RIYADH: Saudi Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal underlined the importance of investing in the nation’s youth during Day 1 of the Misk Global Forum in Riyadh.
“The youth is the future,” Al-Faisal told Arab News. “And in Saudi Arabia, 70 percent of the population is below the age of 40.
“So, we need to have a strong, bright, inspiring youth for the future and for a bright future for Saudi Arabia, and to leave a legacy for the future to the next generation coming up,” he said.
Misk Global Forum, the largest youth forum and annual flagship event hosted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s nonprofit Misk Foundation, kicked off on Wednesday at Mohammed bin Salman Nonprofit City, “Misk City.”
With the theme of this year’s forum being “Created by Youth” the MGF25 theme centers on empowering young people to create their own stories, solutions, and initiatives.
“Youth are very important, we engage with them and the ministry of sports and the Olympic Committee every day.”
He said these foundations and programs form a “growth path for the future and to have a brighter future for the Kingdom.”
One of the programs running at the forum is the Misk 20 under 30, which spotlights 20 groundbreaking initiatives driven by creators under 30.
One of the Misk 20 under 30 leaders was Zubair Junjunia, founder of study aid platform ZNotes.
“Today I had the privilege of being recognized with the Misk 20 under 30 award. This is the first of its kind, where they’re recognizing 20 individuals under 30 who are making a development towards social impact,” Junjunia told Arab News.
“And it’s really an honor because ZNotes started right here in Saudi Arabia, 11 years ago. And, hamdullah, today it’s reached over six million students to impact and ensure educational access is equitably available,” he said.
Some of the forum’s other initiatives included MGF Webinars and Majlis X, a year-round digital series bringing expert insights and future skills to youth screens worldwide and a global youth-led majlis reimagining open dialogue.
This year is the 9th edition of the global forum welcoming high-level speakers including figures such as Chris Barton, founder and creator of Shazam, and Rio Ferdinand, former Manchester United footballer and media personality.
With eight youth initiatives in action, youth this year are not only participants, according to MGF, they are the architects of the experience itself.
The forum was organized by a youth advisory committee, with 15 young creators from around the world co-designing its program, themes and speaker selection.
