David Beckham explores Education City’s accessibility initiatives.
Doha: By offering lifelong learning opportunities, fostering a culture of innovation, and empowering the local community, Qatar Foundation (QF) continued investing in Qatar’s future and contributing to a better world for all in 2022.
A majority of accomplishments of QF in 2022 was connected to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. From performances by artists with disabilities to sensory retreats and multi-sensory experiences, the Education City Stadium fan experience developed by Qatar Foundation offered an inclusive and welcoming environment for every supporter during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
Reflecting its commitment to accessibility and its support for Qatar’s goal to host the most accessible FIFA World Cup to date, Qatar Foundation launched several initiatives.
Through a partnership with FIFA, Qatar Foundation provided specialised training for accessibility volunteers to help create a more welcoming experience for football fans from all backgrounds. Aside from the thrill of experiencing the FIFA World Cup from behind the scenes, these volunteers better served people with disabilities.
Live audio-descriptive commentary was provided throughout the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, enabling fans with visual impairments to experience the game. This unique experience was made possible by a team of specialist commentators who have been trained by the Translation and Interpretation Institute (TII) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University – Qatar Foundation’s homegrown university.
Qatar Foundation also launched an accessibility guide to help persons with disabilities – residents and visitors alike – explore Qatar.
Another Qatar Foundation’s offering was D’reesha Performing Arts Festival, which played a centred role in promoting art, culture and innovation during the World Cup.
In another initiative, Qatar Foundation teamed with Generation Amazing Foundation and FIFA to deliver a range of football initiatives to empower youth and the community of Qatar that go beyond the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. The Street Child World Cup 2022 was also held in partnership with Qatar Foundation — to give street-connected children a voice for change. The “Qatar Commitment” — a document giving young people the opportunity to present their voices to the world — was signed at the Street Child World Cup’s General Assembly.
Reflecting its commitment to preserving Qatari culture, heritage, and identity —including through buildings at Education City that occupy a central place in the story of Qatar — QF restored Al Khater House as a location for sustainable, inclusive cultural heritage activities and experiences for people of all ages, while retaining its authenticity and historical value.
In 2022, Qatar Foundation continued to enable young people to acquire the necessary skills for the knowledge-based economy, though its campuses and world class research facilities.
With normalcy returning after COVID-19 pandemic, Qatar Foundation Convocation celebrated the academic achievements of 2020, 2021, and 2022 classes of QF partner universities. The event honoured 800 graduates who joined the growing ranks of Qatar Foundation alumni, which now totals more than 8,000.
Qatar Foundation’s D’reesha Performing Arts Festival highlighted Arab culture during the World Cup.
The Ministry of Labour and QF signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the field of localising jobs in the private sector, through the qualification and training of national human cadres to get engaged in the labour market, and support the graduates of Education City’s universities for employment.
The agreement, which was signed on the sidelines of the participation of the Ministry in the QF Alumni Reunion, aims to exchange expertise and policies in relation to developing the performance of national human cadres, and to benefit from the experiences and policies of educational centres and institutions affiliated to QF in the field of qualifying and training national human resources to enter the labour market, including Qatar Career Development Center. It also included the establishment of joint cooperative committees between the two parties.
The Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE), in cooperation and coordination with QF, launched the ‘Rasekh’ initiative, a new online educational platform affiliated with QF which will be available to all schools across the country.
Run by Qatar Foundation, ‘Rasekh’ is available in Arabic and English for all schools operating in Qatar.
The initiative aims at meeting global sustainability challenges related to the local context in addition to strengthening the Arabic language, highlighting national values and identity and spreading local knowledge.
