Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Al Watan Fund, stressed that investing in empowering youth and focusing on developing their awareness of their national identity and their belonging to this dear country with its history, heritage, values and language is an investment in the present and future of the Emirates, and this is what we all learned from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, “may God protect him.” Who places empowering youth and preparing them for the future at the top of His Highness’s priorities.
He stressed that the “Pioneers of National Identity” program, which concluded a distinguished season, both in terms of the cognitive content provided to the young person and their positive interaction with him, and enhancing their role as pioneers among their colleagues and in their local communities, is a living embodiment of the wise vision of His Highness the President of the UAE.
This came after the conclusion of the activities of the “National Identity Pioneers” program, which was organized by the Al Watan Fund, in cooperation with a number of Emirati universities, over a period of two weeks, with the active participation of more than 450 male and female students from various emirates of the country.
This event was part of the Fund’s summer activities, with the aim of consolidating the values of national identity and enhancing the role of youth, especially university students, in preserving national identity and its components that are based on religion, the Arabic language, history, and the cultural and social heritage of the UAE, and transmitting it to future generations. The program’s activities included organizing interactive workshops, dialogue sessions, and creative activities that highlighted the components of the UAE’s national identity With its values and elements, and its important role in strengthening belonging to the homeland and its wise leadership, in addition to reviewing examples of successful Emirati experiences in this field, these activities also included the lecture presented by His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak to all members of Emirati universities, who were keen to meet His Excellency last week.
His Excellency expressed his appreciation to all the sons and daughters of the Emirates from university students, who succeeded in transforming pride in their identity, belonging to their country and loyalty to its leadership into initiatives and actions that enable them to make it a societal culture and a message to new generations, stressing that the National Fund is keen to embody the values and elements of national identity as a reality that we live through initiatives invented and implemented by the sons of the Emirates from university youth through the “National Identity Pioneers” program Which is a great platform to activate the role of youth in promoting Emirati values in their universities and local environment.
He added that the National Identity Pioneers Program provided an interactive platform that enabled participants to discuss many topics and issues related to national identity, and exchange experiences and expertise on how to enhance this identity in their educational and community environments with the participation of a number of experts and university professors, appreciating the great role played by the university administrations participating in this year’s summer programs for the success of these activities, as well as the students joining the National Identity Pioneers Program and its supervisors.
For his part, His Excellency Yasser Al Gergawi, Director General of Al Watan Fund, said that organizing the “National Identity Pioneers in Universities” program comes in line with the clear Emirati vision that focuses on the role of youth in preserving and nurturing the components of Emirati identity, and motivating them to take initiative and lead in their educational and community environments, stressing that the great interaction from the participating students highlights a growing awareness among the new generation of the importance of strengthening national identity in times of accelerating challenges.
He added that the participation of an elite group of academics, intellectuals and specialists in managing the program and providing it with knowledge content through a series of workshops is one of the strengths of the program and one of the features of its success, as it included various topics related to identity and its role in preserving and enhancing community cohesion, and the impact of the Arabic language in building the transmission of culture, heritage and national values Brainstorming sessions were also held in which students participated to create ideas and initiatives that they could implement within their universities with the aim of activating the values of national identity and activating the role of “national identity clubs” in various Emirati universities.
For their part, the students participating in the program praised the National Fund’s keenness to organize these important activities that serve the empowerment of youth and enhance their societal role, considering that providing them with the opportunity to interact with the concepts of national identity in a new and in-depth way is a national work that all participants are proud of, and the program was not just workshops and lectures Rather, it was an integrated experience that opened their perceptions and awareness to many roles that they could play as active citizens in preserving identity.
For their part, the program organizers confirmed that work will be done to continue it annually and develop it to include more specialized tracks, such as media training to enhance national messages, field visit programs to heritage and historical sites, in addition to launching a digital network for participating students under the name “Identity Pioneers” to exchange ideas and initiatives and continue interaction after the program ends.
The National Fund is a pioneering national initiative that seeks to support the building of a sustainable knowledge economy by empowering national competencies and enhancing the spirit of belonging and community participation. These summer activities come within the framework of the Fund’s commitment to supporting new generations and enabling them to play a pivotal role in the future of the nation.
