The Fourth National Meeting Recommendations for King Abdulaziz Center for National Dialogue

The Fourth National Meeting Recommendations for King Abdulaziz Center for National Dialogue
Final statement and recommendations

Praise be to Allah and may peace and blessings be upon our master and prophet Muhammad, his followers and companions:

In the context of the national meetings of the intellectual dialogue organized by King Abdul Aziz Center for National Dialogue and in fulfillment of giving advice for Allah, His Book, His Manager, the leaders of the ( Muslim Nation ) and the general public, the National Fourth Meeting of Intellectual Dialogue was held in the Eastern province in the period between 24 - 26 Shawwal 1425 H corresponding to 7 - 9 December, 2004. A number of scholars, intellectuals and cultured people from the two genders along with a group of young males and females participated in this meeting. The theme of the meeting was: The Youth Issues: Reality and Hopes. This topic was carefully selected due to the importance of the issues facing the youth; the Saudi society is also constituted mostly from the youth.

The meeting was preceded by twenty-six preparatory workshops held in all the Kingdom's thirteen regions. 650 young boys and girls representing each region with 25 of each sex ranging between the ages of 16 to 25 years took part. The selection of these youths was based on their representation of the segments of the larger youth society in terms of their school grades, professions and differences in life circumstances. The purpose of the holding these workshops was :

1. To spread the concepts of dialogue among the youth (males and females)
2. To get know the opinions of the youth regarding their issues along with the discussion and diagnosis of these issues.
3. To come out with recommendations, suggestions and work programs to be presented before the national meeting for intellectual dialogue.

The topics which were discussed in the workshops were the same in this meeting. They were as follows;

The First Topic: Youth and Education

This included a study of the most important problems facing the young in education and the way to improve the educational system and its institutions.

The Second Topic: Youth and Work

This topic concentrated on the discussion of the means and programs which can contribute to the qualification of the youth and to provide them with suitable and practical opportunities for work. The topic also studied the causes of youth unemployment as well as the obstacles facing them when coming out to the work market.

The Third Topic: Youth and Culture

This topic discussed the relationship of the youth with society and its institutions. It also touched upon the effects of globalization and cultural openness on the culture of the Saudi youth. It discussed the factors helping to preserve the identity and national belonging which will lead towards being free from extremism, religious uncommitment and moral decadence of the youth.

The Fourth Topic: Youth and National Identity
This topic concentrated on the elements of national unity, the factors that would enhance the national belonging or may weaken that belonging.

The participants studied these topics in ten sessions joined by both the intellectuals and the youth. The discussions were free, frank and objectively. After the discussions, the dialogists asked King Abdul Aziz Center for National Dialogue to classify the outputs of these workshops and distribute them to the concerned bodies and consider them an achievement which constitutes an information base for the youth opinions and perceptions about their reality and hopes.

The participants reached the following conclusions:

The Topic of Youth and Education:

Setting up a strategy to evaluate education at all grades and to improve its structures considering the invariables and variables and the contemporary challenges facing the society and the increasing growth of population.
Developing educational curricula in order to realize the right academic and intellectual building of the youth. This should come in conjunction with paying attention to the mechanisms that achieve the development of the applicational aspect, developing the abilities of critical thinking and innovation, the self discipline for straight behavior, the consolidation of the values of moderation, middle position, balance and respect for the other along with training the youth to be involved in dialogue and discussion.
The expansion in the use of modern learning media which include laboratories, computer systems that would achieve both learning and training, connects theory with application and develops the skills of information inference.
Speeding up the expansion of higher educational institutions in all regions of the Kingdom and setting up mechanisms to achieve admission at university levels in order to respond to the large increase in the number of high school gradates, to harmonize both needs and interests in a way that will not negatively affect the high academic standard of universities in the Kingdom as well as emphasizing the scientific majors suitable for work market.
Paying more attention to scientific research, developing the youth abilities in this respect and setting up a fund for developing scientific researches.
Continuous development of teachers' abilities through specialized programs and training seminars along with providing incentives for the distinguished and the reviewal of the criteria that control and evaluate the teachers' performance at all educational levels.
Developing self abilities for students through encouraging non-curricular activity in the general and university education. There is a also a need for dealing with the negative phenomena among the youth and to have them participate in building the future through student unions and councils.
Speeding up the execution of building government schools instead of the temporary and rented ones and to furnish them with what achieves a suitable educational environment.

The Topic of Youth and Work:

Studying the problem of unemployment, knowing its size, the extent of its seriousness and setting up programs that treat it and establishing a supreme commission for human resources that plan for the general directions for man power starting with education, training and employment in the framework of economic visions. This commission shell also coordinate the efforts of all concerned agencies in this regard.
Calling for the development of mechanisms serving the project of Saudization letting the private sector to take part in its formation, working to intensify the training programs while benefiting from specialized training institutions and developing the skills to provide qualified capable youth.
Improving work regulations, fixing working hours to guarantee job security while at same time balancing the interests of business owners and the rights of workers.
Calling to spread work values such as initiation, responsibility, team work and self discipline along with achieving justice, providing job opportunities and fighting corruption and favoritism.
Investing in the present financial resources to the extent that allows for having permanent resources for the future through productive projects and setting up a fund by the state and the private sector for future generations.

The Topic of Youth, Society and Culture
1. The positive communication with other cultures and benefiting from the outcomes of globalization along with strengthening self immunity of the youth.
2. Giving youth the opportunity to share in the leadership of civil rights societies and facilitating their contribution in the issues of the public affair.
3. Encouraging continuous communication among the youth despite their varying tendencies, spreading the culture of dialogue and respecting the other opinion and calling upon youth concerned institutions to pay greater attention towards scientific, cultural, social and sports needs and providing special programs for the talented.
4. Facilitating the youth's attainment of knowledge through setting up institutions, cultural centers, literary clubs and libraries throughout all regions of the Kingdom while giving priorities to remote regions and providing for them necessary financial resources.
5. Paying attention to the disabled, orphans those with special needs and reviewing related regulations and programs.
6. Encouraging youth to get involved in all types of voluntary work and setting up a national center which regulates voluntary activities, supervises its programs and recruits all youth groups to take part in its works.
7. The emphasis on having the voice of youth and their aspirations present in the mass media, to increase their presence in the mass media structure and the emphasis on the responsibility of mass media in building a youth culture that holds on to the fundamentals of the society.
The Topic of the Youth and National Identity
1. Authenticating Islamically the issue of the national identity and the inclusion of what enhances the love of the country in the Islamic discourse while being aware of the strategic importance of the Arab and Muslim nations and the international relations.
2. Achieving a full belonging to the country and treating all types of discrimination among citizens.
3. Achieving a balanced and fair development in all regions in the distribution of development projects and providing opportunities for education, work and services.
4. Securing a decent life style for needy families while caring for members and fulfilling their basic needs.
5. Improving educational curricula and activating them to achieve the enhancement of national belonging.
6. Redrawing nationality related mass media programs and improving their quality to make more effective and free from monotony.
7. Celebrating national occasions the main of which is the national day to make the youth appreciate their value and significance. This shell be achieved through academic and culture programs in the public and private educational institutions.
8. Sending cables of thanks and appreciations to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fadh Ibn Abdul Aziz, HRH Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz Crown Prince, Deputy Premier and Head of the National Guard, HRH Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz Second Deputy Premier, Minister of Defence and Aviation and General Inspector, HRH Prince Muhammad Ibn Fadh Ibn Abdul Aziz Governor of the Eastern Province for their support of the Fourth National Meeting for Intellectual Dialogue and providing all needed facilitation to hold it.
Allah is the Grantor of Success.

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