The Federal Youth Authority, in partnership with the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research, launched the “Study of the Future of Youth Centers” survey in the UAE, with the aim of assessing the current status of youth centers in terms of programs, services, spaces, geographical locations, and the impact achieved over the past years, and determining the future direction of youth centers in a way that reflects the Authority’s strategy in the short and long term, and in response to national expectations and ambitions, and developing a global model that keeps pace with the requirements of the era and supports the country’s efforts in sustainability, innovation, and competitiveness..
The “Study of the Future of Youth Centres” project in the UAE is part of the projects of the first package of the National Youth Agenda 2031 programmes, which provides Emirati youth with new horizons and makes their aspirations and hopes a reality within a national strategy to enable them to contribute to the development process and build the future of future generations..
Keeping up with developments
On the occasion of launching the survey, His Excellency Dr. Sultan bin Saif Al Neyadi, Minister of State for Youth Affairs, said: “The directives of the wise leadership have always focused on the importance of listening to the opinions of young people, understanding their needs, and giving them the opportunity to present their aspirations, so that they can play a pivotal role in the national development process, by providing a stimulating environment to embrace their creativity, discover and refine distinguished youth talents, and invest energies and capabilities by developing the necessary tools to match the requirements of the future.”.
His Excellency Al Neyadi added: “Launching the ‘Future of Youth Centres’ study questionnaire comes to enhance our communication with young people and involve them in shaping the future to achieve their ambitions, and finding creative solutions to translate the sustainable development goals into reality, in the context of developing youth centres, whose role we seek to enhance as vital platforms that provide young people with optimal opportunities to learn, grow and excel in all fields, and acquire skills that are consistent with the goals of the national development methodology. We are committed to developing a global model for youth centres that supports the country’s aspirations to achieve sustainability, and enhances its position as an attractive environment for ambitious and creative youth.”.
Unique opportunity
For his part, His Excellency Dr. Sultan Mohammed Al Nuaimi, Director of the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research, said: “The survey comes within the context of the fruitful cooperation between the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research and the Federal Youth Authority, and reflects their commitment to presenting a future vision for youth centers in the UAE, ensuring that the voices of youth are heard, making them part of the decision-making process related to them, and determining the priorities that must be focused on; to ensure that these centers remain in line with the aspirations of current and future generations.”.
His Excellency Al Nuaimi explained that the youth opinion survey confirms the importance of their role in shaping the future in accordance with the best international practices in the field of youth empowerment, in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State – may God protect him – who believes that the youth of the Emirates are “the country’s true wealth, its hope, and its true future.”“
His Excellency stressed that the survey provides a unique opportunity to explore new dimensions for developing youth centres, and to develop future plans based on solid foundations and future strategies that effectively respond to the aspirations of youth and achieve their goals, pointing out that listening to their opinions and suggestions is the cornerstone of designing youth centres capable of providing quality services that meet expectations and evolving needs, and obtaining direct feedback from youth on the quality of services provided to them..
Youth engagement
In turn, Wafaa Al Ali, Director of Youth Centers Department at the Federal Youth Authority, said: “The survey reflects the Authority’s efforts to evaluate the current status of the centers from all aspects, and to determine future directions for their development. It targets a sample of no less than 3,000 young men and women, including a diverse group of Emirati youth and residents in the country between the ages of 15 and 35, including high school and university students, the local community interested in youth centers, in addition to their visitors and beneficiaries, specialists and experts in the fields of development, training and innovators, and members of local and institutional youth councils from all over the UAE.”.
Al Ali explained that the expected results of the survey will contribute to defining the features of the future plan for youth centers, including developing programs and services, improving infrastructure, and using modern technologies. The survey will also enhance the involvement of youth in the process of designing and developing these centers, to create an educational and developmental environment that meets their needs and aspirations, which confirms the Foundation’s keenness to enhance active participation with today’s youth to work on laying the foundations and necessary components to build the future of tomorrow’s youth..
Research and development
For her part, Dr. Ibtisam Al Tunaiji, Director of the Community Service Sector at the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research, stated that the design of the questionnaire for studying the future of youth centers was based on a precise study in cooperation with the Federal Youth Authority team. It focused on basic axes that included a set of questions that addressed the nature of the participants’ relationship with youth centers, their importance and role for them, their view of their current reality, and their evaluation of the quality of their services and programs, in addition to the advantages that they should enjoy in the future..
She stressed that the participants’ answers will be kept completely confidential and will be used for research and development purposes only, noting that the data extracted from the questionnaire will be used – after studying and analyzing it – to enhance the role of youth centers in the UAE, identify areas that need development, implement participants’ recommendations, and provide the facilities they wish to provide to youth centers..
Youth needs
The study addresses several main axes: identifying the needs of youth according to the local community, reviewing the best practices applied globally, and conducting basic assessments that include the state of the infrastructure, including facilities and available technological techniques, programs, services and equipment, legislation and policies related to youth, communication and partnerships, the impact achieved from working with youth, as well as evaluating human resources..
Targeted Outputs
The study seeks to achieve several basic outcomes, which are: identifying future paths for developing youth centers, adopting a comprehensive and ambitious development plan for their future, locations, platforms, services and activities based on an analytical report on the current situation, in addition to raising the level of services and resources necessary to develop the youth centers system to provide the best sustainable services and practices with competitive global standards..
During the three-week survey period, the Federal Youth Authority has allocated several locations to educate youth and society about the importance of active participation in the study, which are available at the Ajman Youth Center in Al Safiya, Umm Al Quwain Youth Center in Falaj Al Mualla, Ras Al Khaimah Youth Center in Al Dhait, Ras Al Khaimah Youth Center in Al Ghail, Emirates Towers Boulevard in Dubai, and several universities and colleges in the country. The Authority is also working in cooperation with its strategic partners to publish the survey through electronic platforms specialized in studies and research, so that it reaches the largest possible segment of youth in various regions of the country to participate through the link https://survey.ecssr.aeTo contribute effectively to shaping the features of the new developed model of future youth centers..
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