More power to you!

THE Ministry of Youth and Sport Affairs continues to empower the kingdom’s new generation through its Youth City 2030, which features an array of vocational training programmes to develop skills and boost confidence and creativity.

The national project, put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic, has returned this year and is being held under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad’s representative for humanitarian work and youth affairs and Supreme Council for Youth and Sport chairman Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

More than 2,100 Bahrainis have registered for the 11th edition of the event, being run by 200 volunteers at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre in Sanabis.

“Bahrain is keen to empower young talents with the necessary skills that transform creative ideas into reality, provide them with new experiences, enable them to develop themselves, build self-confidence, and expand their creative and intellectual abilities,” said Youth and Sport Affairs Minister Aymen Almoayed.

“We are proud to point out that Youth City 2030 is a labour of love and pride for our nation built by local hands in its entirety. Those who implemented all aspects of the city and its centres are Bahrainis, fully administered by the ministry as well as local volunteers. All the trainers and lecturers are from Bahrain, the restaurants and participants in the youth market are Bahraini projects and their management and staff are also fully Bahraini. We are proud to support and have this programme, led by the Bahraini youth.”

The city, launched on July 24, runs until August 25 and features an array of programmes, especially with this year being tagged the ‘Year of Bahrain Youth’ by His Majesty King Hamad.

There are activities and sessions in the morning for youngsters aged nine to 14 and other programmes set in the evening for those aged 15 to 35.

Meanwhile, the city is divided into five centres with each offering a different set of vocational training programmes. The Pioneers Factory provides leadership programmes and develops personal skills while the Art District offers sessions on fashion design, art and cooking. There is also the Innovation Workshop for those interested in technology, engineering and mechanics, the Sports Academy, which provides health and sports activities and The Creativity Studios, which offers training programmes in theatre, media, music and photography.

Experts of all ages are sharing their wisdom such as 27-year-old yoga instructor Fatema Majdi who is staging Youth Fit courses. She has a boot camp for youngsters aged nine to 14 on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9am to 1pm and then on Monday, she has a Women Power class from 7pm to 8.30pm. Her Woman Power class on Wednesdays, held at the same time, is appropriate for wheelchair athletes.

Other activities include Lamea, Badir and Neighbourhood Playgrounds. 

More than 70 programmes have been launched and the Youth City is providing 2,400 training opportunities in various fields including creativity, innovation, artificial intelligence, software and electronic games design and cybersecurity. The landmark project was launched in 2010 and is staged annually during the summer.

For details on activities and timings, follow @mysbhr on Instagram.