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Abu Dhabi / WAM
Emirates Foundation announced on Monday the launch of the fourth edition of the Emirates Award for the Arabian Gulf Youth (EAAGY).
The award aims to unleash young individual’s social entrepreneurship potential and to establish leading social enterprises, which are capable of addressing and tackling collective challenges and achieving sustainable outcomes.
It is one of the Emirates’ Foundation key initiatives, and aims to encourage social entrepreneurs aged between 18-35, from across the GCC and residing in the UAE, to develop innovative solutions to regional social issues, and empowering them with a solid platform to deliver sustainable social impact for their communities and countries.
The top 15 entries will be shortlisted by a senior panel of content and sector experts. Following their selection, the shortlisted teams will attend an intensive boot camp training where they will be supervised by a group of highly trained professionals. The aspirants’ efforts will then be assessed by a group of judges, who will ultimately announce the winner.
Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Member of the Executive Council of Abu Dhabi and Managing Director of Emirates Foundation, said, “We are delighted to announce the Fourth Edition for the Emirates Award for the Arabian Gulf Youth which has demonstrated over the years youth awareness of social issues, their insights into the challenges and their ability to articulate solutions to deeply rooted social causes in a relevant and sustainable manner.
“Today, our main goal behind EAAGY is to create a social entrepreneurship mindset and empower youth to create innovative revenue generating ventures using market driven mechanisms to solve key and urgent social problems, while making a positive impact on society as a whole,” he added.
Prizes include training and mentorship by leading UAE based organisations such as Young Arab Leaders and Al Ahli Group. In addition, the National Programme for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises run by the Ministry of Economy will offer a year-long membership with waived fees on all services and the chance to attend national and international training and exhibitions, easy access to federal government tenders, and the privilege of setting up private office space for a period of three months.
Maytha Al Habsi, Chief Executive Officer at Emirates Foundation, said, “The Emirates Award for the Arabian Gulf reflects Emirates Foundation commitment to create an enabling environment that fosters the growth of social entrepreneurship. We are witnessing a great deal of interest, especially amongst youth in the establishment of social enterprises, recognising their ability to deliver benefits in a self-sustaining way, using revenues to address social challenges through unconventional approaches that complement the work of the private and public sectors, thereby creating a valuable third sector, key to sustainable development.”
The Emirates Foundation is an independent philanthropic organisation set up by the Abu Dhabi Government to facilitate public-private partnerships for empowering youth across the UAE.