Initiative to Provide Developmental, Research Information, Answers to Maximize Region’s Youth Potential
Abu Dhabi-UAE: xx January 2021 - To mark the new year and kick off its annual calendar of youth-focused initiatives, the Arab Youth Center (AYC) today announced the launch of the Arab Youth Facts Platform. In a bid to identify key trends impacting youth in the Arab world, the initiative invites individuals, researchers, institutions, organizations, and youth-related sectors to participate in answering 1,000 essential questions pertinent to the present and future of Arab youth.
The Arab Youth Facts Platform aims to provide youth strategy developers, Arab youth empowerment institutions and entities focused on shaping future opportunities with accurate facts, information and data, to enable informed decision making that will maximize their potential and enhance their capabilities through opening new horizons.
Reference Data
Her Excellency Shamma bint Suhail Al Mazroui, Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Vice President of the Arab Youth Center, said: “Arab youth have shown great flexibility and resilience in dealing with the unprecedented challenges that the world witnessed last year. Today, in light of the new data that is emerging across various social and economic sectors and the rapid changes in the patterns of learning, work and communication, we realize the urgent need for accurate data and information, both from the young people themselves - about their reality and aspirations – as well as from multiple institutions and sectors keen to empower youth in the Arab world and beyond."
She added: "Through launching the Arab Youth Facts Platform and enabling the contribution of the wider public in enriching its data, while also inviting the participation of young Arab researchers to verify the inputs, we hope to shape an open and comprehensive reference database for important youth issues. Furthermore, the database will equip decision makers and youth policymakers with a reliable reservoir of knowledge to build data-dependent youth programs."
Integrated Strategy
For his part, His Excellency Saeed Al Nazri, Director General of the Federal Youth Authority, Chief Strategy Officer at the Arab Youth Center, and member of the UAE's National Committee for the Sustainable Development Goals, said: “AYC’s new Arab Youth Facts Platform seeks to build on the preliminary 100 answers on the reality of Arab youth that was published last year. In the second phase, we are keen to see this number grow to 1,000 essential answers about the reality and aspirations of Arab youth. This project is very relevant because data is the basis for achieving economic, social and human development, and for designing productive youth strategies.”
Al Nazri added: "The Arab Youth Facts Platform is part of a comprehensive strategy adopted by the Arab Youth Center to provide vast knowledge products, reference data and reliable scientific information and open up opportunities to empower Arab youth. As part of this priority, the Platform is to be integrated with AYC’s other initiatives and programs such as the Arab Youth Research Council. Doing so will help us verify the data and enable research support to grow the new Platform.”
For Everyone
The Arab Youth Facts Platform is an inclusive initiative and will provide individuals and organizations supporting Arab youth with an opportunity to ask important questions, include comments and feedback, and also update the available information to empower the youth with facts, figures and data that enhance their current and future opportunities.
Research Council
The data is verified by the Arab Youth Research Council, launched by the Arab Youth Center in July 2020 as an enabling platform to support young Arab researchers and the Arab Youth Research Platform that was initiated in November 2019.
Vital Sectors
The new Arab Youth Facts Platform can be scaled up to answer hundreds of pressing questions of interest to young people in eight vital sectors – broadly expanding on the 100 answers on Arab youth issued last year. The sectors include education, employment, entrepreneurship, demographics, geographical distribution, digital and social media, personal and community identity, as well as sports and health.
Interaction
The new platform provides an opportunity for Arab youth and all those engaged in youth efforts in the Arab region to respond to the most essential questions and topics of interest to young people through commenting, updating information, and providing answers. To participate in the Platform, web users can register via the Arab Youth Facts Platform at link.