Doha, Qatar - 28 February 2015:  Reach Out To Asia (ROTA), a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), is once again organising the annual EMPOWER youth summit as part of a long-standing commitment to building strong, sustainable communities in Qatar and the region.

EMPOWER 2015 is a youth-led conference, now in its seventh year, which focuses on enabling young people between the ages of 17 and 26 to take active leadership roles in building their communities and discovering their voice on global issues It is the first and largest conference of its kind in Qatar.

The theme for this year's summit focuses on youth development for peaceful societies. The theme also encompasses the summit's core segments, namely personal leadership, service learning and global citizenship.

Members of the Youth Planning Committee have been rigorously trained to interview delegates and empower their peers in order to take the annual event to new heights. The process of interviewing the participants for EMPOWER has already started, with the aim to choose from among 1100 registered youth only 450 to attend the conference

During the planning sessions, Summaya Al Sherif, a member of the Youth Planning Committee, said: "This is my third year with EMPOWER and I am very excited about it. EMPOWER helps us open up to society and this year's theme is of interest for all of us."

Peaceful Societies is the latest in a long line of topics where young leaders will strive to make an impact. EMPOWER has, in recent years, given rise to other important youth initiatives such as the GCC Youth Green Manifesto and Sports for Youth Empowerment Declaration, signed in 2014 by Her Highness Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani, Chairperson of ROTA.

Abdulla Al Bakri, ROTA's Community Development Manager, said: "In Qatar we are blessed so we must do everything we can to give back to the local as well as the international communities. And through EMPOWER 2015, we are providing a platform for the youth to communicate and impart knowledge for positive practices that will lead to the development of peaceful communities."

The three-day conference is expected to draw hundreds of young people from Qatar and the region. In previous years, it has drawn youth leaders and groups from across the GCC, Lebanon, India, the U.S. and U.K.

More details will be announced at a high profile press briefing early in March.

Join the conversation on Twitter by using #EMPOWER2015 or get involved by clicking here: www.reachouttoasia.org/en/event-details/empower-2015

For further media information and interview requests please contact:
Yasmin Shehata
Grayling
Telephone: +974 3362 1460         
Email: yasmin.shehata@grayling.com
 
About ROTA
Reach Out To Asia is a non-profit organization launched in December 2005 in Doha, Qatar, by Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.  Operating under the auspices of the Qatar Foundation, ROTA is committed to providing high quality and relevant primary and secondary education, encouraging relationships among communities, creating safe learning environments and restoring education in crisis affected areas across Asia and around the world.  ROTA envisions a world, where all young people have access to the education they need in order for them to realise their full potential and shape the development of their communities.

For more information about Reach Out To Asia, please visit: www.reachouttoasia.org

About Qatar Foundation
Qatar Foundation - Unlocking Human Potential
Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community Development (QF) is a private, non-profit organisation that is supporting Qatar on its journey from carbon economy to knowledge economy by unlocking human potential, for the benefit of not only Qatar, but the world.  QF was co-founded in 1995 by His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Father Amir, and Chairperson Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser. 

QF's work encompasses education, research and community development.  World-class universities are brought to Qatar to help create an education sector in which young people can develop the attitudes and skills required for a knowledge economy. At the same time, QF builds Qatar's innovation and technology capacity by developing and commercialising solutions through key sciences.  The Foundation also works to foster a progressive society while enhancing cultural life, protecting Qatar's heritage and addressing immediate social needs in the community.

For a complete list of QF's initiatives and projects, visit http://www.qf.org.qa

© Press Release 2015