QU holds 2nd edition of student leadership conference Taqadam Tanmeea, Enjaz, Qiaadah

Qatar University (QU) Student Affairs Sector organized the second edition of the student leadership conference “Taqadam: Tanmeea, Enjaz, Qiaadah” on November 26-27 under the patronage of Her Excellency Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums, Doha Film Institute and Reach Out To Asia.

The 2-day conference, first-of-its-kind in Qatar, is organized in partnership with Community College of Qatar (CCQ), College of the North Atlantic-Qatar (CNA-Q), and Stenden University Qatar, and sponsored by Qatar Development Bank (QDB). It aimed to discuss, share knowledge, and learn strategies on driving change, developing leadership skills, and solving problems in a local, regional and global context. The event brought together over 350 students from colleges and universities across Qatar and the GCC to network and exchange their knowledge and experiences on leadership development in the region.

Attendees included QU President Dr Hassan Rashid Al Derham (pictured left), QU VP for Students Affairs Dr Khalid Al-Khanji, and CCQ Registrar Mr Ihab Iskander in the presence of officials from QU and the partnering institutions, and representatives of the local media. Keynote speakers Qatari Intellectual and Writer Dr Jassim Al-Sultan (pictured right) and QU Consultant H.E. Sheikh Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani respectively presented a holistic view of leadership from content to intellect and on how we can produce leadership for the future, and on leadership experiences, while featured speaker QDB Advisory Services Executive Director and Qatari German Medical Devices Board of Directors Chairman Mr Hamad AlKubaisi gave a presentation on leadership development.

The conference agenda comprised concurrent student sessions on “Teamwork through mobile phone applications”, “How to manage tasks and achievement”, “Your achievement footprint for yourself”, “Leading across cultures”, “Leadership circles”, and “Step forward before graduation”. It also included a plenary session and workshop entitled “Student Government Round Table” open to student government members to share common issues, goals and concerns. The session was facilitated by QU Student Representative Board (QUSRB) members.

Also included on the agenda were two professional workshops respectively delivered by Wertaqi Youth Center-Bahrain Founder and Consultant and Aspire Leadership Development Program Director Mr Salah Al Yafei and Qatari Businessman, Author and Leadership Education Coach Mr Mohammed Aljufairy, and “Young Leaders Spotlight” sessions in which successful young Qatari leaders shared their experiences and advice. This was followed by a tour of Doha as well as a site visit to Souq Waqif.

Commenting on the conference, Dr Hassan Al Derham said: “I am proud of QU students’ spirit of responsibility and community engagement, which makes them contribute to building the future of Qatar and to realizing the country’s national vision. Some people consider that leadership skills are innate, while others consider that they are acquired through education, but we all agree that these skills require a fertile environment to grow, otherwise they will be lost, except in rare cases. This event is an important opportunity to highlight the fundamentals, tools and concepts of leadership. It also contributes to enhance and heighten the students’ leadership skills, in line with our commitment to support our students’ talents and to provide them with opportunities to express themselves with transparency. I wish you all success with this conference.”

Dr Khalid Al-Khanji said: “The Taqadam conference provides a unique platform for students to meet with their peers and to share their views on various topics related to leadership. This underlines QU’s commitment to provide its students with invaluable opportunities that contribute to heightening their skills and to fostering their experiences to become the next generation of professionals and leaders who can drive the country’s growth in line with the Human Development Strategy.” CNA-Q President Dr Ken MacLeod said: “The Taqadam Conference is an example of a great inter-collegial initiative designed to build leadership capacity in Qatar’s youth. CNA-Q is proud to be a partner of this event for the second year, and send a delegation of our students to the conference. Congratulations to the organizers on a successful event, and particularly to the students who have demonstrated outstanding commitment to developing their skill set to become the future leaders of this country.”

CCQ president Dr Ibrahim Al Naimi: “The Taqadam conference will give our young people the opportunity to learn more about transformational leadership, not only in theoretical terms, but also in terms of practical application. The most important contribution students leaders can make is not just to the here and now, but to the long-term development of their respective institutions and communities, so that they can adapt, change, grow and prosper.” Stenden University Qatar Executive Dean Dr Ivan Ninov said: “The Taqadam Conference will act as a forum for strengthening the partnership between academic institutions in the State of Qatar and expanding the horizons of faculty and students through providing them with a unique platform to showcase their leadership potential.”