The second edition of Youth City 2030 opened yesterday at Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre in Sanabis.

The event, under the patronage of Supreme Council for Youth and Sport chairman and Bahrain Olympic Committee president Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, runs until July 30.

It is being organised by General Organisation for Youth and Sports in co-operation with Tamkeen.

Shaikh Nasser stressed the initiative fell in line with Bahrain's Economic Vision 2030 and aimed to prepare Bahrain's youth for the labour market.

He stressed they had a huge responsibility to modernise the country. "The country's leadership is keen to create the right circumstances for youth to develop and prosper," he said.

"Therefore such events are amongst its top priorities in order to assess youth in building their country."

The Youth City includes five centres specialised in media, leadership skills, information technologies, sciences and art.

Each will hold a string of programmes, activities and workshops targeting youth for practical expertise in co-operation with leading Bahraini companies.

InJaz Bahrain is taking part in the City for the first time and is hoping to register 425 students in its programmes.

These include More than Money for 13 to 14-year-olds, Careers with a Purpose for 16 to 19-year-olds, Banks in Action for 17 to 20-year-olds and Business Ethics for 18 to 22-year-olds.

Classes will be given in two-hour sessions, which will run daily from Sunday to Thursday from 10am to 9pm.

The participation of InJaz Bahrain will also include large-scale public workshops that will be held each Saturday.

More than a dozen volunteers from companies in Bahrain will share their experiences with students as well as teach them skills such as entrepreneurship, leadership, problem-solving and teamwork. They include the Bahrain Islamic Bank, Citibank, HSBC, Batelco and Al Salam Bank.

Supreme Council for Youth and Sport first deputy chairman and Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa yesterday congratulated Shaikh Nasser on the opening of Youth City 2030.

He hailed the project's facilities and programmes which seek to equip youngsters with the needed experience to serve Bahrain. – TradeArabia News Service