OREANDA-NEWS. September 26, 2013. Saudi Aramco’s iThra Youth program — a pioneering youth education program of the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture — has been selected as one of six international winners of the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) awards for 2013.

Created by the Qatar Foundation to support the United Nations Millennium Development Goal on achieving universal primary education, the WISE award has honored 30 successful initiatives since it began in 2009 to showcase innovative educational projects from around the world.

A collaborative effort between Saudi Aramco and the Saudi Ministry of Education, iThra Youth was selected from among 500 WISE award applicants this year by a jury of education world leaders led by Sheikh Abdulla bin Ali Al-Thani, Ph.D., chairman of WISE.

Cited for its outstanding quality, the program was chosen for making a “tangible, positive impact upon society and its innovative approach to solving important educational challenges.”

The 2013 WISE Awards winners represent “some of the best and most creative work being done in education” by nongovernmental organizations, charity groups, cultural institutions and the private sector, according to the Qatar Foundation.

All six winners — including projects from Ireland, Morocco, Canada, Africa and New Zealand — will be showcased at the 2013 WISE Summit in Doha, Qatar, Oct. 29-31, 2013.  As a winner of the award, iThra Youth will contribute to building a community of education pioneers from across the educational spectrum to inspire positive change in education.

Vice president of Saudi Aramco Affairs Mohammed Y. Qahtani, congratulated the iThra Youth team, remarking on the program’s vision, high quality and dedicated staff. Khalid S. Yahya, iThra Youth Division Head, praised the team’s “efforts in orchestrating something uniquely moving where they get to make their mark and impact the lives of many.”

A key initiative of Saudi Aramco’s King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, iThra Youth strives to inspire young people to be lifelong learners, creative innovators and critical thinkers.

Its highly popular iSpark and iDiscover initiatives focus on inspiring students to want to learn about STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and math) in creative and student-centered ways.  This year alone iThra Youth programs have reached more than 15,000 students in Saudi Arabia.

The iThra Youth Program is one of Saudi Aramco’s most visible public outreach efforts in the Kingdom.  Its emphasis on building interest in STEM subjects underscores the company’s commitment to building a knowledge society in Saudi Arabia.

This fall, iThra Youth’s newly announced iRead competition will be held to promote a culture of reading among young people K-16 in the Kingdom.

For more information about the WISE award, visit http://www.wise-qatar.org/awards.

For more information about iThra Youth, visit
http://en.kingabdulazizcenter.com/explore/ongoing-activities/ithra-youth.