Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah will patronize on Sept. 15-16 a seminar to discuss ways to improve volunteer services during the Haj and Umrah seasons.
“Participants of the seminar, including academics and experts, will present papers based on practical experience in the area of voluntary service in addition to new ideas for the improvement of voluntary service with focus on areas such as security, economy, and social service,” said Yasser Shosho, rector of the College of Community Services & Continuous Education, which is organizing the seminar in collaboration with Makkah’s Public Security Training City.
The seminar will be held at the Umm Al-Qura University Campus in Makkah. It also aims to raise awareness about the significance of voluntary services, particularly with services to pilgrims.
Participants will mainly come from Saudi universities and institutes of higher learning.
The seminar’s scientific committee selected 37 synopses and work papers from more than 200 received that will be read out at the seminar’s eight proceedings.
“The seminar will explore a suitable framework to coordinate and organize voluntary work among the governmental, individual and charitable organizations in the field of the Haj and Umrah. It also aims to figure out ways of attracting, registering and training those who want to join voluntary services for pilgrims,” Shosho said.
The seminar will also discuss incentives to be offered to participants in voluntary projects, and ways to discourage volunteers from dropping out before a project’s completion. The major topics being discussed on the first day included the depth and dimensions of voluntary services, he said.
Other topics in the coming proceedings include the sources and ways of financing voluntary works, successful national and international experience in voluntary work, and ways to implement them into the Haj and Umrah. It will also discuss the future of voluntary services.
