JEDDAH, 20 September 2004 — Saudi authorities plan to hold a series of workshops for young men and women in the Kingdom’s different regions from next Sunday ahead of the fourth national dialogue on youth issues scheduled to be held in the Eastern Province in November.
Dr. Rashid Al-Rajeh, vice chairman of the King Abdul Aziz Center for National Dialogue, said some 600 youngsters would take part in the workshops, which are to be completed in 18 days. Fifty of them will be selected to take part in the next dialogue session.
The dialogue, he said, would focus on three pivotal topics: Youth and education; youth and society; and youth and work. “It was decided the next session would focus on promoting a culture of dialogue among our youth and understand how they think and what problems they have,” Okaz Arabic daily quoted Rajeh as saying.
Faisal ibn Muammar, secretary-general of the center, said a number of measures have been taken in preparation for the debate. “The preparation for this convention requires holding workshops across the Kingdom, with the participation of educational, health and sports institutions to figure out the themes that young men and women would like to address,” he said.
Preparatory workshops for young women will be organized in women’s educational institutions under the supervision of female academics, he added.
Crown Prince Abdullah, who initiated the dialogue forum, had issued instructions for the November gathering under the theme “Youth Issues: Facts and Aspirations.” Muammar said it would be attended by prominent personalities.
The dialogue center has already started preparations for the convention. It organized two meetings of supervisors including academics from various parts of the country.
