Doha, February 27 (QNA) - Education Above All (EAA) Foundation's program, Reach Out to Asia (ROTA), announced the organizing of the 10th Empower Youth Conference 2018 from 15th to 17th of March 2018.

The 10th edition of the conference, which will be held under the theme Youth and Effective Citizenship at the Education City, will gather 450 young people between the ages of 16-32, from Qatar, the region and around the world, to discuss the concept of community service and global citizenship from a youth perspective.

Speaking at the press conference, Executive Director of ROTA Program Essa Al Mannai, said: "This conference is a wonderful opportunity for young men and women to come together to propose action-orientated solutions to some of the worlds 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," Executive Director of ROTA Program added.

ROTA's Director of Community Development Department Abdullah Al Bakri said that the organizing committee of the conference has received more than 1,000 applications from outside the State of Qatar and more than 1,000 participation from the inside and that it is now working to choose from these applications to achieve the best results.

Al Bakri explained that the conference includes a variety of activities including more than 36 workshops and a diverse mix of seminars, lectures, foreign visits and organizing exhibitions in addition to the social program and artistic, cultural and recreational events designed to build the capacities of young people and enable them to take leadership roles. He pointed out that these events are attended by specialists from around the world to help young people to discover their abilities and build their knowledge, skills, and experiences to make a positive change in themselves and their communities as well as contribute effectively to the progress and prosperity of their countries.

From her part, Fatima Al Qaedi, 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". She noted that the conference will contribute positively to society in support of Qatar National Vision 2030, which focuses on youth development as one of its cornerstones.

She noted that the conference will provide the youth with the opportunity to exchange views and experience, in addition, to acquire additional skills to address issues of interest to young people. She said that the advisory committees of the conference will be a link between ROTA and the youth, where ROTA will conduct an evaluation of the sessions and seminars in order to make the best use of future versions.

Al Qaedi pointed out that the conference, which is attended by more than 60 experienced volunteers, ensures that participants are provided with new knowledge and skills as well as a range of memories and friendships that extend to different countries of the world.

On his part, Yacoub Al Yacoub, one of the ROTA youth Advisory Board Members, stated: "This Youth-centric event that 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 in 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." Al Yacoub stressed that Empower is in the process of making recommendations that meet the hopes and aspirations of young people and has a clear system to follow up these recommendations and communicate with the relevant bodies to work on the implementation of its outputs. (QNA)