Dubai Holding, an investment conglomerate with operations in 21 countries, has launched its dedicated youth council, which will help empower young people across the organisation while seeking to capture their unique talents and voices.

Open to Dubai Holding staff aged 21 through 30 years, the Youth Council has been designed to create a bridge between younger employees and the group’s executive management, while empowering them to lead corporate social responsibility initiatives in line with the goals of the Government of Dubai, said a statement from the company.

The council was inaugurated by Shamma bint Sohail Al Mazrui, the UAE’s Minster of State for Youth Affairs.

On the valuable role that youth play in a nation’s future, Al Mazrui said: "Empowering and enabling our youth is a top priority for our government. It is essential for us to facilitate opportunities for them to learn, grow and cultivate their skills in order for them to reach their full potential."

"We are pleased with the ripple effect that the Youth Council Model has created, as it is being replicated across the different private and public sectors, allowing different entities to engage, empower, and harness their talents of youth to positively impact our nation’s future," she noted.

Dubai Holding said it will work closely to align with the Emirates Youth Council, which seeks to identify youth-related challenges in the UAE, while developing strategies and solutions to improve further the nation’s future by capturing the voices and talents of young people.

The new Youth Council will also seek to empower and develop young people throughout the group for future leadership roles, while developing youth-related initiatives and projects in line with the objectives outlined in the UAE Vision 2021 plan.

Speaking at the launch, Ahmad Bin Byat, the vice chairman and managing director, said: "Young people today are the leaders of tomorrow, and we affirm their valuable role within Dubai Holding."

"It is not enough to listen to ideas or take on-board their concerns. We must, as an organisation, make a focused and cohesive effort to empower and equip the next generation. As the first private sector council, the Dubai Holding Youth Council, we seek to achieve these goals by implementing training programmes and discussion circles to involve them with the highest reaches of management," he added.-TradeArabia News Service