As part of International Government Communication Forum (IGCF 2018), the Sharjah Youth Council organised a two-day event, which saw 100 school and university students, young government employees, entrepreneurs and people of determination gather during the first edition of the Sharjah Youth Forum, organised under the theme ‘We communicate to shape the future’, to enable the youth to brainstorm over new ideas in eight different fields.

The young participants were divided into eight groups and were headed by eight high-ranking Sharjah executives who guided them in coming up with innovative ideas and solutions to challenges in the fields of media, innovation, entrepreneurship, sustainability, health and sports, education and job opportunities, arts and culture, and values.

The Sharjah Youth Forum aimed to create a new platform that connects young people with decision makers in eight different areas, thus, strengthening the concept of government communication in the youth. The brainstorming sessions took four hours a day during the two-day international event.

The mentors who headed the youth gathering included HE Tariq Saeed Alay, Director of Sharjah Government Media Bureau, for the media; HE Ahmed Al Qaseer, COO of Sharjah Investment & Development Authority (Shurooq), for innovation; Khawla Al Serkal, Director of Sharjah Ladies Club (SLC), for entrepreneurship; HE Fahad Shehail, Chief Development Officer of Bee'ah, for sustainability; Nada Bin Askar Al Naqbi, Director of Women Sports Department, for sports and health; HE Jassem Al Blooshi, Member of the Board of Trustees of Rubu Qarn Foundation for Creating Future leaders and Innovators, for education and job opportunities; Sheikha Nawar Al Qassimi, Development Head at Sharjah Art Foundation, for arts and culture; and Sheikh Fahim bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Department of Government Relations in Sharjah, for values.

On the first day of IGCF 2018, the Youth Forum brought together young people from Sharjah to discuss current challenges facing the youth and come up with innovative solutions to address them.

On the second day, it gathered the young participants with decision makers and experts to discuss the outputs of the first day. The experts guided participants on how they can enhance their concepts and turn their ideas to reality.

The Sharjah Youth Council, which organised the Forum, will submit a detailed report of recommendations from the closed brainstorming sessions to decision makers in the government who can benefit from the youth feedback and integrate their ideas into the country’s local and international agenda. 

The 100 participants were shortlisted from among 400 applicants to the Sharjah Youth Forum that was announced online two weeks ago. They represented a variety of age groups and backgrounds to create a sample sufficiently representative of different segments of society.

Commenting on the special brainstorming sessions, Nada Abdullah Al Turaifi, member of the Sharjah Youth Council, said the Forum showed the importance of engaging the youth with the government. “We are in a country that trusts its youth by listening to their ideas and adopting them.”

Another member Harith Hamad Al Midfa said, “Our role as a council is to make sense of the definition of government communication for the youth.”

Ammar Al Huraimil Al Shamsi said, “UAE leadership is wise. It has believed in and empowered the youth who have distinguished themselves with their knowledge, innovation and ability to shape the future and achieve the country’s vision.”

The Sharjah Youth Council was set up to bolster the role of youth and their contribution in the UAE’s development process.