Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development participated in The Economist Group’s The World in 2013 Festival in New York City last weekend.
A host of key decision-makers and students from Qatar Foundation attended the two-day forum at the NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, which included a gala dinner on  December 6 and a programme of thought-provoking discussions on December 8.
The event featured analysis and commentary from renowned business leaders, authors, scholars and policymakers, who shared experiences and provided a global perspective on the upcoming year. The world-class list of contributors included Eric E Schmidt, executive chairman of Google, and Lady de Rothschild, CEO of E L Rothschild.
The festival formed part of an ongoing relationship between The Economist Group (TEG) and Qatar Foundation, whose values and goals are closely aligned. While TEG informs readers across the world about current social and economic developments, Qatar Foundation continues to pursue its mission of “unlocking human potential” through innovative educational endeavours.
Twelve students from Qatar Foundation travelled to New York for the festival. North Western University in Qatar was represented by Alanood al-Thani, Haya al-Thani, Nayla al-Thani and Fatima al-Hajri. From Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar, Farah Zamri and Nathaniel Tonelli attended, along with Dua’a Althabatah and Haya al Khalifa from Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar; Aysha Alkhaja and Moiz Bahra from Texas A&M University at Qatar; Haya al-Thani from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in Qatar; and Yousef al Rashidi from the Faculty of Islamic Studies.
During their week in the US, the students were put through an intensive television production training schedule, where they learned how to conduct interviews, use cameras with lighting, and editing techniques. They were trained by Daniel Franklin, Executive Editor of The Economist; Sam McManus, The Economist Events Programme Director; and Chantal Fleischfresser, The Economist Events Producer. Together they produced a quick turnaround, five-minute documentary about The World in 2013 festival.
Qatar Foundation’s Director of Communication, Haya bint Khalifa al Nassr, delivered an inspirational speech that served as a call to arms for all advocates of universal education. She began by outlining her hopes for the year ahead, saying: “In 2013, the 61mn children - boys and girls, able and disabled - who do not have access to education today will be able to go to school, or learn through new technologies that break down barriers of poverty, disaster, culture, or conflict. This, of course, is easier said than done.”
Yet, despite the manifold challenges that such a bold ambition presents, al-Nassr underlined its importance, proclaiming, “when it comes to education, it is a collective responsibility precisely because no society can endure without knowledge to confront our common challenges - food and water, disease, climate change, natural disaster, conflict. Failure is not an option because failure to educate all of our boys and girls means we cannot develop and grow, have dignity and equality, and have peace”.
Al-Nassr stressed that Qatar is committed to helping achieve this ideal, stating: “We at Qatar Foundation also have a part to play. Our vision is to inspire new technologies and ideas that can open new doors of opportunity to young people.”
Following her speech, al-Nassr introduced the documentary produced by the Qatar Foundation students, which was warmly received by the audience. For the students, the opportunity to develop their film making expertise and to work in such an intellectually rarified atmosphere was an unforgettable experience.
“The most significant thing that I learned was how to deal with people and approach strangers based solely on research that I had done on them the night before,” said Najwa al Thani, a communications student at Northwestern University in Qatar.