Your time to volunteer
FOR THE REGION’S YOUTH, EXPO 2020 IS A PLATFORM LIKE NO OTHER TO LEARN NEW SKILLS AND BE PART OF A DEFINING WORLD EVENT
The hunt is on for around 30,000 youth volunteers for the highly-anticipated World Expo 2020 in Dubai. On Friday, October 20, Dubai launched ‘Three Years to Go,’ a celebration featuring an array of expo-themed activities. A volunteer programme has also been launched that will assemble a force of tens of thousands of volunteers — many of them young people who will ensure a positive impression for millions of Expo visitors.
“The youth is at the heart of everything we do at Expo 2020 and volunteering for the event is a great opportunity and experience for them,” said Alya Al Ali, 25-year old Emirati director of Youth Connect, an organisation aimed at placing young people at the core of Expo 2020.
“The first World Expo in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region will be an incredible platform where young people will be exposed to new possibilities and explore the opportunities
By signing up now, they (volunteers) will get to see the Expo as we are constructing it. They’ll get a chance to meet the people working at the expo and see how it is built from the ground up.” Alya Al Ali, director, Youth Connect
available to them in the future,” Al Ali added.She told Khaleej Times that the youth will make up the bulk of the 30,000 volunteers who will be at the heart of Expo 2020 Dubai, representing the face of Expo. At the same time, they will learn valuable work-ready skills and form connections with people from all over the world.
The volunteers will be the “face” of the event since most of the visitors will have an initial contact to Expo through meeting a volunteer. And there are about 45 volunteering roles — from welcoming guests and guiding them around the Expo districts to managing and hosting events — with more than 16 million volunteering hours across 173 days from the opening day on October 20, 2020 until April 10, 2021.
But Al Ali said, young people don’t have to wait until 2020 to sign up. “They can volunteer now. The programme is open to all youth, Emiratis and expats alike. They can register by visiting www.volunteers.ae/ expo2020; or sending an email to volunteers@expo2020.ae; or by calling 04 555 2244.“By signing up now, they (volunteers) will get to see the Expo as we are constructing it. They’ll get a chance to meet the people working at the expo and see how it is built from the ground up. Youth volunteers will also learn skills that they can use in their future workplaces or in their daily lives,” Al Ali noted.
Just recently, Al Ali shared, a group of high school students visited the construction site at the Dubai South District, adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport. The students had an animated discussion with the engineers and they learned about future technology in construction, real estate, different design works and they were given a glimpse of what their careers can be in the future.
Moreover, volunteers can participate in expo events leading up to 2020, such as brainstorming sessions that could see their ideas included in the plans, in line with Expo 2020’s main theme, ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’, Al Ali underlined.
Youth Connect also has a wide network with students at top schools and universities from 10 countries such as the UK, Germany and USA who are willing to interact with the youth volunteers.
angel@khaleejtimes.com