Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University (PMU) launches a Youth Leadership Program

Effective leadership will be paramount in meeting and overcoming the significant challenges faced by our world's nearly eight billion people, from community-level issues such as poverty to the planet-wide threats posed by climate change.

To help develop critical leadership skills, PMU launched a special Youth Leadership Program. The goal is to empower young people through hands-on learning activities, expanding their knowledge and equipping them to be global change leaders.

"Leadership is one of the core competencies that the PMU curricula are built around," said Dr. Issa Al Ansari, President of PMU. "This institutional experience has evolved into a broader vision for PMU related to community service, now PMU aims to convey that experience to Saudi youth in general through a leadership program."

Towards these ends, the YLP has been designed to align with twin strategies for national and international development. The first strategic framework, The Saudi National Vision 2030, is building for the country's future through diversification of the economy. The second strategy is the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, a set of 17 objectives to achieve a better, more sustainable global society.

"This strategic approach makes the YLP efficient and responsive to the needs planned for by the KSA and the world at a larger scale," said Dr. Al Ansari.

A global outlook

Participants need to possess a strong sense of motivation and dedication to making the world a better place.

The YLP consists of a range of activities held at workshops in local, regional, and international camps to promote innovation and service through constructive competitions, hackathons and social awareness campaigns. The workshops and camps will explore topics inspired by grouping the UN's 17 SDG's into seven major themes; Fighting Poverty, Health and Wellness, Education For All, Sustainability, Environment, Governance, and Innovation.

Those wishing to earn the Youth Leader Certificate will spearhead a Capstone Project, which will engage all the skills, competencies, and concepts presented across the seven themes. The project's culmination will be as a proposal for solutions to existing community problems, or innovative ways to improve lives and impact societies locally or globally.

"Leadership is an invaluable skill in our increasingly connected, complex, and challenged world, and we at PMU believe we can help inspire and teach these skills to today's global youth," Dr. Al Ansari concluded.