Dubai: Providing young people in the region with the skills, inspiration, connections and opportunities they need to unlock their potential and shape their future is at the heart of YouthConnect, Expo 2020 Dubai’s flagship youth engagement platform, whose second edition is set to take place on November 19.
An annual youth event, YouthConnect aims to engage and inspire the leaders of tomorrow, and is at the heart of Expo 2020 Dubai and its theme of ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’.
The youth demographics of the MENA region, where approximately 65 per cent of the population is under the age of 25, represents an important opportunity for this part of the world.
The inaugural YouthConnect in 2015 gathered over 800 young people, drawn from the UAE’s nationals and residents. This year, Expo 2020 Dubai is extending the attendance to cover residents and nationals of the entire GCC region — reflecting Expo 2020 Dubai’s aim to leave a lasting legacy for the wider region. Offering a full day of connections, innovation and opportunities created for young people, YouthConnect includes inspirational speakers, discussion corners, hands-on workshops, edutainment, and engaging exhibits.
Expo 2020 Dubai’s youth engagement efforts range from outreach to employment.
Attendees of the 2015 YouthConnect now have the chance to develop their skills further with Expo 2020 Dubai’s Apprenticeship Programme, a nine-month programme that enhances youth career development in the UAE by providing work placement opportunities within Expo 2020 Dubai. The first cohort of apprentices began the programme in late August.
Some of the apprentices who attended last year’s YouthConnect share their insights:
Shahad Al Sharhan, 23, Kuwaiti
Apprentice in Expo’s Communications team.
“I got to meet a bunch of cool people who I’m still friends with a year after. Attending YouthConnect is a great way to meet with people your age,” said Shahran, for whom the experience was a great way to gain exposure to different viewpoints.”
Abdullah Al Hashemi, 21, Emirati
Apprentice with Expo’s Commercial team
“The most remarkable thing about YouthConnect was that it got me out of my comfort zone, and led me to discover sectors I never even considered.”
For Abdullah, this sector was space. He attended a CubeSat workshop organised by the Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), where attendees learnt how to build and programme a CubeSat — a type of miniaturised satellite used for space research. Completing the CubeSat workshop “made me think about other opportunities out there … now I’m considering working at the space agency one day”.
Wafa Fadol, 24, Sudanese
Apprentice with Expo’s Events Operations team
“A fun, inspiring way to learn something new,” is how Fadol describes the robotics workshop run by NYU Abu Dhabi.
Sarah Rafiullah, 23, Pakistani-Canadian
Apprentice with the Engagement department
“When I left YouthConnect, I felt a strong sense of unity, and was thrilled that there is now a platform where I can gain the skills I wanted to learn, and express myself in the process.”
