Emirates Foundation launches Emirates Award for Arabian Gulf Youth

ABU DHABI, 24th June, 2014 (WAM) -- Under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the Emirates Foundation for Youth Development, the Emirates Foundation today announced the launch of the Emirates Award for Arabian Gulf Youth, a competition that aims to encourage youth from around the region to solve the challenges facing society through the creation of a social enterprise.

The award has been launched to reflect the vision of the foundation in supporting the younger generation, developing their skills and enabling them to serve their communities, the independent philanthropic organisation said in a media release.

H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister and Chairman of the Emirates Foundation for Youth Development, commented, "The Emirates Award for Arabian Gulf Youth aims to support, motivate and unleash our young people s social entrepreneurship potential and to establish long-term enterprises to create real, positive and sustainable social impact in the lives of youth in this region." He called upon the youth of the GCC to participate in this award which addresses social problems and aims to find solutions to improve the community by encouraging creativity and constructive ideas. The award also challenges and encourages the new generation of entrepreneurs to innovate, which on its own benefits various spectrums of the community in the region.

Winners of the award, which seeks to encourage ideas from young people between 18 and 35 years, will receive funding and incubation from Emirates Foundation to develop their social business idea.

Maytha Al Habsi, Chief Programmes Officer at the Emirates Foundation, said, "This award plays an important role in involving youth in the advancement of society through the expression of their ideas in an effective manner to serve the development of their communities." She said that entries must come in the form of a video demonstration, where the top 15 ideas will be evaluated by a team of judges drawn from investment, government and philanthropy communities.

Al Habsi said the Foundation will be arranging a special course to increase the candidates awareness of methods for presenting ideas and to enhance their planning and business development skill.

Clare Woodcraft, CEO, Emirates Foundation, said, "At Emirates Foundation, we are committed to supporting youth initiatives that create real and sustainable social change. We have built strategic partnerships with respected organisations within the GCC who will support this platform.

"We have brought together a panel of highly experienced judges from the world of social enterprise. Our winners will be supported by incubation grants and mentoring from us and our partners across the GCC."

WAM/AAMIR/Moran