SHARM EL-SHEIKH – Enjoy, explore, and try – three words that epitomise the hugely popular event Freedom.e at the World Youth Forum in Sharm el-Sheikh.
Freedom.e brings people of different nationalities together through the common language of technology and ‘edutainment’.
For example, youngsters stage exhibitions of paintings capturing the beauty of Egypt. Indeed, this is one way to promote travel and tourism.
Participants can play electronic games and do competitions.
Forum Spokesperson Sarah Badr said Freedom.e encourages creativity and everybody has a collaborative learning experience.
“It has been a resounding success in the last three editions. Everybody makes a beeline for Freedom.e, which highlights the topics of the forum,” Badr added.
This year, the forum looked at the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the world and what action can be taken to combat coronavirus and make the world suitable for a post-Covid era.
In the 2018 and 2019, Freedom.e focused on tourism with an exhibition ‘Explore Egypt’, comprising rooms showcasing Egyptian culture, the Voice of Egypt room where you could hear Egyptian song classics, and a room for virtual tours of Egyptian cities: Luxor, Alexandria, Nuweiba and Siwa Oasis.
Travellers’ room was the place to find out about apps to facilitate travel and exchange of young people’s experiences of their holiday trips.
New Freedom.e events were staged, reflecting the theme of the forum, ‘Back Together’.
For personalised face masks, ‘Mask It’ was the place to go. Since face masks have become the norm, participants could make their own masks and capture their smiling images on film without having to remove the mandatory face covering.
‘Spin the wheel’ invited participants to perform an act of kindness or charity according to where the arrow landed.
Young people came away with their names or designs of their choice engraved on their watches and mobile phones thanks to state-of-the-art laser ‘Instant Engraving’ feature.
On the ‘Wall of gratitude’, participants could record the people and things for which they are thankful since the coronavirus pandemic has everyone more aware of the things they usually take for granted.
Some fancied a bike ride by Egypt’s most famous monuments. ‘Roam Around’ consisted of a rear projection and a bicycle. You could mount the machine and find yourself pedalling up the Avenue of Sphinxes.
Lastly, the Interactive Museum was the place to see pictures of inspiring, historical and influential figures such as Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum, world boxer Muhammad Ali, physicist Isaac Newton, ancient Egyptian Queen Nefertari, astronaut Neil Armstrong and aviator Amelia Earhart.
