To all attendees,

It is my pleasure and honor to welcome you to the 9^th annual Qatar Leadership Conference.

Foremost, I would like to extend a whole-hearted congratulations to each and every one of you taking part here this week. At a time where our day-to-day lives have seemingly been put on hold, you have managed to find the will to press on and continue to grow. At a time where we were not sure what to believe from the mass media, the public nor the people closest to us, you searched within yourself and stayed true to what you thought was right. At a time where hundreds of thousands did not hear, see or feel how seriously our world was hurting, you all listened, learned and took action in order to revive our world, slowly but surely and safely, to what it once was. And for that feat alone, I would like to salute you all for the bravery and courage that you have demonstrated throughout this year.

Furthermore, I would like to express my sincerest appreciation towards the student participants, presenters and executive teams that have helped to bring this conference to fruition. It goes without saying that their dedication to developing and perfecting their workshop sessions, as well as the participants’ eagerness to learn and grow as active members of their community are all at the heart of what QLC embodies. The fantastic conference coordinators and I have had the privilege and joy of overseeing and experiencing the many exciting, emotional and eye-opening workshops that are in store for you over these past few months, and have been astonished by the vast ingenuity that the presenters have delivered before us. Without their passion, this conference would surely not have been possible.

QLC 2020 is the time and the place for all the student participants and presenters to challenge themselves like they have never done before – to go above and beyond their comfort zones to express who they are, where they are from and what they are hoping to achieve moving forwards as the future generation of leaders. That is our vision – to create and celebrate the driving force that is the youth’s voice.

With over eighty-plus workshops scheduled throughout the week that span across all sectors of interests, ranging from political and communication-based sciences all the way to film, mental health and sustainable living, attendees are guaranteed to walk away from this conference having successfully networked with keen-minded individuals their own age, expanded their current scope of understanding on both published and underground issues as well as having made a lifetime of memories along the way.

With that being said, I would like to remind all the attendees to make an impact; to listen and to learn, and to ask any and all questions that you may have. Share your findings and aspirations to those around you, and do not be scared to network with the influential figures that you may come across whilst at QLC 2020. As soon as you find something special to you – something that genuinely resonates deep within - jump on that opportunity. Grab the bull by the horns and steer your future down a path of change that you want to see.

Kind regards,

Michael Berendt