and after communicating with patients, the volunteers realised how important it was to take care of one’s health and have a healthy diet and active lifestyle.

Every evening, from last Thursday to Saturday, the volunteers helped collect in-kind donations at several compounds, including Al Wadi Compound, Al Faisaliya Gardens and Les Roses 1. Residents of the compounds were invited to give away old clothes, books, furniture, toys and other belongings. The items were collected with the help of Qatar Charity and the Tayf in-kind donations programme.

National Volunteer Weekend ended with a closing ceremony held at Aspire Dome on Saturday. During the event, the participants reflected on the activities of the past three days and were presented with certificates.

National Volunteer Weekend is set to be an annual initiative coordinated by The Youth Company under its YOU in Action Programme, which promotes volunteer opportunities and social awareness campaigns. The programme was supported by the Ministry of Environment, Qatar Charity, Tayf (In-kind donations programme), QEERI, Hamad Medical Corporation, Youth Enterprises, Commercialbank, Aspire Zone, Nandos and Footwalkers Production.

“We were extremely honoured to get the trust of multiple government institutions and respected companies, who supported us in realisation of National Volunteer Weekend”, said Aya Abu Issa, Chief Executive Director of The Youth Company.

“It’s great to realise that residents of Qatar truly care about the future of the country at different levels. We are especially excited to have so many young people inspired and ready to devote their time and skills to make the world a better place to live in. We have no doubt that young generations have everything they need to build up a bright future on the right path, and we will always be there for support,” she added.

The YOU in Action Programme is an umbrella for voluntary activities and awareness campaigns on health, social, environmental and economic issues. Various voluntary activities have been organised under the programme, such as a Garangao visit to Hamad Medical Corporation during Ramadan 2012, visits to elderly patients in HMC in September and October 2012, and a Heart Qatar event for children with special needs on December 19, 2012.

“We got a lot of positive feedback from partners and volunteers, so certainly, we plan to have this event on an annual basis, and apart from it we will try to provide the youth with similar volunteering opportunities at least once a month,” said an official from The Youth Company.

To get together the youngsters, who were high school and university students aged 14 to 25, the organisers used their database and gave a call to social media users. In addition, their activities are usually advertised by the schools involved and by e-mailed posters.

The Youth Company is a grassroots organisation established in Qatar. It started its operations in 2010. It operates as a social enterprise, aiming to create social value by empowering youth in an efficient, effective and sustainable manner.

The company has created various educational, community engagement, voluntary, career-oriented, and consulting programmes, which directly and indirectly facilitate the development of youth in different areas and thus have a long-lasting positive social impact.

Its programmes and services target both youth and professional organisations in the private, public and non-profit sectors, and are aligned with Qatar National Vision 2030.

While most of the programmes are free for youth to participate in, the company ensures their operational sustainability by providing consultancy services to various organisations and by establishing a network of partners and sponsors.

So far The Youth Company has managed to involve 20,000 students in its activities, carried out 23 projects, and worked with over 50 companies and organisations.

The Peninsula