Friday, May 29, 2020
Monday, April 9, 2012
Residents' 'victory' in student numbers battle
Residents are claiming victory in their long- running campaign to limit the number of students living in private Oxford homes.
Oxford Brookes University is slashing its student numbers by 15 per cent, despite being one of the few universities to see a surge in applications.
The move could cost Brookes up to £16m as tuition fees rise from September to £9,000 a year.
The university confirmed it is to cut back on undergraduates to meet council limits on students living in private housing.
The minutes of a meeting with residents’ groups says: “The university has a strategy to reduce full-time under-graduate student numbers by 15 per cent over three years.
This is to enable the university to achieve its requirements to reduce students in the private sector.”
Under city council planning policies, both city universities could be prevented from moving into new buildings until fewer than 3,000 of their respective students are living in city homes.
The council’s monitoring report for 2010/11 shows that 3,251 Oxford University students were living in city houses, up from 2,991 last year. Brookes’ total rose from 3,493 to 3,611.
Based on a present student population of about 12,000, it is estimated the reduction will amount to some 1,800 undergraduates.
Related links
•More Oxford news
Elizabeth Mills, chairman of Divinity Road Area Residents’ Association, said: “For so long Brookes has been saying that they were well on track in terms of meeting the council target and there was no reason to make a fuss.
“But it has now acknowledged that it will have to do something to reduce the number of undergraduates living in houses of multiple occupation. It does show that pressure from community groups can make a difference by raising an issue.”
The cutback in student numbers will begin in September.
Oxford Brookes spokesman Edward Read said: “We put the experience our students receive at the centre of our decision on how to respond to Government changes in funding. A key part of this was the agreement to reduce on-campus undergraduate student numbers to ensure there is a better ratio of staff to students on our degree programmes.”
Oxford University said yesterday it has no plans to reduce student numbers.
Oxford Brookes University is slashing its student numbers by 15 per cent, despite being one of the few universities to see a surge in applications.
The move could cost Brookes up to £16m as tuition fees rise from September to £9,000 a year.
The university confirmed it is to cut back on undergraduates to meet council limits on students living in private housing.
The minutes of a meeting with residents’ groups says: “The university has a strategy to reduce full-time under-graduate student numbers by 15 per cent over three years.
This is to enable the university to achieve its requirements to reduce students in the private sector.”
Under city council planning policies, both city universities could be prevented from moving into new buildings until fewer than 3,000 of their respective students are living in city homes.
The council’s monitoring report for 2010/11 shows that 3,251 Oxford University students were living in city houses, up from 2,991 last year. Brookes’ total rose from 3,493 to 3,611.
Based on a present student population of about 12,000, it is estimated the reduction will amount to some 1,800 undergraduates.
Related links
•More Oxford news
Elizabeth Mills, chairman of Divinity Road Area Residents’ Association, said: “For so long Brookes has been saying that they were well on track in terms of meeting the council target and there was no reason to make a fuss.
“But it has now acknowledged that it will have to do something to reduce the number of undergraduates living in houses of multiple occupation. It does show that pressure from community groups can make a difference by raising an issue.”
The cutback in student numbers will begin in September.
Oxford Brookes spokesman Edward Read said: “We put the experience our students receive at the centre of our decision on how to respond to Government changes in funding. A key part of this was the agreement to reduce on-campus undergraduate student numbers to ensure there is a better ratio of staff to students on our degree programmes.”
Oxford University said yesterday it has no plans to reduce student numbers.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
31% of Residents skip breakfast
31% of Qatar’s residents skip breakfast: study
Some 31% of Qatar residents do not consider breakfast as an important meal of the day, a new study has found.
An independent study on the health and fitness trends conducted by Zarca Interactive, a leading provider of online survey solutions, across 300 respondents has identified interesting health and fitness trends amongst the residents of Qatar.
The findings of the maiden survey for Qatar revealed that 31% respondents do not consider breakfast as an important meal of the day of which cent percent respondents quoted lack of time as the only reason for not consuming breakfast.
Zarca Interactive’s health and fitness study for Qatar vindicates the World Health Organisation reports highlighted during the meeting at the WHO Eastern Mediterranean region in Egypt which alerted that the increasing use of television and computers was leading to sedentary lifestyles.
As per the study, 70% of the respondents from Qatar resorted to television and Internet to relieve their stress instead of indulging in any physical activity. Further complementing the trend for lack of movement is the increased intake of fried foods by the residents of Qatar. The study reveals that 61% respondents from Qatar consume fried foods at least twice a week.
According to the survey, which comprised of over 76% males, a combination of toast and coffee is the preferred breakfast option for 68% of the respondents, closely followed by cereals and eggs. The water intake levels witnessed a healthy trend with over 60% respondents confirming an intake of at least 1.5 liters of water everyday.
The intake of multivitamins as a regular diet met with skepticism, with over 35% respondents considering them expensive and a waste of money. Some 10% respondents, however, continued with their multivitamin doses as prescribed by the doctor. While the intake percentage of multivitamins might be low, more than 86% respondents were found to be highly aware about verifying the manufacturing and expiry dates for various products.
An indication towards an increase in the sleeping disorder cases in Qatar is one of the key highlights of the Zarca health and fitness survey.
The study reveals that sleeping disorders are on a rise amongst Qatar residents, with only 32% respondents confirming that they were able to manage an eight hour sleep on a daily basis, with over 16% admitting that they could never manage a comfortable sleep.
Following a similar trend, the survey revealed that 57% of respondents from Qatar did not know how to calculate their body mass index (BMI), which leads to the discovery of the fact that 72% of the respondents found themselves slightly overweight or obese.
The first survey implemented by Zarca Interactive in Qatar witnessed the participation of 300 respondents. The respondent base for the health and fitness survey primarily comprised of Qatar nationals, followed closely by Asian and Arab expatriates.
Some 31% of Qatar residents do not consider breakfast as an important meal of the day, a new study has found.
An independent study on the health and fitness trends conducted by Zarca Interactive, a leading provider of online survey solutions, across 300 respondents has identified interesting health and fitness trends amongst the residents of Qatar.
The findings of the maiden survey for Qatar revealed that 31% respondents do not consider breakfast as an important meal of the day of which cent percent respondents quoted lack of time as the only reason for not consuming breakfast.
Zarca Interactive’s health and fitness study for Qatar vindicates the World Health Organisation reports highlighted during the meeting at the WHO Eastern Mediterranean region in Egypt which alerted that the increasing use of television and computers was leading to sedentary lifestyles.
As per the study, 70% of the respondents from Qatar resorted to television and Internet to relieve their stress instead of indulging in any physical activity. Further complementing the trend for lack of movement is the increased intake of fried foods by the residents of Qatar. The study reveals that 61% respondents from Qatar consume fried foods at least twice a week.
According to the survey, which comprised of over 76% males, a combination of toast and coffee is the preferred breakfast option for 68% of the respondents, closely followed by cereals and eggs. The water intake levels witnessed a healthy trend with over 60% respondents confirming an intake of at least 1.5 liters of water everyday.
The intake of multivitamins as a regular diet met with skepticism, with over 35% respondents considering them expensive and a waste of money. Some 10% respondents, however, continued with their multivitamin doses as prescribed by the doctor. While the intake percentage of multivitamins might be low, more than 86% respondents were found to be highly aware about verifying the manufacturing and expiry dates for various products.
An indication towards an increase in the sleeping disorder cases in Qatar is one of the key highlights of the Zarca health and fitness survey.
The study reveals that sleeping disorders are on a rise amongst Qatar residents, with only 32% respondents confirming that they were able to manage an eight hour sleep on a daily basis, with over 16% admitting that they could never manage a comfortable sleep.
Following a similar trend, the survey revealed that 57% of respondents from Qatar did not know how to calculate their body mass index (BMI), which leads to the discovery of the fact that 72% of the respondents found themselves slightly overweight or obese.
The first survey implemented by Zarca Interactive in Qatar witnessed the participation of 300 respondents. The respondent base for the health and fitness survey primarily comprised of Qatar nationals, followed closely by Asian and Arab expatriates.
NEW STADIUMS IN QATAR
QATAR’S PROPOSED 2022 STADIUMS
AL-GHARAFA STADIUM
• Al-Gharafa is an existing
stadium in a suburb of Doha that will be expanded for the FIFA World Cup.
• The façade will be made up of the colours of the teams playing in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, representing the values of the global football community.
• During the FIFA World Cup™ the stadium will hold 44,740 fans. The existing lower tier has 21,175 seats while a modular upper tier will have 23,565 seats. Roofing elements will be added so that all seats are covered.
• Fans will be able to arrive by train and car.
Al-KHOR STADIUM
• Al-Khor is a brand new stadium that will be built in the city of Al-Khor, 50 kilometres north of Doha.
• The stadium takes its design cues from the seashell.
• During the FIFA World Cup the stadium will hold 45,330 fans. A permanent lower tier will have 25,500 seats while a modular upper tier will have 19,830 seats.
• All seats will be covered, and some will have stunning views of the Arabian Sea.
• Fans will be able to arrive by water taxi, train and car.
AL-RAYYAN STADIUM
• Al-Rayyan is an existing stadium in a Doha suburb that will be expanded for the FIFA World Cup.
• The stadium includes a “media façade” with the capacity to project other football matches, news and advertisements onto the outside of the stadium.
• During the FIFA World Cup the stadium will hold 44,740 fans. The existing lower tier has 21,282 seats while a modular upper tier will have 23,458 seats. Roofing elements will be added so that all seats are covered.
• Fans will be able to arrive by train and car.
AL-SHAMAL STADIUM
• Al-Shamal is a brand new stadium that will be built in western Qatar.
• The stadium takes its design cues from the dhow, the traditional fishing vessel in the Arabian Gulf.
• During the FIFA World Cup the stadium will hold 45,330 fans. A permanent lower tier will have 25,500 seats while a modular upper tier will have 19,830 seats.
• Fans will be able to arrive by water taxi, train and car. It will be easily accessible from the Qatar-Bahrain Friendship Bridge, and we expect that at least 10% of fans will arrive from Bahrain.
AL-WAKRAH STADIUM
• Al-Wakrah is a brand new
stadium that will be built in
Al-Wakrah, a city 20 kilometres south of Doha.
• The stadium and surrounding sports complex are designed to represent an oasis.
The sporting complex will include an aquatic centre and other sporting facilities, along with a spa and retail space.
• During the FIFA World Cup the stadium will hold 45,120 fans. A permanent lower tier will have 25,500 seats while a modular upper tier will have 19,620 seats.
• Fans will be able to arrive by train or by using the new Doha Expressway
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Imams are asked to keep the ritual short on Eid
DOHA: The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs has asked all imams who will be leading Eid prayers at mosques and prayer grounds across the country to keep the rituals short in view of the hot weather.
The imams have been asked to perform all the rituals, including the sermon that follows the prayers, within 15 minutes. The Mosques Committee at the ministry has already sent messages to all imams in this regard.
Apart from the imams who lead the Friday prayers in mosques, a number of prominent Islamic scholars have been assigned to lead the special morning prayers on the first day of Eid Al Fitr.
After many years Ramadan and Eid have fallen during the summer months, forcing the ministry to limit the duration of the prayers, arguably for the first time in the country. The high temperatures and humidity prevailing since June are expected to continue until mid-September.
A senior official of the Mosques Committee told Al Sharq that the decision was taken in the interest of the worshippers, who will be gathering in large numbers for the Eid prayers.
The Eid prayers would be held at around 5.30am, about one and half hours after the Fajr (dawn) prayers. The weather is expected to be hot by that time, particularly in the prayer grounds.
Normally, the entire proceedings take 20 to 30 minutes depending on how long the sermon is. However, the imams leading the prayers have been asked to keep their speech short and finish the prayers in 15 minutes.
The ministry has made arrangements at 214 mosques and prayer grounds across the country for offering of the Eid prayers. Of these, 24 venues will have special facilities for women.
Eid Al Fitr will fall on the coming Thursday or Friday, marking the culmination of the holy month of Ramadan. If the crescent moon is sighted on Wednesday, Eid will fall on Thursday, otherwise on Friday, after a full 30 days of the fasting month.
The Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, H E Dr Gheith bin Mubarak Al Kuwari, has urged all Muslims to look for the crescent moon on Wednesday. Anyone who sights the moon has been advised to report to the Moon Sighting Committee at the ministry and give testimony before the panel at its office in the Al Sadd area
The imams have been asked to perform all the rituals, including the sermon that follows the prayers, within 15 minutes. The Mosques Committee at the ministry has already sent messages to all imams in this regard.
Apart from the imams who lead the Friday prayers in mosques, a number of prominent Islamic scholars have been assigned to lead the special morning prayers on the first day of Eid Al Fitr.
After many years Ramadan and Eid have fallen during the summer months, forcing the ministry to limit the duration of the prayers, arguably for the first time in the country. The high temperatures and humidity prevailing since June are expected to continue until mid-September.
A senior official of the Mosques Committee told Al Sharq that the decision was taken in the interest of the worshippers, who will be gathering in large numbers for the Eid prayers.
The Eid prayers would be held at around 5.30am, about one and half hours after the Fajr (dawn) prayers. The weather is expected to be hot by that time, particularly in the prayer grounds.
Normally, the entire proceedings take 20 to 30 minutes depending on how long the sermon is. However, the imams leading the prayers have been asked to keep their speech short and finish the prayers in 15 minutes.
The ministry has made arrangements at 214 mosques and prayer grounds across the country for offering of the Eid prayers. Of these, 24 venues will have special facilities for women.
Eid Al Fitr will fall on the coming Thursday or Friday, marking the culmination of the holy month of Ramadan. If the crescent moon is sighted on Wednesday, Eid will fall on Thursday, otherwise on Friday, after a full 30 days of the fasting month.
The Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, H E Dr Gheith bin Mubarak Al Kuwari, has urged all Muslims to look for the crescent moon on Wednesday. Anyone who sights the moon has been advised to report to the Moon Sighting Committee at the ministry and give testimony before the panel at its office in the Al Sadd area
Monday, April 19, 2010
Want high GPA
Over the last 50 years, college grade-point averages have risen about 0.1 points per decade, with private schools fueling the most grade inflation, a recent study finds.
More from NYTimes.com:
• Apple Delays Global Release of iPad
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The study, by Stuart Rojstaczer and Christopher Healy, uses historical data from 80 four-year colleges and universities. It finds that G.P.A.'s have risen from a national average of 2.52 in the 1950s to about 3.11 by the middle of the last decade.
For the first half of the 20th century, grading at private schools and public schools rose more or less in tandem. But starting in the 1950s, grading at public and private schools began to diverge. Students at private schools started receiving significantly higher grades than those received by their equally-qualified peers -- based on SAT scores and other measures -- at public schools.
In other words, both categories of schools inflated their grades, but private schools inflated their grades more.
Based on contemporary grading data the authors collected from 160 schools, the average G.P.A. at private colleges and universities today is 3.3. At public schools, it is 3.0.
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The authors suggest that these laxer grading standards may help explain why private school students are over-represented in top medical, business and law schools and certain Ph.D. programs: Admissions officers are fooled by private school students' especially inflated grades.
Additionally, the study found, science departments today grade on average 0.4 points lower than humanities departments, and 0.2 points lower than social science departments. Such harsher grading for the sciences appears to have existed for at least 40 years, and perhaps much longer.
Relatively lower grades in the sciences discourage American students from studying such disciplines, the authors argue.
"Partly because of our current ad hoc grading system, it is not surprising that
the U.S. has to rely heavily upon foreign-born graduate students for technical fields of research and upon foreign-born employees in its technology firms," they write.
These overall trends, if not the specific numbers, are no surprise to anyone who has followed the debates about grade inflation. But so long as schools believe that granting higher grades advantages their alumni, there will be little or no incentive to impose stricter grading standards unilaterally.
More from NYTimes.com:
• Apple Delays Global Release of iPad
• Google Takes Printing to the Cloud
• Q.&A.: Removing a Bad Add-On in Firefox
The study, by Stuart Rojstaczer and Christopher Healy, uses historical data from 80 four-year colleges and universities. It finds that G.P.A.'s have risen from a national average of 2.52 in the 1950s to about 3.11 by the middle of the last decade.
For the first half of the 20th century, grading at private schools and public schools rose more or less in tandem. But starting in the 1950s, grading at public and private schools began to diverge. Students at private schools started receiving significantly higher grades than those received by their equally-qualified peers -- based on SAT scores and other measures -- at public schools.
In other words, both categories of schools inflated their grades, but private schools inflated their grades more.
Based on contemporary grading data the authors collected from 160 schools, the average G.P.A. at private colleges and universities today is 3.3. At public schools, it is 3.0.
Popular Stories on Yahoo!:
• Businesses Built on Fear
• Poll: Nearly 80% Distrust U.S. Government
• 8 Ways to Supersize Your Salary
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
More from Yahoo! Finance
The authors suggest that these laxer grading standards may help explain why private school students are over-represented in top medical, business and law schools and certain Ph.D. programs: Admissions officers are fooled by private school students' especially inflated grades.
Additionally, the study found, science departments today grade on average 0.4 points lower than humanities departments, and 0.2 points lower than social science departments. Such harsher grading for the sciences appears to have existed for at least 40 years, and perhaps much longer.
Relatively lower grades in the sciences discourage American students from studying such disciplines, the authors argue.
"Partly because of our current ad hoc grading system, it is not surprising that
the U.S. has to rely heavily upon foreign-born graduate students for technical fields of research and upon foreign-born employees in its technology firms," they write.
These overall trends, if not the specific numbers, are no surprise to anyone who has followed the debates about grade inflation. But so long as schools believe that granting higher grades advantages their alumni, there will be little or no incentive to impose stricter grading standards unilaterally.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Good sleep
There’s a lot of advice out there about getting good sleep; here are tips that work for me:
Good habits for good sleep:
1. Exercise most days, even if it’s just to take a walk.
2. No caffeine after 7:00 p.m.
3. An hour before bedtime, avoid doing any kind of work that takes alert thinking. Addressing envelopes—okay. Analyzing an article—nope.
4. Adjust your bedroom temperature to be slightly chilly.
5. Keep your bedroom dark. Studies show that even the tiny light from a digital alarm clock can disrupt a sleep cycle. We have about six devices in our room that glow bright green; it’s like sleeping in a mad scientist’s lab. The Big Man's new pet, a Roomba (yes, he loves his robot vacuum), gives out so much light that I have to cover it with a pillow before bed.
6. Keep the bedroom as tidy as possible. It’s not restful to fight through chaos into bed.
If sleep won’t come:
1. Breathe deeply and slowly until you can’t stand it anymore.
2. If your mind is racing (you’re planning a trip, a move, Christmas shopping; you’re worried about a medical diagnosis), write down what’s on your mind. This technique really works for me.
3. Slather yourself with body lotion. It feels good and also, if you’re having trouble sleeping because you’re hot, it cools you down.
4. If your feet are cold, put on socks.
5. Stretch your whole body.
6. Have a warm drink. Some people claim that warm milk contains melatonin and trytophan and so helps induce sleep, but in fact, a glass of milk doesn’t contain enough to have any effect. But it’s still a soothing drink. My nighttime favorite: 1/3 mug of milk, add boiling water, one packet of Equal, and a dash of vanilla. A real nursery treat.
7. Yawn.
8. Stretch your toes up and down several times.
9. Tell yourself, “I have to get up now.” Imagine that you just hit the snooze alarm and in a minute, you’re going to be marching through the morning routine. Often this is an exhausting enough prospect to make me fall asleep.
Re-frame:
Re-frame your sleeplessness as a welcome opportunity to snatch some extra time out of your day. I get up and tackle mundane chores, like paying bills, organizing books, or tidying up. Then I start the day with a wonderful feeling of having accomplished something even before 6:45 am.
Good habits for good sleep:
1. Exercise most days, even if it’s just to take a walk.
2. No caffeine after 7:00 p.m.
3. An hour before bedtime, avoid doing any kind of work that takes alert thinking. Addressing envelopes—okay. Analyzing an article—nope.
4. Adjust your bedroom temperature to be slightly chilly.
5. Keep your bedroom dark. Studies show that even the tiny light from a digital alarm clock can disrupt a sleep cycle. We have about six devices in our room that glow bright green; it’s like sleeping in a mad scientist’s lab. The Big Man's new pet, a Roomba (yes, he loves his robot vacuum), gives out so much light that I have to cover it with a pillow before bed.
6. Keep the bedroom as tidy as possible. It’s not restful to fight through chaos into bed.
If sleep won’t come:
1. Breathe deeply and slowly until you can’t stand it anymore.
2. If your mind is racing (you’re planning a trip, a move, Christmas shopping; you’re worried about a medical diagnosis), write down what’s on your mind. This technique really works for me.
3. Slather yourself with body lotion. It feels good and also, if you’re having trouble sleeping because you’re hot, it cools you down.
4. If your feet are cold, put on socks.
5. Stretch your whole body.
6. Have a warm drink. Some people claim that warm milk contains melatonin and trytophan and so helps induce sleep, but in fact, a glass of milk doesn’t contain enough to have any effect. But it’s still a soothing drink. My nighttime favorite: 1/3 mug of milk, add boiling water, one packet of Equal, and a dash of vanilla. A real nursery treat.
7. Yawn.
8. Stretch your toes up and down several times.
9. Tell yourself, “I have to get up now.” Imagine that you just hit the snooze alarm and in a minute, you’re going to be marching through the morning routine. Often this is an exhausting enough prospect to make me fall asleep.
Re-frame:
Re-frame your sleeplessness as a welcome opportunity to snatch some extra time out of your day. I get up and tackle mundane chores, like paying bills, organizing books, or tidying up. Then I start the day with a wonderful feeling of having accomplished something even before 6:45 am.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Islamic financing
The Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies (QFIS), a member of Qatar Foundation (QF), is launching the second series of its executive training courses for 2009-10.
The five-day course on ‘Fundamentals of Islamic Banking and Finance Course’ is organised in association with the Qatar Finance and Business Academy, a specialised educational institution jointly instituted by QF and the Qatar Financial Centre.
A maximum of 20-24 candidates will be permitted and at the end of training, they will be offered international accreditation.
The course, which will start on March 28 and concludes on April 1, will focus on the principles of Islamic finance, foundations of Islamic securitisation, Islamic funds and their potentials. It is presented by Monzer Kahf, a professor of Islamic Finance at the QFIS.
Kahf holds a doctorate in economics from the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, US and has authored 28 books and more than 83 articles on Awqaf, Zakat, Islamic Finance and banking and other areas of Islamic economics.
Seats will be reserved on a first registered basis and fee should be paid in advance.
The five-day course on ‘Fundamentals of Islamic Banking and Finance Course’ is organised in association with the Qatar Finance and Business Academy, a specialised educational institution jointly instituted by QF and the Qatar Financial Centre.
A maximum of 20-24 candidates will be permitted and at the end of training, they will be offered international accreditation.
The course, which will start on March 28 and concludes on April 1, will focus on the principles of Islamic finance, foundations of Islamic securitisation, Islamic funds and their potentials. It is presented by Monzer Kahf, a professor of Islamic Finance at the QFIS.
Kahf holds a doctorate in economics from the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, US and has authored 28 books and more than 83 articles on Awqaf, Zakat, Islamic Finance and banking and other areas of Islamic economics.
Seats will be reserved on a first registered basis and fee should be paid in advance.
ROTA conference
Qatar-based charity Reach Out To Asia (Rota) will hold its annual youth conference promoting leadership, service learning and global citizenship “Empower 2010” from April 1-3 at the La Cigale hotel, it was announced yesterday.
The conference, which is being held for the second consecutive year by Rota, is open to young people aged 14-24 years, teachers, lecturers, educators and student affairs officers and they can register online via Rota’s website www.reachouttoasia.org.
“Empower 2010 is spearheaded by Rota’s Qatar-based programme named ROTAQ and it is being held in line with our strategic objectives of promoting education and making it accessible to less fortunate in the society,” Rota’s community development manager Reem al-Daghma said at a press conference yesterday.
Around 250 participants and 15 observers are expected at the conference, which will focus on leadership training, debating skills and advocacy strategies.
The conference built on three themes will also feature keynote speeches, workshops, debates, and off-site projects.
The activities throughout the event will be conducted by Qatar University students belonging to the campus political society club while Qatar Today and Qatar Debate experts will moderate and judge respectively.
“The themes of this conference are personal leadership, service learning and global citizenship to create awareness of global issues among participants as well as empower them to develop not just their skills and knowledge but also the right mindset and attitudes to take on leadership roles,” learning and capacity building co-ordinator Vivien Looi explained.
She said the conference would further create an environment for youth to discover their voice and realise their potential to make a positive contribution in their communities and facilitate a forum for exchange of ideas, projects and reflections that address local needs and global issues.
Also speaking, Rota’s Abdallah Diwan explained the activities of the off-site projects under each theme.
“There will be four off-site activities relating to healthy lifestyle, waste management, reading session and environmental activities all to be co-ordinated by students from different clubs in different schools across the country,” he said.
Other off-site projects to be showcased at the meet include music composition for change in society, advocacy challenge and blogging to empower, he added
The conference, which is being held for the second consecutive year by Rota, is open to young people aged 14-24 years, teachers, lecturers, educators and student affairs officers and they can register online via Rota’s website www.reachouttoasia.org.
“Empower 2010 is spearheaded by Rota’s Qatar-based programme named ROTAQ and it is being held in line with our strategic objectives of promoting education and making it accessible to less fortunate in the society,” Rota’s community development manager Reem al-Daghma said at a press conference yesterday.
Around 250 participants and 15 observers are expected at the conference, which will focus on leadership training, debating skills and advocacy strategies.
The conference built on three themes will also feature keynote speeches, workshops, debates, and off-site projects.
The activities throughout the event will be conducted by Qatar University students belonging to the campus political society club while Qatar Today and Qatar Debate experts will moderate and judge respectively.
“The themes of this conference are personal leadership, service learning and global citizenship to create awareness of global issues among participants as well as empower them to develop not just their skills and knowledge but also the right mindset and attitudes to take on leadership roles,” learning and capacity building co-ordinator Vivien Looi explained.
She said the conference would further create an environment for youth to discover their voice and realise their potential to make a positive contribution in their communities and facilitate a forum for exchange of ideas, projects and reflections that address local needs and global issues.
Also speaking, Rota’s Abdallah Diwan explained the activities of the off-site projects under each theme.
“There will be four off-site activities relating to healthy lifestyle, waste management, reading session and environmental activities all to be co-ordinated by students from different clubs in different schools across the country,” he said.
Other off-site projects to be showcased at the meet include music composition for change in society, advocacy challenge and blogging to empower, he added
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