Education Above All (EAA) Foundation’s Reach Out To Asia (ROTA) program has launched a new initiative called ‘Think Global Act Local’, which partners with Qatar-based tertiary institutions to engage their students as active global citizens and empower them to be agents of positive change in their communities and beyond.

Marking the launch of the initiative, ROTA recently signed the first Collaboration Agreement with partner, Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s College of Public Policy (HBKU-CPP).

ROTA’s ‘Think Global Act Local’ initiative engages students in a range of purposeful activities including Global Citizenship training workshops, community-based volunteering, thematic webinars, celebratory activities during UN international days, and ROTA’s annual EMPOWER Conference.

Through these activities, ROTA aims to improve students’ knowledge and understanding of issues on the global, national, regional and local levels and their interdependency; provide students with a sense of belonging to a global community that shares similar values; and empower them to develop empathy and respect for differences and diversity.

In line with this, EAA’s ROTA program will engage students at HBKU-CPP through various workshops, volunteering opportunities, and other joint activities.

Commenting on the launch of the initiative, Mohammed Abdulla Al Saleh, EAA-ROTA's Engagement Director, stated: “ROTA has created a movement of empowered global citizens within Qatar and beyond that have made a positive change across communities. Our new ‘Think Global Act Local’ initiative will build on these efforts by reaching more young people in Qatar and providing them with the development opportunities they need to become future leaders. I want to thank Hamad Bin Khalifa University for becoming our first partner as part of this important initiative, and I look forward to seeing this first cohort of students develop as global citizens and give back to their communities.”

Dr. Leslie A. Pal, founding dean of CPP, expressed his strong support for the partnership: “Our college is the only one in the region with a strong focus on linking global to local, and situating policy challenges the country faces in a wider, planetary context. But our citizens – our youth in particular – are not just responding, but engaging and contributing. ‘Think Global Act Local’ is a perfect expression of that, and I am delighted that we have this opportunity to support EEA’s ROTA programme in this way.”EAA’s ROTA program has worked with partners, volunteers, and local communities for over 15 years to provide education and training to deserving youth across Asia and the Middle East to build their capacity to contribute to a sustainable future. ROTA aims to build on this legacy with a new mandate specifically focused on Global Citizenship Education (GCED) for youth aged 15-24 years old.

In line with this, and as part of its new ‘Think Global Act Local’ initiative, ROTA will sign collaboration agreements with several universities in Doha to expand its reach to more students across Qatar.