RIYADH: The British Council has commended 18 young Arabs from a dozen countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom, who participated in the organization’s Changemakers program last month in anticipation of a meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Jordan.

“I want to remind leaders, business owners and chief executive officers that women can also play an important role in economic and development activities,” said Lama Al-Ghalib, a 20-year-old student at Jeddah’s Dar Al-Hekma women’s college, while receiving a certificate of participation from British Council Director Jim Scarth at a function held in Jeddah last week.

Al-Ghalib, who is seeking a diploma in Management Information Systems, added that she had the chance to share her experience with a wider audience at the WEF that took place in Jordan on May 15-17.

The young Changemakers participants attended a series of workshops conducted by the British Council at Queen Zein Al-Sharaf Institute in the Jordanian capital Amman on May 11-14.

The 18 youth leaders came from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan, Libya, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Palestine, Egypt, Kuwait and Qatar as well as the United Kingdom.

“The pre-WEF workshops readied them to effectively represent the young people of the Middle East,” said Scarth.

“We have inherited heavy political and economic burdens, which make the future of Arab youth complicated,” said Yemeni participant Hana Khamri, who lives in Jeddah.

Khaled Sedki, a Changemakers participant from Syria, said Arab youths continue to focus on economic, social and political problems. “They should instead focus on fulfilling their dreams,” Sedki said.

Palestinian Mahmoud Jabari pointed out that the WEF gave the participants an opportunity to remind the decision-makers the young people are an important part of the development process.

The Global Changemakers are a select group of young people, between the ages of 16 and 25, who have demonstrated a significant track record of achievement in their local communities through social entrepreneurship, community activism and voluntary work. Each year a small group of Global Changemakers is chosen to participate in high-level political and economic events.