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HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), welcomed members of DEWA’s Youth Council to review the council’s annual report, one year after its establishment. During the meeting, Al Tayer commended the initiatives and programmes launched by the Council. He praised their efforts to enhance direct communication between the youth and DEWA’s higher management, empower youth and get them involved in the sustainable development journey.
“We are proud of the achievements of DEWA’s Youth Council, which complements our vision and aspirations to involve young people in the development process, according to the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. As His Highness once observed, ‘Youth are the powerhouse of any nation and its hope for building a better tomorrow as nations are built and the future shaped by youth, capitalising on their abilities and skills. They are the driving force behind any nation’s progress and advancement. We invest in youth to achieve the progress that we aspire to and steadily pave the way for a prosperous future for current and coming generations.’ We believe that ensuring a bright future depends on the youth's ability to develop, and is associated with their participation in the process of construction. We spare no effort in providing the necessary support to the youth, inside and outside DEWA, to know their views and ideas, and create new ways to enhance their positive participation at DEWA,” said Al Tayer.
“The achievements of DEWA’s Youth Council, according to the annual report, support our belief that young citizens have the required capabilities and expertise to help DEWA achieve its ambitious visions and plans. We look forward to benefitting from their potentials, skills, and views. Through DEWA’s Youth Council, we intend to provide our youth with the necessary means to properly direct their creative ideas in a manner that serves DEWA’s vision to become a sustainable innovative world-class utility,” added Al Tayer.
Fatima Mohammed Al Jokar, President of DEWA’s Youth Council, briefed Al Tayer on the Council’s achievements in 2017, including the ‘Youth Circle’ held at Dar Al Etihad in Dubai in May 2017, which was the first circle of its kind at the level of organisational youth councils. This was part of the Youth Circle initiative, launched by the Emirates Youth Council, and attended by HE Shamma bint Suhail Al Mazrui, Minister of State for Youth Affairs, and over 150 students who have benefited from the scholarships offered by DEWA, as well as students from DEWA Academy, and DEWA staff.
The Youth Circle included a number of activities, field visits and direct meetings with DEWA’s youth. This was to introduce the Council’s members, objectives and specialities, and the results of the youth retreat that was organised by the Council in all DEWA’s centres. The council also launched an e-campaign to encourage youth to present their innovative ideas through Afkari platform titled ‘Youth 10x’. The Council, in cooperation with the UAE Water Aid Foundation (Suqia), under the umbrella of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, contributed from its project budget for the provision of clean water supply and installation of water meters to homes in Upper Egypt. The initiative provided sustainable solutions to the challenges faced by the villagers in getting drinking water. This supported the objectives of the 2017 Year of Giving. The project targeted approximately 500 homes for the benefit of around 5,000 people and is one of the largest volunteer projects at the level of organisational youth councils.
DEWA Youth Council was the first youth council to participate as a strategic partner for the UAE’s celebrations during World Youth Day. The Council also contributed to the Youth Dialogue, that was concurrently held for the first time with the World Green Economy Summit 2017, as well as youth sessions during health, safety, and the environment forums, in addition to the Emirati Women's Day Forum. The Youth Council also launched its first policy to support and empower youth, and enhance DEWA’s strategic objectives towards good governance. DEWA also launched the first comprehensive database of all youth statistics and data at DEWA.
DEWA’s Youth Council was launched in 2017 to utilise young peoples’ capabilities to support sustainable development, and find innovative methods for their active engagement inside and outside DEWA. It also opens a new channel of communication with the Emirates Youth Council, which is dedicated to setting a forward-thinking strategy for youth well-being and effective engagement, to come up with practical solutions and innovative ideas for the challenges they face.
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