The nongovernmental organization, Rekaaz, recently held three events aimed at bringing Saudi youth together and educating them on how to become caring and responsible citizens.

The events were for young people between the ages of 15 and 25 and held at the Hyatt Mall on May 22, Al-Azizia Mall in Rabwa on May 18 and Panorama Mall on May 8, said Sultan Al-Harthi, a spokesman for the group.

Al-Harthi thanked two local companies, Babaker and Atatnia, for their support. He said three well-known guests were invited on the three occasions. They were Ibrahim Al-Duwaish from Qassim, Mohammad Al-Areify from Riyadh and Mohammad Al-Awabi from Kuwait.

“They all spoke inspiringly about selflessness, love and camaraderie to get across the message of friendship as a powerful tool binding mankind,” he said. The motto of the presentations was “What you say is what you are,” he added.

He said the presentations were aimed at preparing the Saudi youth to become friendly, caring and responsible. He said these qualities would prepare them to become better citizens. "They will become the leaders in various fields of business and industry.”

Over the past four years, Rekaaz has presented shows at different venues. The themes include respect for mothers, self-esteem, desire to succeed in life and responsibility toward society.

He added that they had also visited 13 schools for girls in the Saudi capital in connection with Rekaaz’s projects. He said the organization gave away books to help youngsters develop their personalities and to learn how to deal with different types of people.

He added that the themes of Rekaaz’s presentations are timely because the Kingdom’s growing population means Saudis are become alienated from each other.

“This is becoming worse because of materialism brought about by prosperity. Rekaaz is all about uniting people and making connections,” he said.

He said Faisal Abu Thnain, a member of the Al-Hilal soccer club, was invited as a speaker and spoke about friendship. "He was very effective, probably because as a soccer player, he had shown sportsmanship which is inextricably linked to friendship,” he said.