Qatar Foundation displays commitment to innovation in support of TEDxYouth@Doha

Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development is lending its support to a conference showcasing the country’s thoughtful, inquisitive and talented youth, with the aim of inspiring all of Qatar’s young people. 

Now in its second year, TEDxYouth@Doha provides teenagers with a chance to talk about their passions, challenges, and lessons learnt. This year, Qatar Foundation is the event’s ‘knowledge partner’. 

TED is a non-profit organisation whose name stands for ‘Technology, Entertainment, Design’ which began life in 1984 as a small conference in California. It has since become renowned as a leading centre for the exchange of ideas, attracting an array of inspirational speakers who deliver motivational speeches of maximum 18 minutes’ duration. 

As well as ongoing global conferences, the organisation also runs a series of ‘TEDx’ events for local communities all over the world. TEDxYouth@Doha will take place on November 17, hosted by Qatar Foundation at the Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar. 

“We are delighted to be hosting TEDxYouth@Doha as its knowledge partner,” said Haya al Nassr, Director of Qatar Foundation’s Communication Directorate. “Our vision is to unlock human potential, and the event’s focus on Ideas Worth Spreading is closely aligned to this vision. Qatar Foundation is committed to fostering community development, and this commitment is especially important for Qatar’s youth, as it is they who will help transform the nation into a knowledge economy. The open exchange of ideas and innovations can only assist this process.” 

TEDxYouth@Doha is currently running a workshops programme in conjunction with Qatar Foundation and their other partners. Palette, a photography group for high school students, recently conducted one such workshop for students at Qatar Academy. And last weekend TuhamaTEC, a teen-focused ICT career development initiative of ictQATAR, also held two more sessions at Qatar Foundation. 

The team behind TEDxYouth@Doha comprises young professionals and around 50 volunteer students from Qatar Foundation, all of whom are keen to promote the exchange of ideas across the nations’ younger generation.