Feature by: Khatoun Al-NowaisAbu Dhabi, Nov. 24, 2007 (WAM) -- The Emirates Foundation represents a unique, multi-sector effort to create a new range of opportunities for the people of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

On April 12th 2005, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince, announced the inception of Emirates Foundation. The Foundation is a nationwide initiative led by private- and public-sector partnerships. Under the leadership of Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs (Chairman of the Foundation), the Emirates Foundation will act as the governing body of an endowment fund that is funded collectively through the private and public sectors through philanthropic projects within four core areas of interest.

The Foundation seeks to engage all individuals and groups in the UAE to usher in a new era of mutual achievement.

The four core areas of its work are: education; research & development; arts & culture; and social & environmental development.

All activities are designed to benefit the general public, both directly and indirectly.

EDUCATION :In September 2007 the Emirates Foundation announced the award of 16 prestigious graduate scholarships to Emirati nationals, who will attend three leading Italian universities between 2007 and 2009. The universities, which include Luiss University in Rome, Bocconni University in Milan and the Milan Polytechnic, will host the graduate students - members of the `Emirates Foundation Post-Graduate Italy Scholarship Programme` - for two year study periods designed to lead to MA, MSc or MBA qualifications.

The study programmes will include an MBA in tourism, Master of Arts Degree in health care management and Masters of Science degrees in architecture, building, civil, material and mechanical engineering, urban planning and environmental engineering.

A number of awards have been set aside for students showing outstanding ability in the relevant fields. The intention is to develop high-level competence in specific sectors that are important for the UAE`s future industrial and economic needs.

The Foundation also launched two major community initiatives. They are the TAWTEEN (emiratisation) AND TAKATOF (solidarity).

"TAWTEEN"The Tawteen Program is an ambitious initiative to develop and deliver sustainable solutions to learning and development in the UAE. It will address social and cultural obstacles to self-development, and access to skills development by under-represented groups.

The Program is the first of a series of similar regional projects established as part of a wider plan - the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Learning & Leadership Program.

The Tawteen Initiative was launched in February 2007 in cooperation with the UAE Government, and with the participation of over 200 academic, government and private sector leaders.

Private sector employers are keen to employ a greater proportion of UAE nationals but find it difficult to locate and retain sufficiently qualified or motivated candidates. Social and cultural obstacles to self-development need to be addressed if young people are to realize their goals.

The challenge therefore goes beyond one of job creation. Most new job opportunities need to be developed in the private sector, as public sector employment has reached beyond effective capacity. But companies face a skills gap caused by a disconnection between the education available and private sector needs. And underrepresented groups including women face barriers in developing their skills and accessing the opportunities.

The three year Program aims to develop sustainable solutions to deficiencies in learning and development in the UAE and MENA region by: (1) Bringing together the four key pillars which must work together to resolve this issue: government, private sector, civil society and academia. All pillars are represented in a high level Advisory Task Force chaired by Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean (former UK Minister and Vice President of the UK's Middle East Association) with the support of a Secretariat staffed by the Emirates Foundation, Middle East Association and Compass Rose International.

(2) Creating a Forum through annual Symposia for these key pillars to exchange experience, consolidate effort, influence governments and agree initiatives to scale-up best practice in the region, while maintaining relevance to grassroots and local community needs. The first Symposium took place in Abu Dhabi on 27-28 February 2007 with the support of the Emirates Foundation as host partner and the UAE Government.

(3) Developing pilot projects: two private/public working groups have been formed by the Advisory Panel. One is tasked to facilitate better links between learning institutions and industry, and the other will promote private sector engagement with local communities and under-represented groups. Both groups have recommended a number of projects to the Advisory Panel which it is hoped the first Symposium will launch.

(4) Encouraging private/public partnerships in the UAE. We are in close touch with the Emiratisation Council, TANMIA and other UAE bodies in order to add value to their efforts and to encourage a structured dialogue with our private sector stakeholders to understand and address their skill needs.

The EF is supervising the program in coordination with its UK project partners, the Middle East Association (MEA) and Compass Rose International.

The following pilot projects are under development: Career Counseling, School & Universities Speakers Program, Internships & Work Experience Schemes Sector Skills Strategies.

The Tawteen Project Champions, and their pilot projects, are: Shell - Entrepreneurship and Innovation, BP - Youth Leadership Development, Rolls Royce - Career Guidance Counseling, International power - Vocational Awareness,DLA Piper - Women in the Workplace, Jumeirah - Internships, British Council - Industry & Academic Summer Schools and Microsoft - Career Resource Centers"TAKATOF"The Emirates Foundation established "Takatof" in Abu Dhabi in September 2006 to brand the concept of volunteering as the way of life.

The first initiative of this kind in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), "Takatof" aims to help find creative solutions to community needs by developing the spirit of volunteering among everyone.

"Takatof" will guide and the youth to increase their awareness of social responsibility. This will allow them to become more independent, self-reliant, and learn more about the needs of their community and ways of addressing those needs. Young people have unique talents and skills and "Takatof" will help them in matching their skills and interests with the right volunteering opportunities.

"Takatof" will help to create a sense of commitment to volunteering, an essential part in bringing together the community. It is an initiative promoting the role of volunteers within the UAE. It will act as an important channel for developing a culture of social responsibility across all people and will coordinate a number of events and activities annually involving major stakeholders and sponsors to encourage maximum participation of volunteers.

In April 2007, groups of young Emirati volunteers swarmed into the quiet village of Qidfa in the emirate of Fujairah to renovate an entire local school. More than 140 young volunteer Emiratis cleaned up and renovated all twelve classrooms, science lab and nurse's station of Qidfa's Zayed Ibn Khatab Primary School - removing old furniture, scraping windows, painting all walls (inside and out), assembling new desks, sorting out the library, setting up new computers and cleaning the grounds.

In this sense, "Takatof" has really developed the spirit of volunteering among young Emiratis. It is a way for them to make a difference to the lives of others, as well as to their own lives.

Arts & CultureThe Foundation is deeply committed to projects designed to increase access to opportunities for cultural enrichment. The Arts & Culture program seeks to recognize and promote the contributions of artists through the establishment of museums and exhibitions. The program will draw on a variety of art forms including fine arts, music, film, writing and theatre. The talents of local artists of all ages will be developed and promoted through subsidies, contests, festivals and workshops.

An important aspect of the Arts & Culture program is the preservation and promotion of our cultural heritage through the arts, history and sports. For example, the Foundation may choose to develop exhibitions on our ancestors' history and experience.

Arts Grant ProgramThe Emirates Foundation Arts & Culture department launched a grant program which seeks to recognize and promote the contributions of artists and those active in the arts. The program will support a variety of art forms including visual arts, film/media, theatre, music, and literature. The Board of the Emirates Foundation has approved a budget in support of this program with awards ranging approximately between AED 10,000 and AED 100,000.

ARTS GRANT PROGRAMMEIn June 2007 the Emirates Foundation launched the Emirates Foundation Arts Grant Program.

This original, long-term initiative will recognize and support the work of talented artists throughout the UAE, through the provision of financial grants in the visual arts, theatre, music, literature and traditional dance. Grants of between Dhs 10,000 and Dhs 100,000 will be made every July, October and December by a prestigious and independent panel of experts.

One of the key aims of the Arts Grant Program would be to seek out hidden talents: to encourage unknown or lesser known artists in our midst and provide financial support for their artistic endeavors.

INTERNATIONAL PRIZE FOR ARABIC FICTION? A prestigious new International Prize for Arabic Fiction has been launched with the support of the Emirates Foundation, the leading philanthropic organization in the UAE, in association with the UK's internationally reputed Booker Prize Foundation.

The prize, which is specifically for prose fiction, will award $60,000 in total to the winner and $10,000 to each of the five runners-up. Its aim is to reward excellence in contemporary Arabic creative writing and to encourage wider readership of quality Arabic literature in the region and internationally. The Prize is also designed to encourage translation and publication of Arabic language literature into other major languages.

A number of European and US publishers have shown positive interest in publishing the translated winning works. The prize is also designed to encourage translation and publication of Arabic language literature in other major languages -particularly English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. A number of The first prize is scheduled to be awarded in early 2008.

In October 2007 the Abu Dhabi Government donated Dhs300 million to the Emirates Foundation to meet its future program.

The Emirates Foundation is hoping to raise AED 800 million by 2008 for its endowment fund which will be used primarily to support programs in the fields of Education, Research and Development, Arts and Culture, and Social and Environmental Development. The endowment fund will also be supported by grants from the government of Abu Dhabi.

The Foundation wants to establish itself as a trustworthy and reliable channel for businesses and individuals to give back to the community so as to move in new directions by building a unique public-private partnership to initiate programs for the benefit of the society and to identify effective ways of reaching out to people as a philanthropic organization.