“I would say it was a tremendous success by all standards. The participating youths and their parents were highly impressed,” Bawazir told Arab News.

“We are planning to hold this forum the year round, instead of holding it only during vacations,” he added.

He also disclosed plans to hold special programs for expatriates every Friday, with lectures in English, Tagalog and Urdu.

“This is the 9th forum organized by the center and this year’s forum was distinguished for its innovative programs,” he added.

About 19 channels including Majd, Daleel, Bayan, Raya, 4Shabab and Bidaya gave live coverage of the event, Bawazir said and thanked the individuals and businesses that supported the event, which concluded on Friday.

Fehaid Al-Burqi, manager of endowments in Jeddah, was the chief guest on the final day.

A variety of edutainment programs were organized to enable the participants spend their holidays in a useful and constructive manner.

“Together we celebrate Eid” was the slogan of the forum, which was held at the Youth City in Wurood district. More than 20,000 youths attended the program.

“The event was aimed at promoting healthy recreation for all sections of society,” Bawazir said, adding that it included lectures, cultural contests, workshops, sports and games, and other recreational activities.

During the forum, experts conducted a number of training programs in addition to counseling and reconciliation sessions. It also included administrative, health and fine arts training courses as well as exhibitions and educational contests.