Mentor at Expo in Dubai

In support of Health & Wellness Week, Mentor will collaborate with Swedish-based Choice Foundation to host high-level seminars surrounding youth health issues at Expo in Dubai.

26 January 2022 | Blog

In partnership with Choice Foundation, Mentor’s Lebanon-based organisation, Mentor Arabia, will participate at Expo in Dubai during Health & Wellness Week, on February 1st – 2nd, 2022, to advocate for youth development issues.

Choice and Mentor will co-host a series of 45-minutes live sessions surrounding youth issues, each targeting high school students, parents, early childhood educators and professionals. The sessions will be high level seminars that aim to raise awareness about mental health topics, including prevention from risky behaviours, positive parenting and more.

Mentor Senior Programs Associate, Anthony Abi Zeid, will run sessions related to Mentor Arabia’s youth mentoring programs, and Mentor Arabia’s Scientific Board Member, Dr Bushra Kaddoura, will offer a session on positive parenting using “Building Blocks” and “Mother to Mother” as examples of interventions. Choice Foundation’s ambassador and certified speaker, Dr Keivan Javanshiri, will hold sessions on improving and preventing mental illness and an unhealthy lifestyle in adolescents.

Mentor Arabia has a strong regional network of CSR partners supporting youth development and mentoring in UAE and through-out the Middle East and expanding its mentoring movement in the Middle East is among key priorities.

Both Choice and Mentor have a mutual focus on supporting young people with knowledge and good decision-making through active mentorship and role-models. Both organisations aim to raise awareness around drug prevention and mentoring as a means of encouraging positive outcomes for youth.

“This partnership at Expo is a great opportunity to advocate for youth mentoring as a positive intervention that helps both youth and society as a whole. Our mutual goals make the collaboration a perfect fit,” says Cecilia Bernard, Secretary General at Mentor International.

Please visit us at the Swedish Pavilion at Expo 2020 in Dubai. Please contact Mentor International or Mentor Arabia for more information.

About Mentor International

Established in 1994 by H.M. Queen Silvia of Sweden in collaboration with members of the World Health Organization, Mentor International is a non-profit organization whose vision is a world where young people can grow and develop healthyand drug-free. Through the powerful tool mentorship, Mentor works to strengthen young people’s resilience and unleash their potential. Together with companies, schools and adults, Mentor implements programs for young people, provides support to parents, disseminates knowledge and forms opinion.

About Mentor Arabia

Mentor Arabia is a non-governmental organization working in the Arab region to promote healthy lifestyles among youth. An Arab world where children and youth are empowered to lead healthy lives and make sound decisions. To empower Arab children and youth to prevent them from risky behavior and drugs.

About Choice Foundation

Founded by Robert Åkesson in 2010, Choice is a non-profit organisation working with medical and psychology students to educate young people about alcohol, drugs and tobacco (ANT) from a medical perspective.  Choice volunteers work with middle school and high school students, as well as school staff, teachers and principals. More than 600 medical and psychology students have been certified by Choice. Today, operations are located throughout Sweden.

About Expo 2020

Expo 2020 is “the greatest showcase of human brilliance and achievement.” Expo is a World Expo, World’s Fair, currently hosted by Dubai in the United Arab Emirates from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022. Originally scheduled for 20 October 2020 to 10 April 2021, it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.