The Arab Council for Youth Award

Youth are the backbone for any development or advancement in societies. With 1.2 billion young people between the ages of 15 and 24, youth today represent 16% of the world’s population. The number of young people is expected to record a 7% increase by 2030, which is the target date for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN, and reach almost 1.3 billion young people. One of the core principles of the 2030 Agenda is to affirm “no one will be left behind in achieving the development goals“. The universality of the 2030 Agenda requires that the role of youth be taken into account in all goals and targets. Youth were specifically mentioned in four areas: youth employment, the situation of adolescent girls, and education and sport for peace. Moreover, young people are addressed as agents of change tasked with harnessing their potential to ensure a world that suits the aspirations of future generations. Hence the importance of presenting projects that target young people and empower them to face challenges related to sustainable development. One of the most impactful and motivational projects targeting young people is the awards; awards recognize the work and endeavors of young people, recognize their achievements and celebrate them.

The Arab Council for Youth Award is focused on the sustainable development goals and their reliance on twenty-first century skills and competencies such as critical thinking, communication and teamwork, creativity and problem solving, leadership and decision-making, local and global citizenship, entrepreneurship and initiative, technological culture, and language empowerment. This is done through the strategic partnership between the Arab Council for Youth and the Arab Volunteering Union. In addition, we cooperate with many major international organizations such as the Arab League and a number of United Nations organizations.

Vision

To empower youth by shedding light on some of their remarkable work and efforts to serve the community and support the UN sustainable development goals.

Tracks of Excellence

The Award encompasses three main tracks:

Objectives

Highlight youth products and projects that provide solutions characterized by novelty, practicality and creativity in solving youth problems and overcoming social challenges.

Highlight products and projects aimed at empowering youth in the fields of technology and technological culture, information and communication and social media.

Highlight products and projects aimed at empowering young people in the fields of language and knowledge production in the literary and linguistic fields, and in critical thinking.

Highlight youth products and projects that seek to strengthen societies, promote tolerance, eliminate discrimination based on race or gender, and fight hatred.

Celebrate personalities who have offered valuable contributions and actions to young people in various fields

Spread the culture of youth empowerment in the public and private sectors and in civil society organizations.

Award Tracks and Categories

The award has three tracks: the youth projects track, another track for enabling institutions and organizations from various sectors that promote and empower youth, and the last track is the track of influential personalities who have presented work and products of value to youth.

1. The Track of "Promising Youth”

This track is concerned with youth products, programs and projects that are compatible with the skills of the twenty-first century, and target the themes of sustainable development, namely:

The Culture of Technology Category: Youth products, programs and projects concerned with information and communication technology and social media, which serve the Sustainable Development Goals.
Creativity and Problem Solving Category: Products, projects and initiatives that provide novelty and practical solutions to community problems, overcome challenges, and are characterized by creativity, leadership and decision-making skills.
Peaceful Societies Category: Products, projects and initiatives that seek to strengthen societies, promote tolerance, eliminate race or gender discrimination, fight hatred, establish just societies, and promote local and global citizenship.
Language Empowerment Category: Products, projects and initiatives that seek linguistic excellence, knowledge production in the literary and linguistic fields, and promote critical thinking, considering that language is the vessel of thinking.

2. The Track of “Enablers”

This track targets public and private sectors, non-governmental organizations, and professional and labor organizations, which work and youth enablers, empowering them through two things:

Products, programs, projects and initiatives targeting the age group from 15 to 40 years.
The development of policies and mechanisms that provide support to young people and empower them within institutions or in the society.

A project or an entity may be selected through direct participation or through jury nomination.

3. The Track of "Inspirers” or Influential Personalities

This track concerns persons who have made valuable contributions and actions in fields targeting the youth, including:

Work to empower young people and overcome the obstacles they face in order to achieve the sustainable development goals.
Provide products, programs, projects and initiatives targeting the youth, including intellectual and knowledge products.

A candidate is selected either through external nomination or nomination by the jury.