ABU DHABI- The Ministry of Culture and Youth announced the launch of its virtual summer camp from 19th July to 29th August.

The camp includes more than 500 activities like workshops, dialogues and cultural screenings in partnership with federal, local and private government institutions.

The summer camp is curated with the aim of honing skills, developing capabilities, and opening new horizons for young people in the cultural and creative industries.

It will also focus on establishing a culture of transferring knowledge from experts to the next generation equipped with the best skills and capabilities to contribute to the country’s development process.

"The summer camp is being held in exceptional circumstances, in line with the precautionary measures in light of the COVID-19 crisis, where workshops and dialogue sessions will be offered virtually by a group of Emirati experts, with the aim of stimulating young people's abilities and developing their skills," Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth said.

Al Kaabi added, "The summer camp represents an opportunity for different family members to invest their time during the summer period to gain experience and skills, and knowledge.

"We unite our efforts under the umbrella of the Ministry of Culture and Youth through local and global partnerships that develop our society's skills, and enrich their career through activities, initiatives and quality workshops." She explained that the Ministry is working on preparing a summer camp programme that meets the requirements of youth and various groups of society, and provides experiences that develop skills and cultivate talents, and broadens the horizons of emerging and knowledge-based youth groups through workshops that address different fields.

For her part, Shamma bint Suhail Faris Al Mazrui, Minister of State for Youth Affairs, said, "This camp is of particular importance in terms the timing as it will be held in conjunction with the Emirates Mars Mission, Hope Probe." She added, "The summer camp is a platform for capacity-building and honing the skills of youth, in line with the government's directives to empower Emirati youth to serve as pioneers in building the future of the UAE.

"It aims to optimally invest in the youth through a series of programmes, activities and workshops to contribute to building a generation armed with knowledge." The camp programme focuses on acquiring creative skills in several areas, most notably: culture and creativity, new media, future skills, and self-development. These fields work on developing the ideas of young people and developing their talents, as they enrich their experiences and knowledge, according to advanced technical formulations.

The camp coincides with the school holidays season for students and youth in order to fill their spare time in a useful way.

In a bid to enhance and promote the year-long series of the UAE-Korea Cultural Dialogue 2020 held under the theme "convergence of cultures", every Thursday will be dedicated to providing content from the Korean Republic that includes dialogue sessions bringing together a number of Korean and Emirati personalities to tackle various topics.

On Friday, the summer camp offers documentary and cultural screenings with local production, along with Korean films for all family members.

© Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2020.