Dubai: Sheikha Hissa bint Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Goodwill Ambassador for the Voices of Future Generations (VoFG) initiative, took the stage on the second day of the Global Women’s Forum Dubai 2024 on Wednesday in a session titled ‘Challenges and Inspiration in Equestrian Stories’.
Moderated by Jennifer Malton, Director of Voices of Future Generations and Sustainability at the Emirates Literature Foundation, the session highlighted Sheikha Hissa’s childhood experiences, the influence of her father, the late Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and her advocacy for empowering children through storytelling.
Recounting her early years, Sheikha Hissa reflected on the influence of horses on her personal growth. “Horses have been my greatest teacher,” she said. “I believe children learn a lot from being around animals in general, but horses have been a humbling experience for me. They have helped me to be compassionate and think of others.”
Moments that last
Sheikha Hissa paid tribute to her late father, Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, highlighting the profound impact on her life. “My father was a horseman himself. He was a huge influence on me, especially when it came to falling in love with horses and taking care of the environment.”
Recalling cherished memories with her father, she shared: “We had farms, and we would go with him as children to pick vegetables. He loved animals in his own way. He had marine reserves and farmlands, and he was passionate about wildlife in the region. Once, I had a gazelle, a rescued animal, and he guided me on how to take care of it. These little moments in life had a huge impact on me.”
Sheikha Hissa reflected on how her horse riding experiences instilled two core values: the importance of taking responsibility and the power of cultivating compassion.
Empowering children
On her role as the Goodwill Ambassador for the Voices of Future Generations for the Middle East region, Sheikha Hissa explained its mission. “The initiative is about children that range from the age of 8 to 12 years old. Half our children write in English, and the other half write in Arabic, because Arabic is our main language, and we wanted to make sure children can have both books.”
She highlighted the initiative’s dual focus on publishing and outreach. “Our main project is to find child authors, publish their stories, and make sure that these books, not just in the Arab region, but globally, reach everyone.” She also spoke about the initiative’s efforts to train children as sustainability ambassadors.
She also credited her father’s encouragement when the initiative was first presented to her. “When I got this pitched to me, I wanted to see what he thought. He was fully on board, which shouldn’t have surprised me, because he cared about children. He cared about their education.”
She described the initiative as multifaceted, focusing on publishing and outreach. “Our main project is to find child authors, publish their stories, and make sure that these books reach everyone, not just in the Arab region, but globally.”
During her session, Sheikha Hissa emphasised the importance of representation in children’s stories. “When we read or see anything on TV, we look for things to relate to ourselves, and sometimes they’re not representing our culture or how we are as a society,” she noted. “When our children publish stories for others in the region and globally, it impacts how people view us.”
Sheikha Hissa called on parents and communities to support their children’s education and creative pursuits.
The Voices of Future Generations (VoFG) initiative, launched under UNESCO’s patronage, is a global project that encourages children to write about sustainability and their rights. Sheikha Hissa serves as the Goodwill Ambassador for the Middle East region, supporting the initiative’s mission to foster creativity and advocacy among young authors. By empowering children to express their perspectives through storytelling, VoFG aims to inspire a generation of leaders dedicated to shaping a more sustainable and equitable future.
