Dubai: In line with its celebrations of the UAE’s Golden Jubilee, Emirates Post Group (EPG) recently launched the Postcards to Space initiative in partnership with Club for the Future, a private foundation established by Blue Origin, UAE Space Agency, Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) and AzurX. The initiative was unveiled to increase the interest of the youth and the future generation in space exploration, which has been identified as one of the vital pillars to building a sustainable and knowledge-driven economy.
The Postcards to Space initiative reaches more than 10,000 students from schools across the emirates, especially from the primary/elementary education level, encouraging them to express their vision for the UAE in the next 50 years through dedicated postcards designed for this initiative.
These postcards will be transported to space, stamped, then returned to their owners as a souvenir from the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the emirates, which succeeded in entering the global space race. Various school visits across the country began on November 28 and in the new school term, EPG will also invite students to visit key Emirates Post Customer Happiness Centres in order to inform them about the importance of the postal and logistics sector in the country, in addition to organising workshops on the Postcards to Space initiative.
Abdulla Mohammed Alashram, GCEO, Emirates Post Group, said: “We consider the Postcards to Space initiative as a milestone and an important part of our commemoration of the country’s Golden Jubilee. This new initiative reflects our relentless efforts to encourage and motivate our young generation to be proactive in shaping the future of the Emirates for the next 50 years especially in the areas of space exploration, science and technology, and engineering, which are pivotal disciplines to the UAE’s continuous development and sustainability. Through Postcards to Space, we aim to also educate our youth about the pivotal role of the postal sector in the country’s economic growth.”
“We are pleased to cooperate with Club for the Future, UAE Space Agency, MBRSC and AzurX in this pioneering initiative. Our collaboration represents a major step towards building solid partnerships that support the goals of UAE Centennial 2071, which aims to make the nation the best in the world.”
Michael Edmonds, president, Club for the Future, said: “At Club for the Future, we have the honor of joining the country’s celebration of its 50th anniversary of unification. We are proud of our partnership with Emirates Post Group and others in this initiative. Joining with leading global organizations is necessary to increase the interest of youth in STEM careers. We want to ensure their contributions to building a nation that puts emphasis on innovation, technology, and space exploration for the benefit of Earth.”
Fahad AlMheiri, associate partner at AzurX, added “As Blue Origin’s UAE and regional representative, it is a privilege to bring International, UAE Government, and private entities together to initiate the Postcards to Space initiative on this momentous occasion of the UAE Jubilee, and get the Youth inspired to think big and bold looking ahead to the next 50 years of the nation from space.”
It is worth mentioning that the postcards will be transported by Emirates Post, the UAE’s official postal operator and leading express provider, to the US, where the cards will be placed onboard Blue Origin rockets and sent into space, then stamped Flown to Space on each postcard before being returned to the students as a special souvenir on the occasion of the UAE’s Golden Jubilee.
