(MENAFN- Gulf Times) The Ministry of Endowments (Awqaf) and Islamic Affairs, in collaboration with the Ministry of Sports and Youth, organised yesterday a ceremony honouring the winners of the inaugural Distinguished Youth Researcher Award, which addressed the topic of delayed marriage and its impact on young people in Qatari society. The ceremony held at Awqaf's premises featured honouring the first, second, and third-place winners, as well as members of the award panel and judges, in recognition of their contributions and scholarly efforts.
The event was attended by HE the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Awqaf Dr. Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed bin Ghanem al-Thani, HE the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Sports and Youth Eng. Yasser bin Abdullah al-Jamal, alongside several officials and experts operating in youth and research areas. Shama Khalid Hamad Abu Satuwa al-Hajri won the first place and a cash prize of QR100,000, together with a recommendation to print and publish her research, Dima Ali Faraj Muteb al-Kubaisi secured the second place and a cash prize of QR75,000, and Dalma Ali Hijab Mohammed al-Hajri came third with a cash prize of QR50,000. Addressing the ceremony, Dr Sheikh Khalid said the award is a realistic investment in youth awareness and the nation's future. He noted that it comes as part of the ministry's unwavering efforts to promote scientific research and youth empowerment to help them study the community's issues in a profound and responsible way.
The award isn't merely a competition, but rather a national platform designed for building awareness and directing youth energies toward addressing the most exigent social issues, Dr Sheikh Khalid underlined. He noted that the subject of delayed marriage addressed by this award mattered most and literally drilled down on consequential issues that directly touch the family and community alike. He praised the studies and matured visions the young people proffered, which proved their capability of contributing to building knowledge and backing decision-makers in taking practical steps to explore an antidote for this phenomenon based on meticulously learned scientific frameworks.
This measure can be accomplished in partnership between Awqaf and the Ministry of Sports, as a role model in caring for promising young energies, as all young people are requested to participate in the upcoming events and continue upgrading their skills in service of the community and the homeland, Dr Sheikh Khalid pointed out. Eng. al-Jamal, for his part, said the award is a key product of the executed national Qatar policy action for youth, affirming that the Ministry of Sports considers scientific research as a core pillar for having a well-aware generation capable of fathoming out the challenges engulfing the society, and subsequently unpacking them, and formulating outstanding visions that contribute to advancing national policies and initiatives. Empowering youth to study their own community's issues and to explore the roots of emerging challenges reflects the trust placed in their capacities to produce peer-reviewed research and innovative ideas that bolster national development, Eng. al-Jamal underlined. He commended the strategic partnership between the two ministries in organising the award, positioning itself as an effective model of energising national efforts in service of the community and in promoting awareness of the most exigent issues encountering youth.
HE the Director of Awqaf's Department of Islamic Research and Studies, and Chair of the Award panel, Sheikh Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Ghanem al-Thani highlighted that the award is an annual research contest and one of the foremost cultural initiatives directed toward young researchers and students, both citizens and residents. The key objective, he elaborates, is to weigh in on the most pressing social problems encountering the Qatari community, explore their causes and fallout in the present and future, in addition to contributing to proffering realistic applied solutions and remediations, Sheikh Dr Ahmed outlined. Director of the Planning, Quality, and Innovation Department at the Ministry of Sports and Youth and Vice-Chairperson of the award, Maha Issa al-Rumaihi, said the award is a milestone in the path toward youth empowerment and an extension of the ministry's approach in catering to the promising energies. She underlined that the support provided by the ministry is not solely limited to encouraging scientific research, but rather goes beyond to encompass youth skills honing and strengthen awareness of issues and challenges engulfing the community, in addition to empowering them to be effective partners in advancing the community. (QNA)###END HERE The award panel extended its gratitude to all young researchers participating in this inaugural award for their exceptional scientific efforts and refined research that mirrored profound awareness of social challenges and the community's issues in Qatar, as well as their commitment to addressing them. Engaging in scientific research, in terms of these critical issues, represents a milestone that deserves commendation and a first step toward a matured pathway in advancing the society. Upon wrapping up the ceremony, Awqaf emphasiSed that the award is set to roll on as a leading platform to hone youth skills and bolster their engagement in studying social challenges through leveraging refined discourse and conscious national vision in support of the Qatari community and enhancing its awareness.

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