DOHA: H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani, Chairperson of Reach Out To Asia (ROTA), underscored the vital role youth play in shaping the future of communities as she opened the sixth Empower Youth Conference yesterday at the Qatar Foundation Student Center.
The three-day Empower 2014 is a conference on Leadership, Service Learning and Global Citizenship, organised by ROTA annually.
“Empower 2014 is a unique platform for the youth to discover their voices and unleash their full potentials to positively contribute in the community and develop their skills, perception and behaviour in order to take effective lead roles in their societies,” said Sheikha Al Mayassa.
“The youth empowerment conference idea came out of our belief in the importance of youth role in shaping the future of our communities through their contribution in finding innovative solutions to their current and future problems. As organisations, our role is to support them with life skills and educational tools that contribute to become leaders of the future.”
This year’s conference welcomed 450 youth activists from different countries between the ages of 16 and 26 and is under the theme “Sports for Youth Empowerment”.
Al Mayassa stressed the importance of sports in health and in promoting unity among individuals in a community.
“Sports have a unique influence of attracting, motivating and inspiring youth, as it naturally revolves around sharing. It motivates engagement and integration and expresses values such as respecting competitors, accepting rules, team work and fairness. These are all principles enshrined in the UN Charter and the Human Development Pillars of the Qatar National Vision 2030,” she noted.
“This is exactly what we are proud of sharing with the Arab and Gulf communities looking forward to raise awareness of the importance of sport and its effectiveness in achieving synergy between the individuals of one healthy society,” she added.
Acclaimed author, philanthropist and President Barack Obama’s sister, Dr Auma Obama, expressed the same view that sports as an efficient vehicle to help youth develop empathy and engagement with their communities.
“Sport is the perfect platform for youth to build self-esteem. When youth get to play – even by just participating – they stop feeling that cloying sense of vulnerability, and begin to be active participants in their communities. By having their accomplishments highlighted, they gain the confidence to take on larger challenges,” she said.
General Secretary of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, Hassan Al Thawadi delivered a keynote speech.
“We meet today because one common goal brings us all together: Using Sport as a catalyst for social and economic change as we work towards the 2030 National Vision. We have always considered sports as an education tool that can be utilized for the benefit of the human development,” he said.
The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy are keen to raise awareness of sports importance in our daily life and we are pleased to gather with ROTA tonight to promote sport in general and Football in particular, as a key factor to unifying youth from different backgrounds, and equipping them with the sense of sportsmanship.”
Sheikha Dr Aisha bint Faleh bin Nasser Al Thani, ROTA board member and Essa Al Mannai, ROTA Executive Director also attended the opening ceremony.
Empower 2014 has brought youth from different regions to network with the youth here. Eight organizations from the United States of America, India, the United Kingdom, Lebanon and Qatar will take part in the conference and share their capabilities with Empower’s youth: Right to play (Lebanon), Coaches across continents (USA), Liverpool Sport Club Foundation (UK), Magic Bus (India), Aspire Academy, Aspetar, Qatar football association and Qatar Olympic Committee.
The Peninsula
