An elite group of Sajaya Young Ladies and Sharjah Youth took part in the TEDxYouth@AlMajazPark, held on April 11th at Al Majaz Waterfront, where they shared their experiences and inspirational stories in an endeavor to have their creative ideas become a reality and contribute to making a positive impact on the local community.

The TEDX conference, which was organised by a group of Emirati volunteers, started a short documentary video showing a summary of famous global TED conferences, TED’s concept, and its goal of reaching out to the community to discuss powerful and influential ideas that can bring about change.

Speakers from Sajaya Young Ladies of Sharjah included Sara Makhloof, who talked about how dreams can become true, and Khawla Al Zarooni, who spoke about her visit to Indonesia. Other speakers were Fatima Al Kaabi, who led a discussion titled ‘Are Ideas Limited?’ AlYaziyah Al Hosani, whose story revolved around a complementary flight, and Maysoon Al Marzouqi, who explained that hope is magical and one shouldn’t lose it no matter what difficulties he or she faces.

Speakers from Sharjah Youth included Ahmed Al Dhanhani, who invents and create ideas based on people’s needs, recognises people’s individuality (Let Sahara rewrite it in a different way), Yousuf Khalid AlMughani, who spoke about the ways music unites people, and Abdullah Al Shaloobi, who utilises his talent and social media in (mastering the art of apology). Abdullah Bu Ali spoke about his 180-degree experience of transforming from an ordinary person into an important one with the effect of Education, and Khalid Ali Al Shaloobi talked about a robot he invented for cleaning the environment.

Additional speakers included Aisha Saeed Hareb, a social entrepreneur who discussed the power of doing good and positive energy, as well as artist Rashid Al Nuaimi, who impressed the audience by singing the song “Circle of Life”.

Astronomical activist Nazar Salam, Chairman and founder of the Emirates Mobile Astronomical Observatory, was also among the speakers. He shone a light on his green astronomical observatory and on the importance of public awareness of astronomy and various astronomical phenomena.

The TEDx conference aimed to offer a platform for youth who believe in the power of ideas to speak to the audience about their success stories, inspirational thoughts and positive experiences in all fields, thus helping to produce a positive impact on the local community and build a better future for generations to come.  

HE Aisha Khalid Al Qasimi, Director of Sajaya Young Ladies of Sharjah, said: "We are pleased with the participation of our young ladies in such a remarkable event and experience. We strongly support inspiring young minds and provide them with the opportunities and motivation to unlock their creativity, in line with the vision and directives of Wife of the Ruler of Sharjah, Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs. We also focus on providing a suitable environment for a new generation of inspirational thinkers and creative leaders to grow and make a difference by developing their community.”

Abdullah Hussein Al Ali, Acting Director of Sharjah Youth, expressed his pride for the participation of Sharjah Youth in the event, which offered an ideal opportunity for young people to put forward their creative ideas. He said, “The participation of Sajaya Young Ladies and Sharjah Youth stems from our deepest belief in the effective power of ideas and their role in bringing about positive change."

TED, which is an abbreviation of “Technology, Entertainment, Design”, has become a global phenomenon through its TEDx conferences, online video talks, the annual TED Prize, and independently organised TED events all around the world.