Imagine 2020...

Otacuschez launched an expository writing competition titled, Imagine 2020 for the first time in 2009 in order to provide opportunities to youth between the ages of 16-24 an opportunity to think about their role as leaders in their communities, and how to develop their spirit of volunteerism.  The competition asked the participants to write essays answering the question, "How can I turn my passion and enthusiasm into actions that will make Saudi Arabia a country that I'm proud of in the next ten years?

 The beginning:

The planning process began in the beginning of the year 2008 after the idea was presented by Hanaa Almoaibed.  The project was launched in November after securing funding that amounted to around SAR 200,000.  The project team was made up of Hanaa Almoaibed as the project manager and Nouf Al Qahtani as a coordinator.  Dr. Fatima Elyas was a representative in the Western Province.  The team decided to focus the majority of the efforts in the Eastern Province for the first year, with a presence in the Western Province as a first step, with a desire to expand this in the coming years.  The goal is to cover the entire Kingdom in the future.

 Judging:

A judging panel was assembled with the following judges selected to review the essays:

Dr. Sabah Eisawi
Dr. Izdihar Al Hariri
Mrs. Ruby Ebrahimi
Mrs. Faten Shadeed, all from the Eastern Province,
and Dr. Ibtisam Bajeri from the Western Province.

Two judging sessions took place in the Eastern Province. This was done by using two rubrics that evaluated language use and ideas in both Arabic and English, selected by the organizing team.  The judges as well as the project manager were not shown the names of the participants to avoid bias as much as possible.

 Results:

A large number of essays were submitted that discussed various topics such as; education and curriculum development, the role of women in society, children's rights, the environment, work ethics, transportation, improving public transportation and developing a tourism industry

 The award ceremony:

The results were announced and the winners were awarded certificates and checks at a small ceremony that took place on Saturday, May 2^nd, 2009 that drew a large croud.  The guest of honor was Mr. Mohammed Al-Agil, the chairman of Jarir Group.  Mr. Al-Agil announced the winners after sharing his experience in the business sector and discussed the process in which Jarir became one of the largest and most successful companies in the Gulf.

 The Winners:

1. Fatima Ahmed Al Khunaizi

2. Abdulrahman Hasan Sandukji

3. Elham Abdullah Al Ghamdi

4. Mayada Mahmoud Al Hashim

5. Lubna Khalid Barghouthi

6. Areej Husain Abu Taleb

In addition to the top six winners, 20 additional participants were recommended by the judges to attend a 3-day workshop that took place between May 6-8 at Sunset Beach in the Eastern Province.  The workshop trainers are Mrs. Nimah Nawwab, Mr. Hani Al Minaii, and Dr. Nabil Shalaby.

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