Saudi Aramco launches its iThra Knowledge Program on March 20 at King Abdullah Environmental Park in Al-Ahsa aimed at developing the skills of young people in science and art, and creating further awareness of the country's traffic rules.

Al-Ahsa Gov. Prince Badr bin Muhammad bin Jalawi, chairman of the local Tourist Development Council, will open the event.

Aramco first launched its program in Dhahran in October and recently wrapped up its activities in Jeddah. Its third stop in Al-Ahsa will last for a month providing developmental opportunities for 900 youth volunteers out of 3,000 applicants.

Tariq Al-Ghamdi, public relations director at Saudi Aramco, said the company plans to reach 10 million young people by 2020, in cooperation with the King Abdul Aziz World Cultural project. The aim is to transform Saudi Arabia "into an integrated knowledge society."

Omar Badr, the program manager, said iThra supports national efforts to develop human capital, and promote innovation and creativity. He said the events in Dhahran and Jeddah attracted about one million visitors over the last six months.

Badr said the program offers six main activities dealing with scientific heritage, ancient civilization and modern technology.

Jamal Al-Kuthair, director of Saudi Aramco affairs in the Eastern Province, said the program has been successful in combining education and entertainment. It would be held over a 250,000-square meter area from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. It would also be open to students in the morning.

Activities include the Art Café that can host 500 children a day for art contests, and drawing and cartoon workshops. Saudi artists will also display their work every week, the company said.

The Energy Efficiency Pavilion will present an interactive experience for visitors, and build awareness on how to conserve energy.

“The Creative Studio is a competition to develop high-end media material with meaningful content all linked to important behavioral change issues in our society in an intriguing and a creative way using the resources provided in the academy. This competition will be powered and promoted by YouTube.”

There would also be workshops, with a capacity of 30 seats during each period, to develop skills to write scripts, and shoot, edit and direct videos.

The 1001 Inventions pavilion is "a leading and award-winning international science and cultural heritage brand reaching over 60 million people around the world." This interactive exhibition will cover a thousand years of Muslim scientific and cultural achievements from the 7th century onwards.

The Traffic Safety Village will teach children about the rules of the road. "Kids will face multiple traffic situations. If they pass, they will get a driver's license which orients them to become successful drivers in future.”