Executive Director of Student Services at QF Higher Education Dr. Abdulnassir Shamlan Al-Tamimi speaking to the media.
DOHA: Qatar Foundation’s second edition of QIYADA (Qatar Islamic Youth Aspiration and Development Assembly) conference opens in Doha today, bringing together around 1,500 young people for discussions on faith, resilience and navigating a rapidly changing world, while launching a new leadership academy aimed at developing the next generation of youth mentors.
The two-day conference, being held at Multaqa (Education City Student Centre) under the theme “Guided by Faith: Thriving in a Changing World”, brings together youth, scholars, academics and experts to explore issues including artificial intelligence, mental health, resilience and community service.
A new Qiyada Academy will select 30 young people from conference participants for a year-long leadership training programme. The participants will subsequently serve as mentors and leaders supporting youth in Qatar and internationally.
Speaking at a Media Day held yesterday, Executive Director of Student Services at QF Higher Education Dr. Abdulnassir Shamlan Al-Tamimi described QIYADA as a unique gathering in Qatar and potentially the wider region.
“We are so proud and really delighted that we can bring all the youth together here at Qatar Foundation, where they can discuss any challenges that they’re going through, talk about artificial intelligence, talk about their mental health, and how to overcome these challenges together,” he said.
Al-Tamimi said resilience was a major focus of this year’s programme, particularly in helping young people navigate emerging technologies and understand how to use artificial intelligence ethically.
He also highlighted community service as a key component of the conference, saying young people would be encouraged to continue serving their communities after the event, both locally and internationally.
The conference is attracting participants from across Qatar, including Qatar Foundation partner universities as well as Qatar University, Lusail University and the University of Doha for Science and Technology. Students aged 17 and 18 from local schools, including Qatar Foundation schools, are also taking part. Al-Tamimi said participation was similar to last year’s inaugural conference.
The last year’s conference attracted about 1,500 people, with this year’s attendance again approaching that figure. Between 65% and 70% of participants are female, while around 30% are male.
While there has been interest from young people in other countries in the region, the conference currently focuses on participants from Qatar. Al-Tamimi said QIYADA’s organisers are considering opening future editions to youth from the wider MENA region, beginning with the Gulf countries.
He said last year’s conference also led to continued discussions on topics raised during the event, following feedback from participants who wanted more time to explore them. Qatar Foundation subsequently organised further sessions with scholars and also took students from partner universities on a six-day Umrah trip last December.
Al-Tamimi said future QIYADA conferences would continue to reflect the priorities of young people themselves. “Every year, we will have a new theme,” he said, adding that organisers use discussions, focus groups and feedback from previous participants to identify themes and sub-themes for subsequent editions.
