The world needs to listen, 2021 WISE Summit told

Help unmute young voices, raise their volume, and amplify them, because the youth are the future of this world – that was the message to attendees as the 2021 WISE Summit opened under the title Generation Unmute: Reclaiming Our Future Through Education.

Mariam Al-Dhubhani, Independent Journalist, Curator, Educator, delivered a keynote speech at the conference, hosted by Qatar Foundation’s global education think tank WISE. “I believe in education,” she said. “This faith was instilled in me by my father.

‘First, you need to complete your education and become independent. Then, everything else will follow.’”

Drawing on her own experience as a young person in Yemen, she spoke about how she had to flee in 2015. “I had to restart my life,” she said. “I escaped war to Qatar in an attempt at a second chance to complete my education and support myself and my family back home.

“The journey was not easy. Trying to rebuild while still broken is hard. However, being surrounded with opportunities and support in Education City and its community gave me the push I needed to get through. After obtaining two degrees, I stood tall and started giving back. I became a journalist and a filmmaker to shed light on untold stories and curate counternarratives to what is shared in the mainstream media.”

Speaking about the COVID-19 pandemic and the global challenges it has presented, she said: “Although it was a shared experience on many levels, it was not an equal one.

“Developing countries fell at a further disadvantage, lacking electricity and internet. However, this did not stop many from seeking opportunities and finding alternative platforms to grow and learn.”

Citing virtual platforms like Zoom and WhatsApp, she explained how these became vital tools in mentoring and training young filmmakers, providing them with opportunities abroad in collaboration with local and international organizations.

“They are used to create an informal education network that allows young people in conflict areas like Yemen and Libya to acquire new skills and improve their livelihood—equipping them with cameras instead of guns,” she explained.

“My plea to you, each with your own capacity and power, is to check your privilege – help to unmute the voices of youth.”

Gitanjali Rao, a 16-year-old Innovator, Author, and STEM Promoter, also spoke during the opening session, highlighting how the academic world has shifted since the start of COVID-19. “We’ve been following the traditional education system for so many years, and it’s quite unfortunate that it took us a whole pandemic to shift the way that we do things,” she said.

“If nothing else, the pandemic specifically has been a great equalizer, for students to come together, for students to recognize that we do want to make change to the way that education is shaped and formed. So the biggest change that I would like to see is innovation and problem solving in our curriculum.”

Dareen Abughaida, Principal Presenter, Al Jazeera English, moderated the opening session and a panel discussion featuring Sheikha Intisar Al Sabah, Founder & CEO, Bareec; Mathieu Nebra, Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer, OpenClassrooms; and Debora Kayembe, Rector, University of Edinburgh. The panelists spoke about reshaping education and including young people in the conversation.

As part of the opening session, the WISE Prize for Education was also presented to Wendy Kopp, CEO of Teach For All.