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The GCC region finalists in the 2015 Emirates Award for the Arabian Gulf Youth, EAAGY, an initiative of Emirates Foundation, pitched their new social enterprise projects today in front of a panel of distinguished judges for a chance to be selected as one of the top three award winners for this year. The winners will be announced tomorrow in Abu Dhabi.
The nominated participants, consisting of individuals and teams from across the GCC, will pitch their concepts in the hope of receiving one of the top prize incubation grants amounting to AED100,000, AED70,000, and AED50,000, respectively.
As part of its mission statement to educate, inform and mobilise the youth to become active participants in social development, Emirates Foundation launched the EAAGY programme under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of Emirates Foundation, in 2014.
In its second round, EAAGY witnessed a record number of 200 submissions from across the GCC and short-listed 15 enterprises, 3 of which will receive incubation grant by the Foundation to start up their social ventures.
Commenting on this year’s EAAGY finalists, Clare Woodcraft-Scott, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Foundation, said, "EAAGY is one of the foundation’s most important initiatives. It is directly aligned with our mission to engage youth to deliver positive impact in their communities and encourage their innovative ideas to address the most pressing social issues."
"To provide the EAAGY finalists with the best opportunities to turn their ideas into sustainable social enterprises, we have created this mentorship platform for them with the support of a carefully selected team of committed and highly qualified specialists who have dedicated their time and efforts over many months to offer valuable coaching to the nominees, " added Woodcraft-Scott.
Maytha Al Habsi, Chief Programmes Officer at Emirates Foundation, emphasised the UAE Government’s commitment and pledge to youth-driven social enterprise, saying, "Innovation is a vital ingredient for sustainable development, and at the core of all programmes championed by Emirates Foundation. Countries like the UAE have put innovation at the top of their agenda for this year and EAAGY reflects the foundation’s commitment towards empowering the youth to think creatively, developing their skills and enabling them to contribute to their countries’ development effectively."
"This year’s competition included unique and highly innovative social enterprise ideas from across the GCC, all of whom have demonstrated a strong sense of social purpose and commitment to making real and sustainable change within their countries. We are certain that members of the judging committee will spare no effort to provide the best assessment for these projects and select the winners, based on the originality of the concept idea, its’ scalability and potential to address fundamental social causes," added Al Habsi.
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