Youth Empowerment Conference Opens Friday in Doha

Doha, February 29 (QNA) - Developing leadership, entrepreneurial skills, empowering youth to innovate and bloom their talent will be the focus of a two-day youth conference opening here Friday. The event entitled 'Youth Change Everything', organised by a social enterprise The Youth Company in partnership with INJAZ Qatar and sponsors Qatar First Investment Bank (QFIB), will gather around 200 high school and university students at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, organisers said. QFIB Chief Executive Officer Emad Mansour said, "We place great importance on developing the youth as they are the future leaders. The youth nowadays are faced with great challenges. Such a platform will empower youth to unleash their talent and develop their skills to become innovative under the theme, 'Not Your Average Leadership Conference', the event will provide a non-conventional platform for youth to initiate dialogue with business leaders." The participants will be empowered to kick start their innovation, foster their entrepreneurial spirit and develop their networking outreach, he added. INJAZ Qatar Executive Director Aysha Al Mudehki said, "This unique programme, originally developed by Junior Achievement in collaboration with Barclay's Bank, allows students to work in teams to address a specific business challenge. Each team, mentored by a corporate volunteer, prepares a business plan which is pitched to a panel of judges. Teams are judged based on the most creative and feasible idea." Speaking about the objectives of the conference, The Youth Company CEO Mohamed Farid said, "The Youth Change Everything conference is a platform where apart from getting theoretical knowledge, participants can also challenge themselves and their views of the world, explore and strengthen their skills through practical activities." The first day of the conference will include workshops on leadership, starting with self-discovery and finishing with how to lead organizations. The second day (March 3) will introduce participants to an Innovation Camp (I Camp), led by INJAZ Qatar. (QNA)