CCQ hosts international learning and civic engagement symposium

The Community College of Qatar (CCQ) hosted yesterday the 3rd Annual International Learning and Civic Engagement Symposium, titled ‘Moving Us Forward: Leadership, Action, and Social Responsibility’, with strong participation of local and international experts and researchers in the fields of education and civic work.The symposium, sponsored by Qatar Petrochemical Company (Qapco), was attended by Dr Ibrahim al-Naimi, CCQ president and undersecretary of Ministry of Education and Higher Education, CCQ Dean Dr Abdallah Hazaimeh and a number of faculty members.Al-Naimi pointed out that this year’s symposium focuses on sharing ideas, thoughts, and findings about leadership, action, and social responsibility.“Our aim is to discuss practical leadership strategies that help our students, faculty, and the community to move forward”, added Dr al-Naimi.The keynote speaker, Yemeni activist and Nobel Peace laureate Tawakkol Karman, expressed her pleasure at taking part in the symposium.Karman stated that how to create civic work networks and develop social responsibility are the questions of today and the challenges of tomorrow for our communities.“There is a need for social initiatives to fill the gaps and develop the civic consciousness so as to respond to the changes in the community”, said Karman.Sabah al-Haidoos, CEO of Silatech, discussed social initiatives and their role in empowering the Arab youth by showcasing stories of a number of Arab youth, who benefited from Silatech’s help in starting their own businesses.Al-Haidoos added that Silatech succeeded in creating 650,000 job opportunities for Arab youth, a number that is expected to increase to 1mn jobs by the end of 2018.Three panel discussions were held on the sidelines of the symposium featuring the leadership of civic responsibility, fostering civic engagement and bilateral partnerships in the field of learning and civic service.Various important topics related to civic engagement were covered through the symposium sessions, including Community Engagement for the Public Good, Community Engaged Teaching and Learning, Impactful Experiences Abroad, and the Role of Information Technology in Civic Engagement.The sessions also explored the best practices in civic engagement and service learning, the challenges facing university community engagement and the possible solutions, and impactful experiences abroad.