OmanPride: TEDx Qurum volunteers share their experiences

More sports Sunday 15/October/2017 19:52 PM
By: Times News Service
OmanPride: TEDx Qurum volunteers share their experiences

Being part of the TEDx is a dream come true for many; it is an event filled with golden opportunities that contribute to perfecting the skills of those involved. Unfortunately, in most cases, the speakers are the ones who shine on stage. But the real superheroes of TED talks are those behind the scenes who put immense effort into making the event a glorious one.
Meet the team who dedicated their time, sweat, and tears to put this globally recognised event at its finest shape for November 11.
Aishah Al Balushi
Aishah is from Samail of Al Dakhiliyah and works in Manah as a teacher at Sultan Qaboos College. She teaches Arabic to non-natives. At the event, she is responsible for organising the volunteers. The level of dedication that she has shown is unparalleled. Given the fact that she’s living almost two hours outside the city tells her determination. What made the experience unforgettable for Aishah is that the team is remarkably diverse and quite passionate about Oman.
“I’m learning more about my country from our team members,” said Aishah, adding that “they’re very dedicated and committed to do it for Oman”.
Hafsa Mubarak
Hafsa is a young Omani mother of two who works in the finance department at the Ministry of Health. She was given the role of venue management. Hafsa did not know much about the TED talk shows before joining the project. Later on, she began exploring the world of TED talk and was instantly in awe of the speakers. “It relates to my normal life, it’s a learning stage,” said Hafsa. She devoted her time, love, and emotions to make this an unforgettable journey. “I’ve started seeing from the perspective of others,” said Hafsa. “It has brought a difference in my thinking process,” she added. On the other hand, there are sacrifices to make. She has to make a little compromise with her family for meetings and extra work, but her children are now taking interest in TEDx, which makes her the happiest mother.
Zeenath Jaleel
Zeenath is the co-leader of the TEDx Qurum who has been living and working in Oman since 2009. She came here as a fresh graduate with fluency in Arabic. She worked in different consultancy and project management fields. Her time with the volunteers helped her learn new set of skills including the art of dealing with people. “It has taught me how to gauge and see how people work differently which is something I didn’t get to explore in my field,” said Zeenath. Her favourite aspect about the TEDx Qurum is that it focuses on Oman. The speakers are regular and relatable people who are set to inspire youth. “This is something we wanted to do as expats, we want to give back to Oman,” said Zeenath.
Ahmed Samara
Ahmed is a Jordanian born and raised in Oman. He has his own construction company specialised in renovating and building homes. His love for community service started in high school where he had to complete 150 hours of community work as part of his study. Today, he is part of a global event that showcases leadership, commitment, and dedication. Ahmed graduated from Sultan School, and got his bachelor’s from the American University of Sharjah with a degree in civil engineering. At TEDx Qurum, he is the man in-charge of running orders, and he is loving it. One of the reasons he joined is that he appreciates the sense of accomplishment as it is a motivating factor in his dictionary.
“Working at such events tells you a lot about yourself and builds your confidence,” said Ahmed. Volunteering has helped Ahmed understand how to utilise project management tools as these skills are important in construction.
Some of the challenges he faced is keeping a balance between work, family, and the event, but he is proud that he pushed himself to be part of the event.
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