DHAHRAN: The inaugural youth summer program, held at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) in Dhahran, concluded yesterday.
For the first time, Ithra offered teens of the Eastern Province a chance to be selected to join the program, showcasing their original projects on cultural interpretation and receiving expert feedback.
Starting on Aug. 8, 17 different Sharqiyya-based talented teens, aged between 13 and 18, had three weeks to immerse themselves in the cultural offerings at Ithra and to create an innovative concept before presenting it to visitors on closing night.
This initiative was Ithra’s way of extending its resources to allow the new generation of thinkers and dreamers to use their summer holiday productively.
On closing night, each teen stood by their project and spoke to the curious onlookers about their concept, which was printed in both English and Arabic. The project ideas varied as widely as the teens themselves.
Most selected a project that meant something to them personally — Athba Al-Qahtani explored ancestral housing dwellings in her homage to urban walls of the Khumrah village in the south of the Kingdom in her project “Uninterrupted Voices,” Ghassan Al-Salom dove into the ocean for his “Pearl” film. Each project was personal but also kept the wider Saudi cultural aspect in mind.
Fifteen-year-old Layan Al-Sunaid’s project, “The Past Art,” used the traditional Sadu, an embroidery form in geometrical shapes, to modernize everyday objects, such as a mirror or an abaya. She was inspired by the colors of the Sadu, which is typically prominent in the central region, and manually added little shiny crystals to add a bit of glamor to the humble fabric.
“Sadu is the past of our culture — it’s the most popular in Najd. Although that’s not where my family comes from, I’m Saudi, and I’m proud. The most popular colors are red, orange, green and white and black. It helped people in the past to make clothes, and pillows, like multiple things. It’s a durable material, but it’s soft. I was inspired by Ithra and hope to sell some of these soon,” Al-Sunaid told Arab News.
She collaborated with different tailors and carpenters for her project. The program also helped her in a different way — by assisting her with managing her social anxiety, combating self-doubt, and tackling what she labeled a little bit of “laziness.”
For six hours a day, participants had Ithra as their personal educational playground. They had access to the resources, the library, mentors — and each other.
Another participant, Aya Al-Ramadhan from Qatif, picked up her digital brush and started drawing during the pandemic. To her, the iPad was a tool that allowed her to “breakthrough towards life, towards art, towards painting,” and gave her the opportunity to use an electronic device to generate an image that can be enjoyed and shared. The Ithra experience was enriching because it allowed her to mingle with other creative minds and allowed her to grow as a person and artist.
“Basically, every face is new to me right now. And almost no one lives in my area, so I was really nervous. Meeting new people is interesting. The camp was in Arabic. I had a little trouble since I talk more in English than Arabic — I understand, and I speak Arabic but have a difficulty reading sometimes, but I found people to bond with,” Al-Ramadhan told Arab News.
Of the 17 attendees, only four were selected to receive a year-long mentorship for their project.
Reman Al-Mulla’s “Vine” was selected as one of the top four from the cohort. Her project was born while walking outside around the Ithra parking lot and deciding that she could help find a sustainable way to improve the quality of life by using the natural elements and expanding on what is already there. She used lego pieces to create a replica of how she hopes it will eventually develop. Al-Mulla now banks on Ithra adopting her idea, and she wants to be a part of that process.
To learn more about all of the participants and finalists, visit the Ithra website for details. Information about how qualified teens may apply next year will be available on the website as well.
