By Zeba Haider
DAMMAM — The Global Shapers (a World Economic Forum initiative), has set up a new platform dedicated to talented students in the Eastern Province. The platform, called “Gifted Students Program”, which will target students from ages eleven to fourteen, is part of the Global Shapers’ series of projects and initiatives to serve the community through their center in Al-Khobar.
The program highlighted the importance of supporting and providing resources to encourage the talented group of Saudi male and female students.
Under the platform, the Global Shapers Al-Khobar Hub hosted a workshop in Dammam Saturday which was attended by more than 50 talented students, both boys and girls, along with their parents. In the workshop, various agencies and organizations gave a presentation on their facilities and opportunities for such gifted and talented students.
The initiative is in cooperation with the National Talents Center. It will provide guidance to talented youngsters and their parents and introduced ways to develop their talents further. The program is characterized by its superior strategic partnerships and services supported by prestigious companies, having expertise in talent development, including Saudi Aramco, and Talented Youth Program (of the Ministry of Education), among others.
Huda Albrahim, Curator of the Global Shapers- Khobar Hub, said "our goal is to inspire talented students and help them reach their goals. We are aware of the importance of creating opportunities for a new generation that is capable of contributing to the Kingdom's 2030 Vision, and to provide a suitable environment that creates an ambitious leading generation. We look forward to form more beneficial partnerships to help us achieve our main aim of serving our community."
The program included a variety of sessions targeting parents and their children. The main focus of the workshop was to enable talented students to valuable resources available in various associations and organizations.
The session included an inspirational talk by Ali Al Haddad and Amnah Bu Khamseen who shared their journey as talented students themselves, while young writer Mohammed Hussein shared his experience as an achieving student and his journey to document it in his very own book.
Experts also advised parents on ways to encourage their children. Ali Al-Ghamdi, representative of the Talented Youth Program under the Ministry of Education, discussed how to deal with gifted children, and the techniques to develop their talents.
Meanwhile, artist Najla Abdullah presented a talk on the link between creativity and art, while Dr. Wasif Syed highlighted the role of the Mawhiba Select Program in aiding gifted students with higher education programs and sponsorships.
Unique workshops tailored to sharpen students’ abilities and talents were also featured, where Dr. Mubarak Al-Dossari talked about the test: "Color-Intelligence". The same test was used by one of the Global Shapers strategic partners “Rawabi Holding Company” within its career exhibitions, to assist the youth in learning about their professional interests and in choosing one. The test was given to the students to learn about their career preferences. The Basics of Electronics and microcontrollers were covered in a workshop given by the National Talents Centre, followed by a session of arts with Artist Zahra Al Matrook, who encouraged the students to explore their artistic side through a dedicated art session filled with colors and fun.
According to Global Shapers’ data, the number of talented students in Saudi Arabia reached 4,500 out of 500,000 students. They were discovered from around 64 schools spread all over the regions and provinces. Consequently, 2052 students were offered scholarships, benefiting from the "partnership with the schools" initiative which has been applied five years ago under the supervision of the King Abdulaziz and his Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba).
