Sunday 13 / October / 2024
Muscat: Modern life being what it is, it is sometimes hard to imagine being out on your own, stranded on a remote island with just enough food and water to survive.
Such exercises, though, do build character in people, and that’s the sort of training Oman Sail is giving the next generation of Omani leaders.
Their Khazan youth programme, run in association with BP, began three years ago and has trained over 1,700 Omanis from local universities.
“We did research on what was missing in people in Oman, and found that skills such as leadership, communication, planning and self-motivation were needed,” said Khamis Al Anboori, head of Oman Sail’s Corporate and Personal Development arm.
“The programme runs for three days, and we have about six teams of eight students in each batch,” he added. “We give them a challenge on the first day and ask them to solve it. What is important is what they learn here. We don’t just look at how quickly they completed the activity, but also measure teamwork, communication and participation.”
And just what do these activities entail?
“We were given a piece of wood and asked to cross a stretch of water to get to the other side,” said Taymora Al Ghawi from the Ibri College of Applied Sciences.
“My teammates and I had to figure out the best way to cross the water and get to land, because you can only stay afloat for so long.
“This activity taught us to measure distances between two places, and how to get there in the safest possible manner and shortest possible time,” she added.
“We went through another exercise where we were only given a limited portion of supplies in a very remote part of the beach and asked to survive there, making do with what we had.
“After seeing the changes in my personality because of this course, my parents want my brother and sister to take part as well,” said Anwaar Al Bamani, another student.
“My parents are very proud of all that I have learned here,” added Ahmed Al Balushi, a student. “They are happy that I am getting to learn such things and imbibing leadership and teamwork skills which will help me in the future.”
“We want people to choose their jobs in the future because they are good at it, not because their fathers or friends want them to,” said Al Anboori.
“Together we have a built a unique programme,” added David Graham, CEO of Oman Sail.
“We are all convinced this will have a positive and enduring effect across the Sultanate in the years to come.”
