The Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) announced the conclusion of the 9th edition of "TDRA Virtual Camp", which took place from 7 to 18 August 2023, with the participation of 2,700 students between 7 and 18 years old. This edition’s activities aimed at providing a range of digital expertise and skills to encourage the participants to follow the tech path in their future endeavors.
The closing ceremony, which was held virtually, was attended by H.E. Eng. Majed Sultan Al Mesmar, TDRA Director General. In his speech, H.E. Al Mesmar praised the wide participation in this year’s edition, as the number of trainees reached 30,000 students since its launch in 2015, in addition to the quality of ideas presented by the participants. He said: “Today, as we celebrate this new group of creative minds and their inspiring ideas that reflect the true spirit of innovation, we are certain of the success of the vision of TDRA Virtual Camp, and the wisdom of our wise leadership directives that the future is for those who create it, not for those who talk about it, and the bright ideas presented by our students, are a reflection of this wise vision.”
H.E. Al Mesmar added: “With the conclusion of the 9th edition of this initiative, which always renews our happiness with the achievements and creative ideas that address the emerging technology that shape the features of our future life, I assure our students that there is no limit to creativity, that tomorrow holds limitless opportunities, and that we, at TDRA, are committed to making every effort to pave the way towards the future of knowledge, hoping that your ideas and fruitful endeavors will illuminate the path in the second fifty of the union’s journey.”
The camp participants implemented more than 3,300 projects, with an increase of more than 20% in projects, compared to last year’s edition. The projects included 15 practical projects on artificial intelligence and machine learning, and 5 projects on generative artificial intelligence (ChatGPT), in addition to 12 awareness sessions on how to safely use technology, the advantages of sustainable technology, and 164 training videos on the main topics of this year’s edition. Participating students also received 80 hours of technical support accompanying the camp’s activities and events, and 10 hours of live broadcasting to guide students and respond to their inquiries.
During the camp closing ceremony, students who won the final prizes were honored. For the age group 7-12 years, the student Obaid Abdullah Al Suwaidi won the gold medal, the student Lamar Muhammad Hamza won the silver medal, and the student Rawda Muhammad Al Mansouri won the bronze medal. As for the 13-18 age group, student Mansour Muhammad Al-Shibli won the gold medal, student Taif Ahmed Abdel Jalil won the silver medal, and student Aousha Khaled Al-Muhairthe won the bronze medal. The closing ceremony also included presentations by the winning students with detailed explanation of their projects.
“TDRA Virtual Camp” is part of TDRA’s community awareness initiatives aiming to spread awareness in the community. As part of this initiative, TDRA implements two camps per year, in summer and winter, which focus on modern technologies and acquiring the necessary skills that the younger generation needs in their academic and professional lives, thus encouraging the spirit of innovation and driving creative talents to take the initiative in this direction.