With the launch of the Youth Hub, the UAE has set into motion another vigorous impetus in the development of one of its most important assets — Emirati youth. Designed to serve as an incubator for ideas on nation-building, the Youth Hub is fully aligned with the overarching vision of the UAE for its youth. Since the UAE’s inception, its leaders have emphasised the indispensable role of Emirati youth in fashioning the country’s future and created continual opportunities and programmes to enable its youth to be active collaborators in progress. Both at the federal and local level, Emirati youth have had the unstinting support of their leaders in availing educational opportunities, building careers, turning entrepreneurs, having business support, framing youth empowerment strategies and establishing clubs, associations and councils to strengthen grass-roots potency of youth contribution. Concurrent with this, UAE’s political vision led to the creation of a post for a Minister of State for Youth Affairs in 2016, as well as the setting up of the Emirates Youth Council (headed by the Minister of Youth), two apex entities that provide more cogency to the efficaciousness of youth power at the highest levels.
In this fecund environment, the Youth Hub, designed by youth, will nurture young researchers, entrepreneurs, programmers and media professionals to sow the seeds for tomorrow’s breakthroughs and witness the flowering of these seeds. The Youth Hub, initiated in Dubai, incorporates as part of the country’s overall conduciveness for innovation and creativity, libraries, idea pods, laboratories, and even a theatre. The model will be expanded to other parts of the country, a concept that probably has few parallels anywhere.
The contributions of youth to shaping tomorrow has been an unfailing and universal advantage for all societies through time and the UAE has been fully cognisant of this precept. As the country moves towards farther horizons, its progress must necessarily be powered by an amalgam of experience and fresh thinking and Emirati youth, generation after generation, have a responsibility in providing that fresh thinking. They have pushed many boundaries, scaled great heights and added impressive new facets to UAE’s enviable image on the global platform but there is more to achieve, for their nation and for the realisation of their own limitless potential. The two go hand in hand and the focus offered by the Youth Hub can help Emirati youth fully realise their vaulting ambitions.
