Expo 2020 Dubai's flagship youth event began with inspiring keynotes by Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director General Bureau Expo 2020 Dubai; and Her Excellency Shamma bint Sohail Al Mazrui, the UAE Minister of State for Youth Affairs

The event also featured speakers from a range of industries from across the GCC in 33 different sessions

YouthConnect 2016 introduced the Expo 2020 Youth Labs initiative, which provides participants with the opportunity to explore a range of fields related to Expo 2020 Dubai and its delivery

YouthConnect aims to inspire and empower the next generation by providing them with opportunities to explore, create, and learn.

19 November 2016 Dubai, UAE

The eagerly-anticipated YouthConnect event, spanning a full day of engaging conversations and dynamic workshops, started on a high note with a joint welcome address by Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director General Bureau Expo 2020 Dubai; and Her Excellency Shamma bint Sohail Al Mazrui, the UAE Minister of State for Youth Affairs.

Addressing an audience of young people, aged between 16 and 25, from across the six GCC countries, HE Reem Al Hashimy welcomed the attendees at the Sky Bubble, under Meydan’s iconic crescent roof, and invited them to enjoy the full-day event as they connected with other young creative minds. On Expo 2020 Dubai’s belief in the power of youth, HE Al Hashimy said: “Youth is a time of life; but more than that, it is a state of mind. Today is about discovering the link between your passion and your potential for shaping the world positively. Like us, most of you are likely to spend the vast majority of your daylight hours working at something, so you had better make sure it is something you love.”

Her Excellency Shamma bint Sohail Al Mazrui highlighted that YouthConnect is one of the many initiatives in the UAE that aim to encourage greater youth engagement in the drive towards building a genuinely knowledge-based economy. HE Al Mazrui added: “For us as a nation, for us in government and for Expo, young citizens are both our foundation and our future. We must engage and connect with them and Youth Circles and the 100 Mentors Program are two powerful tools for us to do this. They aim to harness the full potential of UAE youth – potential that will blossom with events such as YouthConnect and is directly connected to Expo 2020 itself.”

Energised and motivated by the opening remarks, the young attendees then proceeded to take part in the broad range of activities, talks and interactive workshops on offer at the event. These were segmented by four types of sessions:

  • 3 Inspirational Conversations

  • 6 Discussion Corners

  • 13 Interactive Workshops

  • 11 Expo 2020 Youth Labs

The sessions were complemented by a variety of entertainment performances to provide attendees with a holistic experience of learning and enjoyment. Amongst those speaking and performing at the event were the hip-hop duo Sons of Yusuf, and illusionists group Imagine KUW, both from Kuwait.

Inspirational Conversations

In the Inspirational Conversations, young people had the opportunity to hear inspiring opinions and differing perspectives from local and international thought-leaders relating to Expo 2020’s subthemes of Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability.

Dr. Abdulla Al Karam, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director General of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, was joined by Jihad Kawas, the 19 year old Founder and CEO of Saily Inc., to talk about Opportunity in the context of reimagining the future of learning.

In this session, young people discussed how ‘education’ extends far beyond the more traditional confines of the classroom and both speakers emphasised the importance of continually questioning the world around us. They also encouraged youth to reconsider the idea of failure, and instead view temporary setbacks as a valuable opportunity for learning.  

Abdullah Abu Hawili, a 21 year old Lebanese, and Takwa Mohamed Dawdi, an 18 year old Libyan, attended the ‘Opportunity’ discussion. The two University of Sharjah students emphasised the unique opportunity that YouthConnect has given them to meet and talk to inspirational thought leaders on different areas of interest to youth. Abdullah said: “YouthConnect combines learning and entertainment in a unique manner. We are lucky today to have access to a variety of workshops and sessions that will nurture our critical thinking and allow us to be more creative in the way we plan our future.”

Jihad Kawas said: “As a young entrepreneur myself, I really believe in the importance of coming together to share ideas, and support and encourage each other. From what I’ve experienced here today, YouthConnect is a really great platform for this and it’s been a privilege to be a part of it.”

Dr Aisha bin Bishr, Director General at Smart Dubai Office, and Dr Joseph Paradiso, Professor in Media Arts and Sciences Director at Responsive Environments Group MIT Media Lab, discussed Mobility by defining what a Smart City really means and its implications on the future.

Later in the day, Omran Sharaf, Project Manager of the Emirates Mars Mission at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center, and Majid Al Qassimi, Director of Animal Health and Development at the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, covered the subtheme of Sustainability, sharing their views on how observing Mars can inform the way we live on Earth.

Expo 2020 Youth Labs

YouthConnect introduced the Expo 2020 Youth Labs initiative, which provides participants with the opportunity to hear from the team leading the planning and delivery of the Expo, explore a range of fields related to the mega-event, and share their opinions and insights. This included lively discussions on topics such as the masterplan, the design of the theme pavilions, and the all-important legacy requirements.

Speaking about the session entitled ‘Expo Mascot: More than just a cuddly camel’, Anita Chandler, Director of Licensing & Merchandising said: “The Expo Youth Labs are incredibly valuable for both the Expo team and young people. For us, it’s a real opportunity to validate our thinking and get fresh insights from the people we are ultimately creating this Expo for, and for young people, the Youth Labs represent a unique chance for them to really make their influence felt. Today we asked young people to share their ideas on creating the official Expo 2020 mascot, which will embody the spirit of our Expo and of the UAE.”

21 year old Abdullah Al Hashemi, an Expo 2020 Dubai Apprentice, currently on job placement within the Expo’s Commercial team, attended the session and said: “This was such a great experience for us. We are all responsible and excited about delivering the Expo 2020 we dream of, and it’s platforms like YouthConnect and initiatives such as Youth Labs that give us the ability and the inspiration to make this a reality.”

Discussion Corners

The 1,000 attendees also had the opportunity to assemble and take part in informal conversations with industry leaders at the Discussion Corners. Speakers including Emirati filmmaker Ali F. Mostafa and Bahraini social media influencer Omar Farooq shared their experiences and success stories in the areas of Technology and Business, Society, Cinema and Food.

Speaking after his Discussion Corner, which focused on the importance of using social media for the greater good, Saudi social entrepreneur Faisal Sheraiff commented: “I always say that to make a real change, you have to start by making that decision. Today I’ve spoken to so many youth and I’ve felt the positive energy that they are generating. There’s a real sense of optimism about the future, they are ready and willing to shape it.”

Interactive Workshops

YouthConnect also featured a series of Interactive Workshops about topics of relevance to the youth of the region, which had been identified on the basis of interviews and surveys that Expo 2020 Dubai conducted prior to the event. Representatives from distinguished organisations facilitated workshops with the young audience in a number of areas including: Photography, delivered by the Hamdan International Photography Award; Space by MBRSC; Environment and Sustainability by Abu Dhabi’s Environment Agency; Design Thinking, by Accenture/ Fjord; and Robotics Scrapyard Challenge, by NYU Abu Dhabi.

Omran Sharaf, Project Manager of the Emirates Mars Mission at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre said: “MBRSC are really proud to be back at YouthConnect for a second year. The atmosphere has been incredible and I’ve been so impressed by everyone I’ve met. Today has really highlighted how talented and ambitious our young people are and events such as these are so important in helping them get excited to think about their future.”

Further workshops were held on Career Development and Creative Writing by Bayt Empowers and Emirates Literature Foundation. Two of Expo 2020 Dubai’s Premier Partners, DP World and Emirates Airline, also hosted workshops in the areas of Innovation and Travel.

-Ends- 

About Expo 2020 Dubai 
Expo 2020 Dubai is guided by the belief that innovation and progress are the result of people and ideas combining in new ways. Over the course of six months from October 2020, Expo aims to bring together hundreds of countries and millions of people to celebrate human ingenuity: ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’.

  • Between its opening day on 20 October 2020, and its close on 10 April 2021, we expect Expo to be visited 25 million times.

  • 70% of all visitors are expected to come from outside the UAE - the largest proportion of international visitors in Expo history.

  • We aim to create and deliver an inclusive and global Expo with over 200 participants, including nations, multilateral organisations, businesses and educational institutions.

  • Expo 2020 also has an ambitious volunteer programme, which aims to include more than 30,000 volunteers from a wide range of ages, nationalities and cultures and backgrounds.

  • The Expo site covers a total of 4.38 sq. km, including a 2 sq. km gated area. It is located within the Dubai South District, adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport.

About World Expos
In 1851 the Crystal Palace was the centrepiece of London’s Great Exhibition - the first World Expo. It celebrated the man-made industrial wonders of a rapidly changing world. Architecture, contents and a theme, ‘Industry of All Nations’, coalesced to create a big idea of nations meeting nations in shared technological and commercial progress. In more recent years, participants in World Expos, including governments, international organisations and companies, have gathered to promote their achievements, products, ideas, innovations, their national brand, and their nations as destinations for tourism, trade and investment.

For media enquiries, please contact:
David Bishop
Director – Communications 
Email: david.bishop@expo2020dubai.ae   
Tel: +971(0)504092837
P.O. Box 2020, Dubai, UAE 
www.expo2020dubai.ae 

Mouaffak Hajjar
Account Director
Email: Expo2020uae@brunswickgroup.com
Tel: +971 56 174 8183

© Press Release 2016