Generation Amazing Youth Festival 2022 successfully concludes its fourth annual youth festival

The Generation Amazing Youth Festival 2022, a FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 social and human legacy initiative,  served as the in-person phase of the year-long Goal 22 project and brought together more than 300 international students in Doha to teach them football for development practices that emphasise and advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through workshops and activities, exploring topics such as sports diplomacy, sustainability, diversity and inclusion, leadership, mental health and more. The Generation Amazing Foundation has successfully concluded its fourth annual youth festival and the second phase of its Goal 22 international school-exchange programme.

Goal 22 began in October with virtual sessions and will continue in 2023. The youth involved represented each of the 32 competing nations at Qatar 2022 and will be tasked with sharing the knowledge gained in their schools and communities. The festival kicked off on November 17, 2022, with a celebration of Generation Amazing positively impacting 1 million people across the globe and becoming a foundation.

Special remarks were made to more than 600 guests by HE Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary General, Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, and Chairman, Generation Amazing Foundation; Gianni Infantino, FIFA President; Nasser Al Khori, Executive Director, Generation Amazing; David Beckham, Generation Amazing Ambassador; and Ryan Reynolds, Hollywood actor and co-owner of Wrexham FC. 

The keynote was given by Syrian-American composer, Malek Jandali, founder of ‘Pianos for Peace’. It featured the premiere of sports docuseries ‘Chasing Dreams’ – which was supported by Generation Amazing – and a surprise performance from The Triplets Ghetto Kids.

Generation Amazing has hosted its youth festival on the sidelines of major sporting events since 2019, such as the FIFA Club World Cup™ and FIFA Arab Cup™. This year’s festival included workshops and panels that were organised and facilitated by more than 30 partner organisations. These included discussions on women in sport, creating positive impact through sport, sustainability, climate change and inclusive leadership through sport, among others.

Youth participated in an inclusive football activation called the ‘All-In Tournament’ – a mini World Cup – and had the opportunity to celebrate cross-cultural interaction and diversity at the closing cultural ceremony, as part of the festival programme. In addition to local and international musical acts and performances, students performed their own pieces to showcase their cultures and traditions. The ceremony included remarks from Salah Khaled, Director of the UNESCO Office for the Arab States of the Gulf and Yemen, a strategic partner of the festival.

During the tournament, participants had the opportunity to engage in dialogue with Beckham and various FIFA World Cup Ambassadors and stars, including Younis Mahmoud, Nadia Nadim, Honey Thaljieh, Ali Al Habsi, Javier Mascherano, Yaya Toure and Mohammed Saadon Al Kuwari. Guests were also treated to Qatar 2022 match tickets, facilitated by the Generation Amazing Foundation.

Officials and delegates from Qatar, Canada, Mexico and the US attended to observe and participate in an inclusive football activation aimed to recognise the success of the festival and share knowledge about key learnings with the next hosts of the FIFA World Cup, on the last day of the festival.

The delegation of high-level officials included, HE Sheikha Hind Al Thani, Vice Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation; H.E. Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, and Chairman, Generation Amazing Foundation; HE Salah bin Ghanim Al Ali, Qatar’s Minister of Sports and Youth; Harjit Sajjan, Canada’s Minister of International Development; Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs; and Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State. 

Festival strategic partners included the Ministry of Sports and Youth, Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Qatar Football Association, Qatar Foundation, Qatar Museums, FIFA Foundation and UNESCO. Sponsors included Qatar Airways, Visit Qatar, Qatar Fund for Development, Qetaifan Projects, QLM Insurance, SDIsports and Hublot.