Thirty-five young men and women showcased their volunteer work and initiatives, contributing approximately 11,095 volunteer hours across various fields, in collaboration with government, private, and non-profit sectors. This was during the closing ceremony of the "Innovative Volunteering Forum" organized by the Eastern Province Municipality in partnership with the Arab Voluntary Union and the United Nations Volunteers, which lasted for four days and concluded yesterday evening (Wednesday) at a hotel in Dammam. The ceremony was attended by the Union's President, Hassan Buhazza, the Director of the Volunteering Department at The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, Nuwar Al-Haydhl, and the Director General of Housing Affairs in the Eastern Province, Engineer Abdullah Al-Muwehi.
Mahmoud Al-Ratwi, the Deputy Secretary General for Services, explained that the forum aimed to equip participants with the necessary skills to develop ideas and initiatives, transforming them into innovative volunteer programs while enhancing their knowledge of creative volunteering. He emphasized their efforts to solidify the principle of community volunteering through modern methods that foster innovative and professional volunteer initiatives, ultimately achieving a model path and a strategic goal of sustainable volunteering, which the municipality and its affiliated municipalities are working to develop and implement in their programs.
Al-Ratwi pointed out that the forum targeted 35 young men and women as part of the volunteer training program, during which they acquired 700 training hours, equivalent to 20 hours per participant, certified by the United Nations Volunteers. The program was designed to align with the objectives of the The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, under the follow-up and interest of the Governor of the Eastern Province, Engineer Fahd bin Mohammed Al-Jaber. He added that the participants presented their previous volunteer work and initiatives, through which they achieved approximately 11,095 volunteer hours in cooperation with various sectors. He noted that the forum addressed the most prominent global experiences in urban sustainability, with the aim of assisting trainees in creating quality volunteer initiatives that can be utilized to develop cities according to innovative standards.
Mahmoud Al-Ratwi expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the Arab Voluntary Union and the United Nations Volunteers, partners in the success of this forum, for their contribution to promoting the culture of innovative volunteering and achieving sustainable development that aligns with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 and the objectives of The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs by involving volunteers in its diverse activities to stimulate volunteer practices.
Hassan Buhazza, President of the Arab Voluntary Union, stated that this joint cooperation in this field comes at a time when the nation is witnessing rapid development in all sectors, including the Kingdom's focus on youth and volunteer work, which is a significant renaissance resulting from the leadership's interest in the Kingdom. He pointed out that these developments and the progress witnessed by the Kingdom have become a model for all Arab countries, noting the Arab Voluntary Union's keenness to be present and participate in the Saudi work in this field through a number of partnerships, including the municipal and housing sectors. This is an opportunity to provide the expertise and capabilities of the Union in this volunteer program and the accompanying workshop to generate innovative project ideas that serve municipal and environmental work and provide an opportunity for young volunteers to be creative.
The workshop trainer, UN expert and Deputy President of the Arab Voluntary Union, Dr. Khaled Al-Azab, described the training as a deep discussion on volunteering and innovation, resulting in more than 20 innovative ideas that were narrowed down to 6 projects to be developed by the trainees to achieve a creative and innovative outcome for these projects.
Najd Al-Dosari, Director General of Community Participation at the Eastern Province Municipality, affirmed the municipality's keenness to support creative and innovative ideas from the participants, with the aim of improving municipal work and raising the level of social responsibility through the participation of youth in providing innovative solutions to a number of challenges in neighborhoods and parks in the Eastern Province.
At the conclusion of the forum, the Deputy Secretary General for Services, Mahmoud Al-Ratwi, honored the participants and participating parties. The forum also included a number of creative ideas for a number of municipal projects, such as "The Most Beautiful Neighborhood," "Jiran," "Our Tree, Our Shade," "Developing Parks," "Improving the Appearance of Automotive Industries," and "Developing Half Moon Beach Shades."
Source: Al-Riyadh Newspaper (alriyadh.com)
