21 April 2012

Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service (SFS-Q) inaugural Young Leader’s Summit (GYLS), which boasted 18 young inspirational leaders from around the region, came to a close today.

The soon-to-be annual conference incorporated a number of lectures, workshops, round table sessions and group exercises. Topics ranged from geographical events such as the Arab Spring and issues in South Asia, to universal problems which tackled poverty and inequality.

The 18 participants hailed from 17 different countries, creating a dynamic group with a wide range of backgrounds. Panelist for the discussion on New and Old Media on International Affairs Andrew Mills, Canada, Assistant Professor, Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University in Qatar, noted, “One of the things I really like about Qatar is that it is becoming such an international place. It’s great to have all these people with so many different perspectives all in one room.”

A participating young leader from Palestine, Mohamed Kilany, co-founder and lead software developer for Souktel International Inc.,  echoed,“It’s inspiring to be with participants from 16 other countries, sharing experiences, speaking about the common challenges that all of us face in our countries and trying to find solutions to the problems.”

The participants were given ample opportunities to create, as well as solidify current relationships, in order to expand existing networks – a feature of the conference which was widely praised by all attendees. Atiaf Alwazir, a research and development consultant from Yemen reiterated this sentiment: “The group that they got together is very interesting, very dynamic. We’ve had a number of chances to talk, think of ideas together. In fact, I’m actually trying to organize something with one of the participants from India to see if I can go there to work and learn from her project.”