UAE Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai hosts ‘Dreamer Dialogues’

Dubai: The UAE Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai held the second session of ‘Dreamer Dialogues’, bringing together local and international experts involved in education and equipping future generations to achieve their dreams.

Titled ‘Our Youth, Our Future: Championing the Next Generation of Dreamers’, the session was moderated by Dr Mariet Westermann, vice-chancellor of New York University Abu Dhabi. Noura Al Mansouri, marine biologist at New York University Abu Dhabi; Badr Ward, founder of Lamsa; and Heyam Al Blooshi, quality assurance engineer at UAE Space Agency, participated in the session.

The conversation centred around the UAE’s commitment to ensure young people are equipped for future success, as well as to give back to the community, develop new paths of knowledge and contribute to national values. The panellists also shared insights on the role of higher education, culture and technology in enabling the next generation of dreamers and lifelong learning.

Education is about growth

Westermann said: “Education is all about growth — personal growth and societal development. I’d like to think that what we all do as educators is to plant seeds for trees under whose shade we will never sit.”

Al Mansouri added: “The more we study the more we realise how much opportunity there is to learn more. We have collaborators from all over the world and it is important for us to look at what we have and how we can explore our marine ecosystems more efficiently”.

Education and space exploration

Al Blooshi, meanwhile, provided insights into the positive impact of the UAE’s commitment to space exploration on education and paving the way for future generations in this sector. She said: “Every risk is an opportunity. I’m not afraid of failure, which is good, because that is when you learn. Every space mission is different and comes with different opportunities and challenges to learn”.

Muhamed Shajahan said: “I believe education is the channel for imagination and it is critical that international communities come together to build the future through education”.

Ward commented: “The stronger a child understands their own language and culture, the more they are able understand and appreciate other cultures.”