Under the patronage of Her Highness Abtaah Bint Migren Bin Abdul Aziz, young Arab women compete for prestigious MBC internship but all prove winners
The finalists for I Matter yesterday competed in the final round of MBC4's new initiative for young Arab women. While the winning contestant, Lama Alzoghibi, received a prestigious internship at MBC in Dubai, all 10 finalists have proved themselves to be intelligent and insightful young members of society.
I Matter has been created specifically by MBC4 to provoke intelligent, relevant and entertaining discussions in forums launched initially in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to great success, already reaching more than 6000 women across the Arab world.
The I Matter concept reflects MBC4's commitment to its Middle East audience as a channel known for the latest and best-rated Western entertainment for Arab women.
In her winning entry, Lama Al Zoghibi, an architecture student, said, "I'm a Muslim Arab woman. Some people would assume they were three difficult limitations, that I've managed to join three hindering titles, but I beg to differ. I matter simply because I aspire to be. I don't want to live a mediocre life, sitting on the sidelines with dreams that are so far away only because I made them so. I want to take advantage of any chance I come across to just be. Be successful, be productive, be influential, be accomplished, be a prominent figure in society."
The finalists for the I Matter competition include young working women and students coming from various majors, including psychology, business, architecture and finance. The remaining nine finalists for the I Matter Competition are as follows.
Areeb Yasine, Psychology student
"I grew up knowing that my father was fully supporting two young boys financially; paying for their education, daily expenses and shelter. I thought that was amazing and felt really lucky that I had a father who not only cared about his family, but also about his community. I decided to make a private women's marathon and I called it "Brain Run". In the end, the project was successful and I really felt like I made a difference in the lives of other people."
Hudaybia Tarek, Business Administration student
"Being a strong feminist, the role and lives of women has always been an important aspect in my life. I have solid faith that everybody matters, each individual has a purpose in life. I think I matter as a part of this phenomenal community because I feel the urge to help women in today's society and to be the voice they all need and help accomplish their dreams as well as mine which is to be a successful corporate lawyer."
Eman Janbi, Tamer Group employee
"In society, I matter because I am willing to spend my young energy and ambition to represent my country in the best possible picture and manner. I matter because I believe it's worth it to spend my summer vacation volunteering for the Saudi Embassy abroad, organizing cultural festivals to celebrate the traditions of my people."
Nima Ahmad, Arabian Entertain Company LTD employee
"I believe that Allah has created us as caretakers of this planet and every person in this world deserves a decent life. It's so sad and annoying to see a child grow up with no proper education or a pregnant lady with no basic health services or a young ambitious youth with no helping hand, no guidance and no one to lead him to his dream. My aim is to advance the dignity and recognition of children, youth and women across Somaliland in Africa through emphasizing on education, awareness and health."
Lamees Basfar, Psychology student
"I believe that every individual can make a difference in their society, no matter how many obstacles stand on their way. I will be a strong individual and I will work harder and do my best until I reach my goals. I want people in my society to know that a learning difficulty can be overcome as there is help available for children to overcome these difficulties and disabilities, with patience and understanding."
Sara Marzoukii, Interior Design student
"Each and every one of us feels as though we need to be a part of something even though the tough part is discovering who we really are. It's the search for something to be a part of that is the most difficult. But in this search I've discovered that I matter because I am a young woman and we all matter."
Nouran abu Taleb, Effat University employee
"It has always been my dream to establish MSB Women Life Center, in which I could create a space for women to be heard, to develop their personality, improve their communication skills and above all to be healthy, physically and mentally."
Shaza Ahmad, Finance student
"I think that it is essential for every woman to try and break that glass ceiling. My aim is to provide more opportunities for women in different job fields, as I see that women have great potential suitable for work and business. Therefore, I want to launch a campaign to raise women's awareness of the different opportunities available to them and make them more dominant in the workforce. This would, of course, make them able to develop themselves and contradict the Westerner's view of Saudi women as frail, oppressed and unhappy."
Rana Al Amawi, Architecture student
"I'm really glad that finally, there's a way where women can express their own thoughts, ideas and let their voices be heard among everyone else! People think that women or females in general are weak humans. I wanted to prove them wrong, So I insisted to join some interesting JUDO classes, till I got the yellow belt with two stripes so far; which made me feel much more self-confident, stronger person than I was so I can challenge and face the world and prove them wrong."
These ten finalists were selected through series of roadshows conducted in Jeddah universities and on-ground discussion-based events have been held over the past month in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The roadshows have provoked intelligent, relevant and entertaining discussions in forums.
During the first forum, a discussion was held between the society women and the young applicants on MBC4 programmes and its impact on Saudi women. A testimonial was presented by Hanan Al Madani who talked about the path that led her to become a famous fashion designer.
At the second event, Dr Maisaa spoke satirically about driving laws and wedding traditions in Saudi Arabia. She reached into the hearts of her audience and provoked much discussion surrounding these controversial subjects.
To create I Matter, MBC4 collaborated with Effat College, a leading Jeddah university that is well known for its constant support for projects that aim to benefit the society.
The I Matter concept will become a permanent fixture for MBC4 through an online I Matter club accessible through www.mbc.net and ongoing events throughout the Arab world.
I Matter is working closely with government organizations to enrich this program. A head committee is working to incorporate major fields under the umbrella of I Matter to make the club a leader in connecting women in the Arab World.
-Ends-
About MBC4
MBC4 broadcasts the latest and the best in top rated Western entertainment geared to appeal to Arab women. The channel offers certified hits and award-winning shows in different genres, such as comedy, drama, talk shows and reality TV.
MBC4 is the Arab woman's window to the Western world, offering a view into the West's most current TV trends and hottest shows.
For further information, please contact:
Ahmad Hammoud
Public Relations Manager
MBC Group
Tel: +971 4 3919999
Fax: +971 4 3918176
Mob: +971 50 457 7985
Email: ahammoud@mbc.ae
Alex St Claire
Buchanan ME
A WPP Company
Tel: +9714 3698567
Fax: +9714 3698401
Mob: +971 50 857 9182
Email: alex.stclaire@buchananme.com
© Press Release 2006
