Shaping youth for the good of Oman

Muscat: Believing that young people are the future of any nation, Global Shapers Muscat are working to promote young people’s opinions to explore how they can change their communities for the greater good.
Global Shapers Muscat is taking part in a global survey to determine how young people understand the world and can change it. Since it is a group that commits to demonstrating leadership on issues of importance to the community, the promotion of youth should be taken seriously, they say.
Giving her opinion about changing Oman, Fathiya Al Rasadi, one of the 13 members of Global Shapers Muscat, said a change in the education system in Oman could help young people become more self-educated, rather than their being only guided by educational institutions.
“I believe there must be changes in the education system and ways of teaching to make student more independent in seeking knowledge so that they could more easily manage their college studies,” said Al Rasadi.
“In order for the country to be developed and cope with changes, education and health care has to be better and able to adapt to changes,” added Al Rasadi.
Another member of Global Shapers Muscat, who asked to remain anonymous, noted that some laws need to be changed, such as the two year ban for working expats.
“Laws that lead to brain drain in the country (need to be changed) as we need these people to stay in Oman because we can definitely benefit from them,” she said.
Fatima Makki, also a Global Shapers member, hopes to see change in Oman, including “the approach to managing systems in Oman that is objective and value-based, rather than an approach based on an abstract set of principles with little relevance to their practical applications.”
Makki noted, “These changes are already happening, and I think we, as Global Shapers, can become a catalyst.”
“I believe in being global shapers, that is one of our goals, and to show people in Oman how easy it is to impact positively on the life of others by providing a positive atmosphere, while leading the way,”said Ahmed Samara, another member.
Mehreen Shaikh added, “I would urge youngsters to look at more than just gaining employment as their career or goals. Instead, pay attention to society, the environment and any issue they feel plagues the nation at any given point.
“Considering how much potential the local youth has, it would be a foundation of great ideas and most impactful for the nation if they made tackling impending issues their own mission,” she added.
So far, 148 countries have responded to the survey.Global Shapers Muscat is hoping to register 200 young people to become involved.
Those aged 18-35 can take part in the survey at bit.ly/MuscatShapers or by visiting Global Shapers Muscat on Facebook or Twitter.