The United Arab Emirates Global Youth Reunion

• Introducing youth to new experiences and ideas

• Bringing youth together with old friends and new

•  Bridging the gap among the nations of the world through their youth

• Giving youth a clearer understanding of other countries’ cultures and traditions

The idea for the Reunion was born following the initiators participation in the Ship of the World Youth Journey Program (SWY), sponsored by the Japanese Government, in 1998. Mr. Ahmed Al Shaikh and Mr. Shaker Zainal had the honour of representing the United Arab Emirates on the tenth journey of the SWY program.

The wealth of information and education that was gained from this experience was invaluable. They mixed with people from various countries, learnt a few Japanese words, ate some Greek food, listened to tales from Oman, and danced an African dance, just to mention a few. But what they noticed most was the misconceptions others had about Arabs and Muslims in general, and about the U.A.E.

Thus, they both decided to hold a reunion, on a voluntary basis, in order to invite all the participants of the SWY Program to the UAE. They would reunite with old friends and make some new friends along the way, but the main goal would be to educate the people of the world, through their youth, about the U.A.E. and Islam.

The guests would experience the U.A.E.’s rich culture and heritage, its warm and friendly people and its long-standing tradition of hospitality. They would also experience first hand, how the people of the U.A.E. live today and how far they have come in the modern world. Their experiences would be taken back to their home countries to help change misconceptions and promote culture understanding.

Invitations were then sent out to all the members of the SWY program through the SWY network. The idea of the Reunion was received with great interest and encouragement from all the members that replied. This initiative even received a letter of support from the President of the International Youth Exchange Organization (IYEO) of Japan.

We believe that global youth reunions and gatherings, such as this one, help to shrink the gaps among the nations and bring the world closer together, while promoting peace and understanding around the world.

 Objectives of the Reunion

•  Defining the heritage and civilization of the U.A.E. and the U.A.E.’s development in all fields

• Correcting misconception about Arabs and Muslims

• Consolidating friendships between U.A.E. youth and World youth

• Promoting peace among world nations through cultural understanding

• Exchanging cultural differences and sharing ideas and experiences among World youth