SHARJAH, (Pakistan Point News - 24th Feb, 2019) Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah and Chairperson of the Rubu’ Qarn Foundation for Creating Future Leaders and Innovators, has called on all Emirati youth and young residents, 13–18 years old in the UAE, to participate in the Sheikh Sultan Award for Celebrating the Spirit of Youth.
Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher noted that the award focuses on developing the life skills and capabilities of young people, and is designed to unleash their true potential. The award integrates academic knowledge, life skills and overall personality development through a mix of physical and value-based learning, Sheikha Jawaher has said, noting that the unique structure of the award has been created to nurture creative and productive generations capable of taking on leadership roles.
Sheikha Jawaher added that the award was launched, in line with Sharjah’s vision and the UAE Youth Empowerment Strategy (YES), and is a response to special challenges of urbanisation posed to the youth, characterised by a lack of physical activity and substituting the learning of essential life skills with technology-based entertainment.
Sheikha Jawaher noted that the Sheikh Sultan Award for Celebrating the Spirit of Youth focuses on developing the mental, physical and moral abilities of young people – a multidisciplinary approach to help them reignite their youthful spirit, discover their hidden potential and hone them. "The award clearly encapsulates life’s true essence; that’s it’s a challenge, and hence, success cannot be achieved without pushing one’s boundaries and concerted efforts inspired by the integration of skills and the determination to win."
Her Highness noted that the ultimate goal of the award is to qualify young people to become active contributors to nation building. "Progress is not quantified by the passage of time; rather, by one’s conscious efforts, which justify the anticipated outcomes. Simply put, there’s no telling that our future will be better than our present; we need to shape it in a way that it can benefit from the learnings of the past and present."
Sheikha Jawaher said that the award’s choice of the 13-18 age group is a strategic move to anchor young people as they undergo a sensitive transition from adolescence to adulthood.
"If classroom learning can be integrated with extracurricular capabilities and a more holistic understanding of success, we would have laid the foundations for a prosperous future," she said.
"Communities worldwide need such initiatives to restore the role of youth as active contributors in building their countries. Sharjah is best known for its interest in the aspirations of the entire Arab world. Uniting the efforts of all Arab youth to strengthen our sociocultural fabric is fundamental to overcoming pressing challenges and continuing regional advancement," Sheikha Jawaher added.
