Emirates award for youth launched

ABU DHABI // The Emirates Foundation for Youth Development on Monday announced the launch of the Emirates Award for the Arabian Gulf Youth, a competition aimed at promoting social-enterprise projects by youngsters in the region.

Arabian Gulf nationals between the ages of 18 and 35 are encouraged to submit their ideas through a video application on the foundation’s website.

Winners of the award will receive funding and incubation grants from the foundation for a year to develop their business concepts into sustainable enterprises.

“This award plays an important role in involving the youth in the advancement of society,” said Maytha Al Habsi, chief programmes officer at the Emirates Foundation.

The aim of the competition was to harness the ability of young people to contribute to society through addressing and trying to solve social issues “through the expression of their ideas in an effective manner to serve the development of their communities”.

Business ideas nominated for the award will need to create a positive social impact on the community with the intention of developing those concepts in sustainable and scaleable projects.

“The foundation’s business model is about taking a business-based approach to delivering social value,” said Clare Woodcraft, chief executive of Emirates Foundation.

Teams and individuals behind the top 15 ideas will be flown to Abu Dhabi to attend a workshop and mentorship programme on November 16. The following day, they will be asked to present their ideas to a selection committee composed of investment, government and philanthropy industries. The top three will be selected 24 hours later to receive funding of Dh180,000.

“We have brought together a panel of highly experienced judges from the world of social enterprise said Ms Woodcraft at the opening ceremony at the Jumeirah at Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi on Monday.

“Our winners will be supported by incubation grants and mentoring from us and our partners across the GCC.”

She added that the other 12 individuals would also receive specialised training and access to an extensive network.

The criteria states that the application must be made in video format no longer than five minutes, and that the number of members in each team must be limited to three with at least one GCC national involved.

The Emirates Foundation added that the project proposal must be submitted at the same time as the video demonstrating how the project tackles a regional social challenge through a social enterprise business model.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and chairman of the Emirates Foundation for Youth Development, gave a video address during the opening ceremony encouraging potential participants to apply.

“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,” said Sheikh Abdullah.

He said that the award would challenge and motivate the new generation to innovate, which within this context would benefit various aspects of the community in the GCC.

The Emirates Foundation was launched in April 2005 as an initiative of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and is chaired by Sheikh Abdulla.

In 2012, the foundation was relaunched under the name Emirates Foundation for Youth Development as an integrated national initiative that seeks to invest in youth by tackling three focus areas – social inclusion, community engagement and leadership.

nalwasmi@thenational.ae