Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU)’s Maker Majlis, in partnership with Y17 Society, organized a training session for the 12 youth delegates representing Qatar at the 27th session of the Youth Assembly in New York City. 

The capacity building workshop on August 6 was led by Dr. Evren Tok, Associate Professor of Islamic and Global Affairs and Assistant Dean of Innovation and Community Engagement at the College of Islamic Studies (CIS), and Dana Khalid Al-Anzy, Founder and President of Y17 Society, and Qatar Youth Ambassador to the Youth Assembly. Dr. Leslie A. Pal, Founding Dean of the College of Public Policy, HBKU, shared his insights and engaged the delegates.

The training aimed to equip the youth delegates with the knowledge to understand the connections and intersections between the social, human, economic, and environmental development pillars of the Qatar National Vision 2030 (QNV 2030) and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a global driving force to solve pressing challenges. 

With a focus on building skills for youth to take their ideas forward on a global stage, the workshop offered them a deeper understanding of the state of the world in meeting the SDGs, tradeoffs between the goals, and the role of youth diplomacy and activism in creating social change. 

Commenting after the workshop, Al-Anzy said: “Working with HBKU on training youth and building capacity has been an integral part of our journey to the Youth Assembly for the past few sessions. Connecting our National Vision with the Global Goals enables my delegates to be young diplomats and changemakers on this global platform.”

In response, Dr. Evren Tok at CIS, added: “Amplifying Qatari youth voices to advocate for the SDGs as global citizens is one of the fundamental motivations for Maker Majlis. We are delighted that we could partner with Y17 to share our knowledge and help prepare Qatar’s 12 delegates to be critical thinkers, leading their peers as activists for a sustainable future. It was not only an encouraging session, but a privilege to share in their dynamic discussions ahead of their participation at the Youth Assembly.” 

Maker Majlis is a space where young leaders can gain the education and tools to unleash their creativity, innovative ideas, and Islamic values and contribute to achieving the SDGs. Workshops, educational programs, and events are held in partnership with local, regional, and global organizations throughout the year.