Social entrepreneurship forum focuses on new media’s role

Under the patronage of Princess Jawahir bint Naif, the Ninth Creativity Ebdaa Forum began yesterday at the Sofitel Hotel in Alkhobar. The three-day forum runs through tomorrow.
Organized by Ebdaa Forums with the participation of Labor Ministry, the forum is titled “Social Entrepreneurship … Creativity and Responsibility.”
The forum aims at clarifying the objectives of social entrepreneurship and achievements made in this area while explaining the difficulties facing the program. It will also highlight the challenges people face in this area as well as the role of social entrepreneurship in developing business.
The forum emphasizes the pioneering role of young Saudi men and women in the society, the organizers said, adding that it would be attended by a number of experts interested in social development. It focuses on the role of social entrepreneurship in combating unemployment and will also explain the roles of dialogue forums, social networks and social media in making social entrepreneurship successful.
The forum is attended by an array of social activists from across the Kingdom, other GCC and Arab countries.
Dr. Khawlah Al-Kuraya, a member of the Shoura Council, is the main speaker. Dr. Al-Kuraya is a senior scientist involved in cancer research and the first Saudi woman to obtain King Abdul Aziz Medal of the First Order in 2010.
Forum speakers include Maha Fetaihi, head of Saudi female guides, Princess Al-Bandary bint Abdul Rahman Al-Faisal, director general of King Khaled Charitable Foundation, Dr. Ghinwa Jalloul, Lebanese Parliament member and acting head of the Information Technology Committee and Dr. Mervat Tashkandi, adviser to the labor minister.
The three-day event addresses a number of issues highlighting the importance of social entrepreneurship and its positive effects on society while explaining the major problems and challenges facing the program. Pioneers in the field will explain their success stories.
Social entrepreneurship was the first topic to be discussed on the opening day by Dr. Al-Kuraya and Maha Fetaihi, and led by Khulood Al-Abdul Qader of UNIDO.
Princess Al-Bandary, Haifa Abuzabiba of National Commercial Bank and Dr. Maali Al-Asousi, executive director of Kuwait’s Tamkeen Foundation, elaborated on their experiences in sustainable development and social entrepreneurship in the second session chaired by Nora Faisal Alshaaban, president of Ebdaa Exchange Company and head of the organizing committee.
Dr. Al-Tashkandi and Dr. Jalloul will discuss major challenges facing social entrepreneurship by presenting two papers at the third session, chaired by Senthiya Kurdi, director of Alkhobar Daycare Center.
Another session addressing the role of social entrepreneurship in developing businesses will be chaired by Khulood Al-Tamimi of the Council of Saudi Chambers, presenters include Dr. Basmah Omair, executive director of Khadeeja bint Khuwailed Center for Businesswomen in Jeddah, Shahd Attar of Sila, a professional Saudi network, Lamya Al-Qadi, director of Businesswomen’s Center and Nora Al-Akeel of Small Gulf Projects.
Faiza Al-Oumi of Princess Nouf Fund to Support Working Women was scheduled to chair a session addressing the Role of Social Entrepreneurship in Combating Unemployment with paper presentations by Princess Najla bint Abdul Rahman of Glowork, Shada Al-Tayeb of Etaam Society, and Fatima Garoub, head of the Kifaya Campaign.
'Creativity of My Country' is the title of another important session for:
Sara Shabeeb’s exemplary program;
Dr. Lateefa Al-Muaibed’s ‘Give Life’ campaign;
Waad Al-Mudaaj, Cultural Coffee shop, an outstanding student of Prince Muhammad bin Fahd University;
Mee Al-Motairy of King Abdul Aziz National Dialogue Center.
Sessions scheduled tomorrow will focus on the role of dialogue and social networking sites in the success of social entrepreneurship, that will be addressed by Dr. Khulood Al-Qahtani, Amaal Almoalemi, head of dialogue and international relations at King Abdul Aziz National Dialogue Center and Sharifa Al-Barami, chairperson of Aljazeera Technical Solutions with Lujin Al-Omran of MBC1 (Sabah Al-Khair Ya Arab) will chair this session.
The new media’s role in supporting pioneers is another session that will also be chaired by Hana Al-Rekabi, a senior program presenter of Saudi Television Chanel 1 with presentations by Sameera Madani of MBC1, Amani Al-Ajlan (youth projects) and Hanan Al-Mohairy, president of Arabyana in the UAE.
The Forum includes several workshops, one of which will be conducted by Mawda Al-Shammari, a certified trainer of the Gulf Human Development Council and a teacher at Boys Schools of the Ministry of Defense on “Entrepreneur skills to Empower Saudi Women.”
Areej Al-Muallem, head of the psychology department of Prince Salman Kidney Diseases Center, will conduct another workshop on “Social pioneer with a positive thinking.”
The forum will feature presentations by youths highlighting their individual and group experiences in social entrepreneurship as well as experiences of organizations in supporting social services through an exhibition of youth projects on the sidelines of the forum.
Nora Al-Shaaban, head of the organizing committee, said this year’s forum comes following the historic appointment of 30 women to the Shoura Council announced by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.
King Abdullah, who played a big role in empowering Saudi women, also called for developing women’s capabilities with the support of Labor Ministry.
Al-Shaaban said the forum also aims at making changes in youths’ method of thinking toward a positive attitude. The social entrepreneurship in general means an individual or group producing innovative and creative work or develop an idea and become masters in that field despite the difficulties and obstacles facing them. They can develop their idea to become a culture of the society.
She added, social entrepreneurship is an important subject that needs to be fully addressed in our Kingdom. The Ebdaa Forums wanted to take the lead in selecting topics that would serve society while educating the public on the problems facing those working in the field.
She said the Saudi society still lacks a clear view of social entrepreneurship as it is often linked with social responsibility and voluntary work but they differ in many ways but they come under social entrepreneurship.
“Those who have the spirit of taking initiative will have a greater feeling about the suffering and needs of others, this is a blessing from God and can also be developed through training and by learning from people who passed that way,” Al-Shaaban said
She hopes that this ninth Ebdaa Forum will attract outstanding female personalities in the public and private sectors including education, banks, hospitals and major companies, members of charitable and professional organizations, university graduates as well as employed women who are unable to improve their performance, university students and those engaged in volunteer work.
The forum will conclude with a discussion to prepare recommended resolutions to be presented to the Labor Ministry for further evaluation.