Student teams from Al Yamamah University took part in the 14th Inter-College Environmental Public Speaking Competition, organized by the Emirates Environmental Group (EEG) in Dubai, November 26-27, 2014. They returned home triumphant. One team took first place in one of four categories, and another team took second place in the overall competition. The competition consisted of four categories in four environmental topics. Over 50 universities participated from the GCC and MENA region countries.
In the category that discussed the question, “How can a curriculum protect the environment?”, Omar Alhomidan, majoring in finance at COBA, gave an excellent presentation supported by a creative film made by members of the Media Club. See his presentation in the video below and read on to learn about it’s content and the Al Yamamah students who won first and third places.
Omar Alhomidan (presenter in the above video) proposed that a teacher-centered curriculum based on old theories and practices of rote learning, memorization and studying for exams does not help. The solution, according to Omar, is a learner-centered curriculum that promotes critical thinking and learner independence. He expressed that this is the only way to help students transfer knowledge into working actions that actively protect, enhance and preserve the environment. Omar engaged the audience with his skillful use of humor, his deep, confident voice and his thought-provoking content and examples. He finished in second place in his category. In the overall results, which determine the top three winners throughout the four categories, Omar was only one point away from winning first place.
Ohoud Alarifi, majoring in marketing at COBA, Women’s College, gave an excellent speech on the topic “Green Economy: Commitment & Responsibility.” She shared her experiences from being in the field of environment protection as a member of Greenpeace and a delegate to the Youth Forum in Tanzania in 2014. She stated that there is great potential for a sustainable green economy in Saudi Arabia, especially in the ecotourism sector. Her performance was very engaging and she successfully held the audience’s attention through the whole presentation with her eloquence, confidence and the content of her presentation. Ohoud won First Place in her category.
Mr. Khalid Alkhudair, Head of the Board of Trustees, was in Dubai and took time off to attend Hadeel Zakri’s presentation, “The more technology we create, the more pollution we produce.” Hadeel is majoring in marketing at COBA, Women’s College. Mr. Khalid Alkhudai commended her for her excellent performance and expressed his deep conviction that by providing such opportunities for our students, Al Yamamah can achieve its mission of preparing tomorrow’s generation of community leaders. Mr. Alkhudair also attended the closing ceremony and personally congratulated our winners, Ohoud and Omar, and wished them continuous success.