Reach Out to Asia (Rota) has participated in a panel discussion at Doha Giffoni Youth Media Summit 2015, held as part of the Ajyal Youth Film Festival.
Rota executive director Essa al-Mannai was invited to participate as one of four keynote speakers from regional and international NGOs and the cinema industry. The panel discussion focused on children in conflict areas under the title “Empowering Youth to Share Their Stories”.
Commending the focus of the festival, al-Mannai said: “The Ajyal Youth Film Festival provides an opportunity for people of all ages to come together in a collaborative environment to express themselves, and Rota is thrilled to have been invited to take part in an event so closely aligned with our goal of educating and empowering
young people.”
He noted that Rota was a true believer in youth as agents of change, saying: “The central objective of Rota is to provide an opportunity for education for all young people, and help them realise their full potential and shape the development of their communities.”
Using Qatar as its base, Rota has chosen to focus on youth development through education in conflict and post-conflict situations. The organisation is investing its efforts in bringing the global community together to stop thinking of children as merely
being affected by conflict.
“At Rota, we believe in not merely crafting programmes that help young people, but crafting programmes that empower young people to be at the centre. By encouraging the youth to share their stories and create content, we can truly encourage change and empower people to shape the development of their communities for the future,” al-Mannai concluded.
His involvement with the Doha Giffoni Youth Media Summit follows Rota’s participation in the Social Innovation and Global Ethics Forum 2015 in Geneva.