CulturAll Conversations: UAE students to share how they have been affected by pandemic in virtual panel

The virtual panel discussion will feature a group of six young people in conversation with the Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi

From left: Alreem Al Qubaisi, Hamdan Almazrouei and Shamsa AlQubaisi will take part in the online session. Courtesy DCT Abu Dhabi

Since the coronavirus pandemic took hold earlier this year, it seems like we’re still trying to figure out what the “new normal” is.

If anything, the past few months have shown us how important creativity, imagination and innovation are, especially when it comes to fostering resilience. Thinking outside the box is now a necessity.

But sometimes, it’s not the adults that have all the answers – and a new online panel discussion organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi is putting children in the spotlight.

CulturAll Conversations: Writing Our Future aims to give the country's youth a voice, exploring how they have bounced back from challenges, change and adversity during this time.

The session, which forms part of DCT Abu Dhabi's CulturAll Conversations series, will focus on the perspectives and experiences of some of the UAE's brightest young minds.

The session features a group of six young people in conversation with session chair Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi. It will be livestreamed on the Abu Dhabi Culture YouTube channel at 7pm on Wednesday, July 15, to coincide with World Youth Skills Day.

“The youth are our future, and so much of what we do at DCT Abu Dhabi is aimed at recognising and nurturing the power and potential of the younger generations,” Al Mubarak said, adding that the youngest among us are not always given a chance to have their voices heard.

As such, this session is a chance to gain insights into how we can most effectively support the future generation.

The participants are students between the first and 11th grades. They will join Al Mubarak to talk about their creative process, and how they honed their writing skills to earn the highest achievements in the Arabic Language Competition hosted by Aldar Academies.

“I very much look forward to hearing what these special young people have to say about how they are harnessing their creativity to cope, and indeed thrive, in these challenging and unprecedented circumstances,” Al Mubarak said.