A group of students with leadership potential from Education City are packing their bags and preparing for a once in a lifetime trip to Indonesia, where they’ll absorb the local culture and work closely with schools and local communities. Twenty four students will join the 10 day trip, known as “Not Your Average Spring Break”, as part of the leadership programme, EBDA.

The EBDA programme was launched back in September 2014, in partnership between Hamad bin Khalifa University, Qatar University, Maersk Oil Qatar and Redrock International. Students from both universities can join EBDA that focuses on experience based learning. It is designed to support the development of more high quality leaders in both private and public sector by equipping them with genuine leadership skills and behaviours.

With support from Reach Out to Asia (ROTA), the 24 Education City students will spend ten days from 27^th Feb -7^th March, in the small town of Bayyat in Indonesia, which was re-built by ROTA following the earthquake that hit this town in 2006.

Ameena Hussain, Director of Student Life, Hamad bin Khalifa University said:

“Not Your Average Spring Break is an annual service learning trip sponsored by HBKU Student Life, it is designed to build confidence and creativity, as well as leadership skills in the participating students. Each year, we carefully select a group of students from across Education City to travel to a location where they engage with and support the local community. Previous trips included: Thailand, South Africa and Nepal”.

To prepare for the trip, the students are requested to divide themselves into groups of four. During their stay, each group will be responsible for providing the students at the Bayyat school with an overview of these areas: media and technology, linguistics and culture, social entrepreneurship and environmental awareness.

Mr. Essa Al Mannai, Executive Director at Reach Out to Asia said:

“ROTA’s Volunteer Program has been conducting International Volunteer Trips since 2006. Through trips to Pakistan, Cambodia, Nepal, Bangladesh, Tunisia and Indonesia, the Volunteer Program has sought to create a movement of volunteers and responsible global citizens within Qatar that actively carry out initiatives to make a positive impact on the lives of communities across Asia. ROTA is happy to see HBKU adopt this model for its Not Your Average Spring Break service learning trips”.

Hundreds of students have previously participated in activities with EBDA programme, like the LeaderShape programme, and the Desert Challenge. Not Your Average Spring Break NYASB will be offered by the HBKU Student Affairs Department with logistical support from Reach Out to Asia (ROTA), and sponsored by Maersk Oil Qatar.

Sheikh Jassim bin Saud Al-Thani, Head of Qatarization at Maersk Oil Qatar, said:

“We are delighted to support this Spring Break learning trip for the first time. At Maersk Oil Qatar, we are committed to assisting young people become leaders, who will in return contribute to the ongoing growth and development of the State of Qatar in the years to come.”

Another upcoming activity by the EBDA program is a student activity titled WALK which will take 10 students who demonstrate an interest in leadership development to Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to undergo rigorous training in preparation for one of the world’s biggest challenges: climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. This experience will allow participating students to unlock their personal potential while supporting the team. This activity will take place for the first time in March 2015.

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