Jubilee Lab Concludes Activities With ‘Future Maps’ Workshop Looking Ahead To Next 50 Years

ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 13th Feb, 2021) The Jubilee Lab has concluded the first phase of the Mohamed Bin Zayed Majlis for Future Generations 2021 – now in its third edition – with a workshop attended by Dr. Ahmed bin Abdullah Humaid Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

The workshop showcased key takeaways from the Jubilee Lab, highlighting ideas and solutions that add up to a series of ‘Future Maps’ set to be presented at the main event of the Mohamed Bin Zayed Majlis for Future Generations 2021, which will be held virtually on 14 March.

The Jubilee Lab included a virtual three-day laboratory facilitated by experts. The 100 participants were divided into several groups where they discussed the most pressing issues of our time, including sustainability, individual carbon footprint, food waste, rationalising energy consumption, developing the education sector, the tech industry, and creative tactics to combat fake news, amongst others.

The Lab aimed to provide a dynamic, collaborative environment to prompt youth to use their energy and potential to propose creative ideas for a roadmap of the future covering the next 50 years.

"Supporting entrepreneurs and nurturing talented young nationals is a top priority for our wise leadership, who believe that the UAE’s future successes are being set up today in our investments to upskill our young Emiratis, empowering them to be the engine that drives our national goals and strategic plans in the coming 50 years," said Dr. Ahmed Al Falasi.

"Encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit in our youth has long been an objective and is an engrained practice in the UAE," Dr. Al Falasi added. "The Emirates is now home to numerous success stories written by young Emiratis, and the Jubilee Lab is the ideal platform to inspire, educate, communicate, and foster young talent, empowering them to come forward with creative ideas, innovative solutions for various sectors, and a commitment to shape a bright future for our country."

"We are proud of the ideas proposed today, which lay the groundwork for sustainable entrepreneurial projects, and set the stage for future youth-led accomplishments. They enable us to maintain our success and realize the UAE Centennial vision to take the lead on an international level," Al Falasi concluded.

For his part, Mohamed Khalifa Al Nuaimi, Director of the Education Affairs Office at the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court, said, "The activities of the Jubilee Lab resonate with the directives of the UAE’s wise leadership to engage the youth and talents in the efforts to outline the next 50 years. As we set out to develop the agenda for the Lab, we made sure to adopt a design-thinking methodology to encourage innovation and tap into young people’s energy and talent to support our national institutions in shaping a better future for the UAE.

The Jubilee Lab provides a virtual environment, educational tools, and scenarios that simulate the future to direct participants’ energy and creativity towards ideas for developing key sectors in the UAE."

Participants in the three-day virtual lab showed dedication to being included in the UAE’s plans for the future, engaging in thorough debates and presenting innovative ideas for various sectors, including education, health, sustainability and technology’s role in the future. They proposed various solutions for developing these sectors and the services they offer.

Young attendees presented a solution for developing the education system to better target individuals, keep up with the times and prepare the youth for life after graduation.

Furthermore, participants noted that individuals and societies must change their current behavior to fully benefit from the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Governments must work to eliminate obstacles that discourage young entrepreneurs, they suggested, before discussing ideas and proposals for curbing food waste, which is estimated to be around AED15 billion per year in the UAE.

Organised by the Education Affairs Office at the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court, this third edition of the Mohamed Bin Zayed Majlis for Future Generations 2021 presents a new and innovative approach to enhance communication between the UAE’s leadership and its youth, relying on interactive meetings – both virtual and in-person – to start and maintain a dialogue with the youth and encourage them to express their ideas and eventually come up with solutions to shape a better future.

This model was designed based on the findings of a study conducted with young people to gauge their vision for the UAE’s future agenda. The study concluded that it was necessary to take advantage of young people’s capabilities and engage them in shaping a bright future for the UAE.

The program for the 2021 Majlis was designed to be a platform for dialogue with the youth about the future; it focuses on three Primary themes: A Changing World, which focuses on how to motivate young people to adapt to the rapid changes taking place around the world by acquiring the right skills to prepare them for the future. The second theme, New Opportunities, will shed light on new prospects for innovators and creators, while the third and final theme is The Next 50 Years, which highlights the youth’s pivotal role in sustaining the UAE’s progress and excellence throughout the next 50 years.