Sultan Al-Dousary, director general of studies and public relations at the Makkah governorate, said a total of 800 talented students were qualified to take part in the month-long final round of the competition, which will be held in Jeddah region. As many as 300,000 intermediate and secondary school students from 11 regions of Makkah Province had participated in the preliminary round of local-level competitions. The governorate is organizing the youth forum for the second year in a row to develop the skills of Saudi youths and boost their cultural and sporting capabilities.
Al-Dousary said Prince Khaled Al-Faisal would honor sponsors and organizers of the forum during the launching ceremony on Tuesday. In the final round, there would be 20 competitions in the fields of culture, education, science, tourism, recreation and sports, he said. These included Qur’an recitation, poetry, innovation, photography, plastic arts, wall painting, football, basketball and table tennis. The competitions will be held under the supervision of panels comprising of specialists and professionals in each field.
Venues of competitions are Jeddah sports stadium, King Abdulaziz University, King Fahd Coastal City, Youth Welfare Presidency Hall, Markaz Abraq Al-Rugama, and a tent on Jeddah’s Corniche.
Al-Dosary said the forum’s main objective is to discover the talent and encourage youth to fill their free time with constructive activities. It would also help the youth from various regions of the province to meet in person and exchange their ideas. “The forum aims to realize great hopes and aspirations of the younger generation by offering them opportunities to develop their talent and capabilities in cultural, educational and sports fields. It also draws a new road map for promoting activities of youth organizations and institutions in the province,” he said.
While lauding the pioneering initiative taken by Prince Khaled Al-Faisal in this respect, Al-Dosary said that the governor was keen to spread the message of the forum through launching a page on Facebook and Twitter. “So far, more than 250,000 youths have visited the sites and shared their views and opinions. The governorate has benefited tremendously from their suggestions and opinions,” he said, adding that the governorate has plans to conduct study tours for the contestants taking part in the final round of competitions to historic regions and tourist spots in Jeddah. This would be done in coordination with the Saudi Commission for Tourism & Antiquities (SCTA).
The governorate started preparations for the second Makkah Youth Forum well before starting the preliminary round of competitions. The governorate and other agencies involved in the event organized workshops to come up with innovative and varied programs, activities and competitions for the gathering. Abdul Aziz Al-Khodairy, undersecretary at the governorate and chairman of the executive committee, held a series of meetings with the participating government departments to ensure the success of the youth meet.
The governorate organized the first Makkah Youth Forum in April 2011, which was well attended and received tremendous support from various departments and agencies in both the government and private sectors.
Speaking on the occasion of the event, Prince Khaled Al-Faisal noted that the forum is focused on nurturing the youth's abilities and investing in their energies and talents in several fields to become future leaders. “The forum’s objective is to engage with the youth of Makkah Province for their benefit. It will tap into youths' energy and guide their abilities, building a strong foundation of future leaders and instill in them Saudi values and tradition,” he added.