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TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK
Members of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) Youth Panel visited Msheireb Museums to learn about the culture and history of Qatar and participate in an art workshop titled 'Stories of the Past Voices of the Future, Qatar 2022'.
The workshop was conducted by acclaimed British artist Rachel Gadsden. The event was the third in the series of year-long self-development workshops for the 45 Youth Panel members of the Class of 2016.
The workshop covered the topics of disability and access, and achieving long-lasting social and cultural change in Qatar through the 2022 FIFA World Cup Gadsden herself has benefitted from inclusive approaches in the arts, having received funding from the UK Arts Council's Unlimited programme, which supports British artists with disabilities.
SC Community Engagement Manager Khalid al Jumaily said:"Every year we design some Youth Panel workshops with an arts and culture theme. The SC is committed to delivering a holistic World Cup legacy in line with the country's Qatar National Vision 2030.
"Arts and Culture is an integral part of this national vision and so too are social objectives such as access and inclusivity for people with disabilities. Through the Youth Panel, we are developing future leaders. Artistic and cultural expression play a huge role in personal development and confidence building, which are core tenets of any leadership programme."
The workshop explored the concept of individuality and helped participants cultivate leadership skills through a series of individual and group exercises that were aimed to instil among fellow citizens the core social values enshrined in the vision behind the first ever FIFA World Cup in the Middle East region.
Following the workshop, Gadsden said"The participants were open-minded and very receptive to new ideas. They disseminated the new information from the museum through art with focus and narrative and this was impressive. They distilled the varied museum content about the growth of Qatar, slavery, and the discovery of oil in the country into unique and captivating art pieces. They were all incredibly creative, despite some of them not having had opportunities to express themselves through art."
Gadsden who has a postgraduate degree in fine arts from the London Art School and is the daughter of a former West Ham United footballer Gadsden said she was excited to have delivered a 2022-themed art workshop."As a former footballer's daughter, the sport has always been part of my subconscious mind and I was really excited that I was given an opportunity to express, through art, issues such as inclusion, disability and access which are central to football as a sport and to the World Cup," she said.
Youth Panel member Abdulla Youssif al Musleh, a 15-year-old Qatari student, added:"The museum visit was very informative and was an eye-opener about the history and culture of Qatar. The art workshop was also inspiring and helped us to express ourselves on a very important social objective that is central to the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The new ideas and information we got from the event will be very useful in the future as we play ambassadorial roles to ensure the success of the first World Cup in the Middle East."
The 2015 Youth Panel, graduated in March this year and the 2016 batch were inducted into the programme on the same day. They held their first workshop in April and their second event was a visit to Al Wakrah Stadium in May.
The Youth Panel is an initiative of the SC Community Engagement division, that hopes to give a voice to the youth of Qatar in the delivery and legacy planning of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar. The programme aims to inspire young people living in Qatar, irrespective of their nationality or background, and foster a sense of ownership and pride in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and in particular the legacy the tournament will leave.
