In an opinion poll conducted during the forum, 58 percent of participants stressed the need for the government media to cope with global changes while 32 percent believed that the government media is meant for covering only official events.
Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja said his ministry would consider the poll result seriously.
“We’ll look into this matter seriously in order to generate confidence in the government media,” he said while commenting on the poll results.
Khoja disclosed his ministry’s plan to establish a department for social media, such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
“The new department would interact with the youths to know how they think and what they want,” he added.
The minister said the new amendments made to the Saudi Press and Publications Law would ensure greater press freedom in the country. He also stressed the need for establishing a separate channel for children.
“The Ajyal (Generations) channel is a major step in this respect and we know that it needs more development,” he said.
He refuted suggestions that religion and traditions were putting restrictions on youths.
“There are several websites and blogs where youths get an opportunity to engage in an open dialogue,” he said. The ministry has licensed 220 electronic newspapers.
Khoja described the media as a powerful driving force in political, cultural and social matters. “The media has played a big role in all political movements that happened around us,” he pointed out. He also spoke about the responsibility of the media toward its viewers, listeners and readers. “We have to present useful things to the people. It’s a big responsibility,” he said.
Abdul Wahid Al-Humaid, deputy minister of labor, spoke about his ministry’s efforts to reduce unemployment among Saudis by providing them with on-the-job training, cutting down foreign recruitment and offering incentives to encourage the private sector to employ Saudis.
Al-Humaid also spoke about the ministry’s difficult situation. “If we allow recruitment, people will say we are flooding the market with foreign workers and if we block recruitment they will say we are obstructing economic progress,” he said.
Meanwhile, the forum called for institutionalizing volunteer work and making proper regulations for its continuation. “Volunteer work is essential for society and volunteers need proper training and guidance to make their work more effective,” it said.
Riyadh Gov. Prince Salman opened the three-day forum on Saturday and urged cultural and social organizations to hear the voice of youth and set out plans to ensure a better future for them.
Economy and Planning Minister Khaled Al-Gosaibi said the national strategy for youth would be ready by the end of this year. “The government is very much concerned with the youths and the new strategy would realize their hopes and aspirations,” he told the forum.
