The Organising Committee of ‘Investing in the Future: Protecting Refugee Children and Adolescents in Middle East and North Africa (IIFMENA)’ has announced its partnership with the Sharjah Business Women Council and Sharjah Tatweer Forum (STF) to organise workshops during the Youth Forum, which will run alongside the conference on 15th and 16th of October at the Al Jawaher Reception and Convention Centre in Sharjah.
Among the main topics that will be discussed during the forum are the definition of humanitarian work, innovation in the social field, empowering underprivileged individuals to achieve their financial independence, ways of enhancing social partnership, and education in emergency cases. It will include other activities and workshops to help both educate the youth and raise youth awareness on refugee issues, while providing them with information about initiatives currently in place to protect children and young people.
The Organising Committee called on universities and academic institutes to benefit from the topics and objectives of the workshops, to engage students in supporting refugee issues in the region, raise their awareness about the current and future dangers of refugee problem, and the negative effects it leaves on the affected and host societies as well as on the entire region.
Ameera Binkaram, Chairperson of the Sharjah Business Women Council, has underlined the importance of the forum and its role in activating the youth role in this critical issue that threatens the future of millions of children in the MENA region.
“During these workshops, the council will throw light on setting strategies necessary to ensure the financial independence of poor categories, support women, the adoption of creative ideas and initiatives in this regard, and explore how leading initiatives and social entrepreneurship can help both the refugees and the host countries,” she added.
Binkaram added that the council aspires to motivate university students to adopt social projects that would serve humanitarian causes and contribute to diversifying and boosting economy, and have these projects be implemented in Sharjah and the UAE.
Jassem  Al Bloushi, Chairman of the Sharjah Tatweer Forum, said, “Organisers of the ‘Investing in the Future’ conference seek to activate the youth role and urge young minds to contribute to protecting their future, as well as that of the entire region, from the potential dangerous repercussions of the refugee problem. The forum aims to engage young people in policy making and solution finding and implementation, as well as to raise youth awareness to do their utmost to avoid the consequences of the refugee issue that could be placed on themselves and future generations.”
He noted that Tatweer will discuss refugee-related ideas and development enterprises presented by youth during the forum, so as to inspire creative young minds and encourage them to take the initiative to make a difference.
Al Bloushi  added that during the Forum they will focus on innovation and how creative minds can help in serving humanitarian issues and their communities in general.
The forum, which will be attended by approximately 600 students, academics and faculty members, aims to spread awareness among youth on refugee issues in the MENA region and highlight a number of landmark initiatives on refugee protection in the region.
The forum will feature eight workshops presented by the UNHCR and other humanitarian organisations, with the aim of educating, engaging and encouraging youth to positively contribute to their communities.