emirates7 - The Arab Youth Centre concluded the inaugural edition of the Arabic Language Youth Council (ALYC) at a ceremony held at the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
The ceremony was attended by Sheikh Salem bin Khalid Al Qasimi, Minister of Culture, and Dr. Sultan bin Saif Al Neyadi, Minister of State for Youth Affairs, Vice Chairman of Arab Youth Center, alongside Arabic language experts, youth and cultural leaders, and council members.
The event marked the culmination of two years of focused work to advance Arabic and empower youth, with participation from council partners, supporters, and leading cultural and academic institutions. It underscored the role of youth in shaping the future of Arabic within the Emirati and wider Arab cultural landscape.
The ceremony capped a journey of youth-led initiatives and scientific and cultural projects that strengthened the use of Arabic across media, cultural practice, content creation, specialised lexicography, artificial intelligence, and cultural diplomacy. Council members also participated in major platforms, including the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, the Sharjah International Book Fair, and the International Government Communication Forum, alongside a series of training workshops and interactive dialogue sessions aimed at renewing Arab youth’s connection to their language and identity.
In his keynote address, Dr. Sultan Al Neyadi said ALYC is a leading model for empowering young people in critical cultural and knowledge-based fields, noting that its members have shown that Arabic is not merely a legacy of the past, but a thriving language of modern science, work, and creativity.
He said, “Today we conclude a two-year journey of innovation and impact. The youth of this council delivered a clear message: Arabic can keep pace with the times, and young people are best placed to carry it into new spheres of influence.”
He added, “Members introduced high-quality initiatives, produced rigorous scientific and cultural content, and engaged in regional and global forums with confidence in a language that reflects their identity. These achievements reaffirm that investing in youth is an investment in the future of our language and Arab identity.”
The inaugural edition brought together a group of young talents, including Safaa Abu Ghalyon of Jordan, who has taught Arabic to non-native speakers from dozens of nationalities; Dr. Abdul Ghafoor Al Hadwi of India, known for his contributions to the Arabic language; Iman Arrab of Algeria, a specialist in debate; and Omar Al Balushi of Oman, an academic researcher and international negotiator working in Arabic.
The group also included Sara Al Abadi of India, a calligrapher and founder of the Arabic Calligraphy Tools project; Jawaher Al Ameri of the UAE, an award-winning public speaker; Razan Salman of Syria, active in Arabic translation and publishing; Mohammed Al Hassani of the UAE, known for his research on place-name semantics; and Rawan Al Humaimeh of Oman, who launched initiatives to support reading for visually impaired children. The cohort further featured Ahmed Rashdan of Palestine, author of the first Arabic instructional book on Kufic calligraphy; Ammar Sousou of Syria, a specialist in artificial intelligence for Arabic texts; and Wael Al Shabbi of Tunisia, focused on advancing Arabic representation at international forums.
Participants also included Maisam Azzam of Palestine, working in media content and translation; Fatima Al Hammadi of the UAE, founder of the Safara’ Al Khatt platform; Sara Ahmed, an Emirati engineer and author of Arabic-language graphic stories (manga); Raed Al Ali of Saudi Arabia, founder of cultural clubs and an educational podcast; Aisha Al Zaabi, an Emirati media professional; and Fatima Al Ameri, founder of an educational platform focused on facilitating Arabic learning. Also taking part were Amer Mohammed of Syria, host of the program Bil-Fusha; Fatima Al Ahbabi of the UAE, a researcher in criticism and linguistics; Raffi Jarrouj of Syria, who specialises in simplifying scientific content in Arabic; and Mohammed Al Issawi of Jordan, a content creator and host of the Rihlat Al Taghyir channel.
During their term, council members produced innovative youth-focused digital content, prepared specialised research papers, and developed pioneering scientific lexicons in collaboration with national and regional institutions. These included the Arabic Lexicon of Environmental Terminology and other dictionaries now in their final stages, all reviewed and approved by relevant scientific and linguistic authorities.
The ceremony featured a short film highlighting key milestones from the council’s two-year journey, followed by the honouring of supporting partners and recognition of the first cohort in appreciation of their contributions to advancing Arabic across cultural, knowledge, and digital fields.
The Arabic Language Youth Council was established through a strategic partnership between the Arab Youth Center, the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, the Zayed Center for Arabic Language Research at Zayed University, the UAE Space Agency, the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, and the National Space Science and Technology Centre at United Arab Emirates University. The partnership aims to deepen Arab youth engagement with Arabic and strengthen its presence in scientific, knowledge-based, and digital domains.
The ceremony was attended by Sheikh Salem bin Khalid Al Qasimi, Minister of Culture, and Dr. Sultan bin Saif Al Neyadi, Minister of State for Youth Affairs, Vice Chairman of Arab Youth Center, alongside Arabic language experts, youth and cultural leaders, and council members.
The event marked the culmination of two years of focused work to advance Arabic and empower youth, with participation from council partners, supporters, and leading cultural and academic institutions. It underscored the role of youth in shaping the future of Arabic within the Emirati and wider Arab cultural landscape.
The ceremony capped a journey of youth-led initiatives and scientific and cultural projects that strengthened the use of Arabic across media, cultural practice, content creation, specialised lexicography, artificial intelligence, and cultural diplomacy. Council members also participated in major platforms, including the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, the Sharjah International Book Fair, and the International Government Communication Forum, alongside a series of training workshops and interactive dialogue sessions aimed at renewing Arab youth’s connection to their language and identity.
In his keynote address, Dr. Sultan Al Neyadi said ALYC is a leading model for empowering young people in critical cultural and knowledge-based fields, noting that its members have shown that Arabic is not merely a legacy of the past, but a thriving language of modern science, work, and creativity.
He said, “Today we conclude a two-year journey of innovation and impact. The youth of this council delivered a clear message: Arabic can keep pace with the times, and young people are best placed to carry it into new spheres of influence.”
He added, “Members introduced high-quality initiatives, produced rigorous scientific and cultural content, and engaged in regional and global forums with confidence in a language that reflects their identity. These achievements reaffirm that investing in youth is an investment in the future of our language and Arab identity.”
The inaugural edition brought together a group of young talents, including Safaa Abu Ghalyon of Jordan, who has taught Arabic to non-native speakers from dozens of nationalities; Dr. Abdul Ghafoor Al Hadwi of India, known for his contributions to the Arabic language; Iman Arrab of Algeria, a specialist in debate; and Omar Al Balushi of Oman, an academic researcher and international negotiator working in Arabic.
The group also included Sara Al Abadi of India, a calligrapher and founder of the Arabic Calligraphy Tools project; Jawaher Al Ameri of the UAE, an award-winning public speaker; Razan Salman of Syria, active in Arabic translation and publishing; Mohammed Al Hassani of the UAE, known for his research on place-name semantics; and Rawan Al Humaimeh of Oman, who launched initiatives to support reading for visually impaired children. The cohort further featured Ahmed Rashdan of Palestine, author of the first Arabic instructional book on Kufic calligraphy; Ammar Sousou of Syria, a specialist in artificial intelligence for Arabic texts; and Wael Al Shabbi of Tunisia, focused on advancing Arabic representation at international forums.
Participants also included Maisam Azzam of Palestine, working in media content and translation; Fatima Al Hammadi of the UAE, founder of the Safara’ Al Khatt platform; Sara Ahmed, an Emirati engineer and author of Arabic-language graphic stories (manga); Raed Al Ali of Saudi Arabia, founder of cultural clubs and an educational podcast; Aisha Al Zaabi, an Emirati media professional; and Fatima Al Ameri, founder of an educational platform focused on facilitating Arabic learning. Also taking part were Amer Mohammed of Syria, host of the program Bil-Fusha; Fatima Al Ahbabi of the UAE, a researcher in criticism and linguistics; Raffi Jarrouj of Syria, who specialises in simplifying scientific content in Arabic; and Mohammed Al Issawi of Jordan, a content creator and host of the Rihlat Al Taghyir channel.
During their term, council members produced innovative youth-focused digital content, prepared specialised research papers, and developed pioneering scientific lexicons in collaboration with national and regional institutions. These included the Arabic Lexicon of Environmental Terminology and other dictionaries now in their final stages, all reviewed and approved by relevant scientific and linguistic authorities.
The ceremony featured a short film highlighting key milestones from the council’s two-year journey, followed by the honouring of supporting partners and recognition of the first cohort in appreciation of their contributions to advancing Arabic across cultural, knowledge, and digital fields.
The Arabic Language Youth Council was established through a strategic partnership between the Arab Youth Center, the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, the Zayed Center for Arabic Language Research at Zayed University, the UAE Space Agency, the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, and the National Space Science and Technology Centre at United Arab Emirates University. The partnership aims to deepen Arab youth engagement with Arabic and strengthen its presence in scientific, knowledge-based, and digital domains.