The digital age is a paradox. The Internet – the very thing that connects us, has also isolated us. It’s in this world that our younger generation is discovering, learning, and communicating in ways that differ vastly from the past. They have a lot more access to information from around the world, which has blurred geographical constraints for them. Their world is filled with empowering technologies, connectivity, and digitally empowered conceptions that are increasingly different from ours, and intricately linked to their online presence.
Therein lies the dilemma for us, as the generation that is involved in their upbringing. The fundamental skills that our parents taught us – hard work, responsibility, and social values – need to take into account this digital environment. How do we give them the skills essential for personal development while being cognizant of how rapidly their world is changing?
Qatar takes a step in the Right Direction
Perhaps that is why Qatar’s National Vision for 2030 resonated with me. Their focus on developing and transitioning to a more knowledge-based economy, which encourages and equips young talent, is needed more than ever.
Knowledge is the key here. There are around 1.8 billion people between the ages of 18-24 worldwide, and education is crucial to unlocking their potential. But there is an increasing disconnect between what children are expected to learn, and the opportunities that will be available to them in the future. Tomorrow’s skills include coding, robotics, data mining – and that’s me limiting the scope to core digital expertise, from which virtually unlimited innovation will sprout. Given how fast technology is evolving, the coming decade will take augmented reality, artificial intelligence, machine-to-machine communication to the next level.
Yet the know-how and the skills needed to learn these skills have not found their way into the early formal education, and often even secondary schooling, on a systemic enough scale to make a difference. The younger generations are picking up these skills through individual effort and ad-hoc initiatives. But there is a need for more institutionalized mechanisms to make these essential digital skills available to all.
A Coordinated National Effort
It’s this purpose driven investment in youth development and empowerment, which makes Qatar’s initiative so revolutionary. By acknowledging the need for a change in formal education, Qatar is empowering its next generations, my preparing them to address the challenges of the future. The Arab nation is looking to develop an education system that encourages critical thinking, creativity, and innovation, while also preparing the youth to be responsible digital citizens, with a strong sense of their identity,
Qatar is investing in accelerators and initiatives, to equip its young people with the tools they will require to manage and lead in the future, across business, research and development, and breakthrough startups. The national programs created by the Qatari administration to achieve these outcomes, are encouraging innovation, humanitarian work, and even sporting success. To create sustainable and inclusive development, centres have been created where the youth are encouraged to voice their opinions on global issues.
Investing in youth may be the single most effective approach to achieve future-readiness
As a society, our goal should be to support our youth to do great things for themselves, and to make a transformative impact on society. This is only possible when we help them gain the capabilities and skills that will help them traverse the new digital age. 2020 showed me the strength and adaptability of this generation. They are continuously trying to turn their dreams into reality. They think big, they always hope for the best, they envision a better tomorrow, and Qatar is giving its generation-next the wherewithal to achieve these goals.