Qatar Charity (QC) has launched the fifth edition of ‘Future’s Writers’, a short-story writing programme designed for school and university students, aiming to nurture young talents. The launch took place in a ceremony attended by the representatives of key partners, officials of Qatar Charity, writers and those interested in the cultural arena.
For the first time, the programme will be offered remotely due to Covid-19. In the current edition of the programme, students of College of the North Atlantic-Qatar, Community College of Qatar, Hamad Bin Khalifa University and Education City universities can take part in this edition, in addition to Qatar University (QU) and primary, preparatory and secondary school students. 
Besides, students with special needs (visually challenged and hearing-impaired) can participate in this edition of the programme, QC has said in a statement. Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Faisal bin Rashid al-Fahida, assistant CEO for the Programmes and Community Development Sector at QC, said: “Due to the coronavirus pandemic, all activities of the fifth edition will be held remotely in the interest of public safety.”
Al-Fahida added that the programme provides opportunities for all university students in Qatar to participate in its current edition, noting that visually-impaired students can also participate in this edition, in addition to hearing-impaired students who participated in the fourth edition of the programme.
He expressed pride in the important feats the ‘Future’s Writers’ initiative accomplished in its last four editions, appreciating the efforts of the partners, sponsors and supporters of the programme. Maryam al-Hammadi, director-general of the Qatari Forum for Authors, a cultural body affiliated to the Ministry of Culture and Sports, expressed happiness with the significant attention that culture receives from civil society organisations, especially QC, which contributes to the development of societies. She added that Qatar Charity is playing the role of a key partner by implementing many projects in partnership with the relevant authorities.
She expressed the pride of Qatari Forum for Authors in this achievement, thanking QC for its social role that contributes to the achievement of the Qatar National Vision 2030 in the cultural field.
Nada al-Emadi, director of Student Activities Department at QU, said: “The ‘Future’s Writers’ programme is in line with the university’s mission, as we seek to develop the creative skills and writing capabilities of students and discover potential talents. 
“We also believe that extra-curricular activities and creative writing are no less important than the academic study,” al-Emadi noted. She added that Qatar University has been supporting the programme since the first edition through its professors and experts. 
Khaled al-Dulaimi, director of Lusail Publishing and Distribution, appreciated the remarkable progress achieved by the ‘Future’s Writers’ programme, noting that it provides students with opportunities to demonstrate their outstanding writing capabilities and skills.
Al-Dulaimi also noted that the continuation of the programme, and the increase in the number of participants in each of its editions, indicates that the initiative is successful in achieving its goals. On the sidelines of the ceremony, a co-operation agreement was signed by al-Fahida and al-Hammadi.
The agreement focuses on co-operation in implementing cultural programmes, providing writers and trainers in the field of writing and reading, marketing cultural projects through the media and translating cultural publications into international languages. 
Besides, another pact was inked by al-Fahida and al-Dulaimi. Under this agreement, Lusail will print and publish the stories of winners of the ‘Future’s Writers’ programme.
Interested students can register for ‘Future’s Writers-5’ by clicking on this link, https://www.qcharity.org/blog/futurewriters For further information related to the programme, potential participants can visit https://www.qcharity.org/en/qa/home/futurewriters


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