Pick up a pen and write your own story, UAE minister tells Arab youth – News

Shamma Al Mazrui challenges audience at WGS preview event to analyze common narrative and how to change it

“It’s time for young Arabs to pick up the pen and write their own stories in the way they see fit.”

Community Development Minister Shamma bint Suhail Faris Al Mazrui gave advice to the younger generation at a meeting of Arab youth leaders held a day before the World Government Summit (WGS) in Dubai on Sunday.

Speaking at a gathering that included many youth and sports ministers from across the Arab world, she said that following last year’s first meeting during Expo 2020, it was time to analyze the success and see how it could be translated into “a shared consciousness”. “.

“As young people, how can we rediscover the Arab world and our values? The answer is not easy, but we try to understand the difference between where we are today and what we hope for tomorrow,” she said, adding The difference between them is “narrative”.

“Through this narrative, we as Arab youth can reclaim our vision for the future. A story that tells the world our truth. A story that we tell with our voices and our wits,” she said.

She emphasizes the importance of this narrative, as it explains not only how young people see the world, but also the stories that help them understand themselves. “That’s how we learn and how we make decisions. But what is the image that comes to mind when we talk about Arab youth? We have to decide to focus on this story, to see how we see ourselves as Arabs and others. people’s narratives about us,” she said.

She challenges viewers to analyze the shared narrative and how to change it. “How was it created? Do we believe in it and move on? Or do we work together to rebuild it as a tangible reality tied to our identities, our reality and our values?” she asked, adding that they worked with Arab youths talk and ask if they are protagonists or supporting actors in their stories.

“Arab youth are those who stand strong in the face of crisis and conflict, and they create their own projects amidst repeated economic crises. They build a rocket to fly to Mars. They are resilient, generous, hardworking, ambitious, and challenges, but they are tied to their own values ​​and language,” she told the audience, adding that today they are the authors of the story.