Dubai, UAE – December 09, 2022 - The Youth Knowledge Forum, organised by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF) in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), continued virtually on its third day, after the conclusion of physical sessions which was held at the Hilton Hotel, Al Habtoor City, Dubai.

Four virtual sessions were held during the third day, which centred on several topics, including Unlocking business opportunities in the virtual world, transforming education through technology, unleashing youth innovation for purpose economies, and discussing the challenges and opportunities for the youth on social media platforms.  

Unlocking business opportunities in the virtual world

In the first session titled ‘Unlocking business opportunities in the virtual world’, topics including blockchain revolution across industries, components of virtual world, building a business in the virtual world and grabbing the business opportunities brought by Web 3.0 technology were discussed.

H.E. Dr. Tariq Bin Hindi, Senior Partner at Global Ventures, Chairman of Edelman Middle East; Maha Abouelenein, Founder and CEO of Digital & Savvy; Najib Khanafer, Co-founder of OasisX platform, attended the session, which was moderated by Tuesday Le Roux, program presenter.

Najib Khanafer highlighted that the Metaverse serves as an extension to the virtual world, and further shed light on the significance of the coexistence between real and virtual world. He stated that an individual can seamlessly interact with the virtual world, while concentrating on tasks in the real world. Khanafer further stated that Blockchain not only serves as a tool, but also a validation system which is decentralised and disconnected from other sites. He highlighted that Metaverse offers transparency of data collection, conformity and validation, and further ensure transparency of user transactions.

H.E. Dr. Tariq Bin Hindi emphasised that advanced technology 3.0 enabled structures and infrastructures should be considered the key area of focus, and we should be working on establishing a common environment between real and virtual world.

Bin Hindi highlighted that leveraging AI could offer more tools and solutions that can help humanity, and it further should be enabled to ensure transparency of data collection for effective players in the communities.

Maha Abouelenein shed light on the increase in upgradation of system by global corporations to support cryptocurrency payments, and that AI and Metaverse will the key factors that will accelerate the technological revolution in the education and medical fields.

Transforming education through technology

The second virtual session, titled ‘Transforming education through technology,’ covered the Combining conventional learning and self-learning in an efficient way, introducing emerging technology to teaching, Experiential learning by ‘doing’ and learning outcomes. Naoufer Ramoul, TV Presenter at Dubai Media Incorporated, conducted an interview with Dr. Sameer Kishore, Programme Coordinator MSc Robotics, Middlesex University Dubai, who took part in the session.

Dr. Kishore emphasised on the idea of technology in education, despite the fact that there are many forms of communication and technologies used in education that do not heavily rely on technology. According to him, teachers and tutors need to have the authority to expand the scope of technology-enabled educational transformation.

Dr. Kishore highlighted that as technology has become one of the pillars of education, VR can be deployed in classrooms to support a variety of tasks, including anatomy operations, testing, and quick experimentation.

He further emphasised that the tools offered by latest technological innovations can help improve teacher-student engagement and highlighted the importance of leveraging the comprehensive expertise of experts and specialists on how to utilise and implement advanced technologies to achieve their full potential.

Unleashing youth innovation for purpose economies

The third virtual session titled ‘Unleashing youth innovation for purpose economies,’ examined a number of topics, including the Purpose economy and its relationship to innovation, Youth empowerment through social innovation and entrepreneurship, Instilling innovation and creativity in our economies, and Placing meaning and purpose at the core of the digital workplace. Faris Alami, the founder and CEO of International Strategic Management, participated in the discussion and was interviewed by Amira Mohammed, TV Presenter at Abu Dhabi Media.

According to Alami, over 2.5 billion people in the world are between the ages of 20 and 40, and about 60 per cent of the youth are interested in starting their own business. He further stated that asking the appropriate questions can aid in accelerating innovation and that having interactions may result in establishing a positive presence, both of which will speed up innovation in entrepreneurship.

Alami also underlined that a person’s interest may lead to asking the correct questions and having a clear vision of the path that must be chosen. The work that follows is based on the responses to those questions. He further stated that sharing, curiosity, and proactivity are the initial stages to spark innovation.

Youth on social media: Boundless opportunities and challenges

The third day of the Forum concluded with a virtual session titled ‘Youth on social media: Boundless opportunities and challenges,’ which covered a wide range of subjects, including the dual presence in real life and social media, curating positive online presence, building a sense of community in the virtual world, and countering social media drawbacks at inception phases.

Bailey Parnell, the founder and CEO of SkillsCamp and #SafeSocial, Tom Otton, the founder and Managing Director of Create Media Group, and Monica Anderson, the associate director of research at the Pew Research Center, took part in the session. Azza Al Mughiery, a social media content creator, moderated the session.

According to Monica Anderson, the percentage of adolescents using social media in the USA recently increased from 24 per cent to 46 per cent. She also stated that even though some of the youth encounter numerous difficulties on social media platforms, this does not imply that they are not receiving support from their friends and loved ones. She added that, generally speaking, female youth suffer more negative social media interactions as compared to male youth.

Furthermore, Tom Otton emphasised that social media pioneers must offer a positive and secure space for young people given the growth in social media users and further stated that the social media networks were created by social experts who have the necessary skills and knowledge to draw users to these platforms.

Bailey Parnell further highlighted that social media platforms have integrated themselves into the youth’s lives and provide a secure environment for them to express their emotions. She added that 46 per cent of social media users have reached advanced stages of addiction and that the youth lack the ability to control or avoid the potential risks associated with these networks.

The Youth Knowledge Forum was held under the patronage and in the presence of HH Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) and Member of the Dubai Council and was organised by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme. The Forum concluded its physical events, which were held from December 6 to 7, 2022, and is continuing through virtual sessions on December 8 and 9, 2022, to expand participation from across the globe.