As dignitaries and industry leaders discussed Jazan’s economic promise during the Jazan Economic Forum last week, the iThra Youth initiative kept busy with the promise of Jazan’s minds. The iThra Youth initiative, launched by the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, is the cultural arm of Saudi Aramco. The initiative hosted a five-day event that started with the iThra Lab and concluded with the iThra Youth Gathering. More than 14,500 visitors flocked from across Jazan to attend the interactive program, which covered science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects. Women, men and children took part in the science experiments, as the iThra Lab covered discoveries, solving math problems, and brainstorming in various fields. School students visited from the southern border governorates — 95 km away from Jazan. The number of students visiting iThra Lab reached 500, while the number of primary and preparatory schools reached 35. Meanwhile, the iThra Youth Gathering allowed visitors to meet new celebrities such as Yasser Bekr, Mohammed Ba-Zaid, and Abdul Majid Al-Kanani, with the participation of Abdullah Al-Maghlouth, Ali Shneymir and Hadi Faqihi. The film “Sawah” was shown, which is about Jazan and was first shown during the iThra competition for new media held in December. The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, through the iThra Youth initiative, holds many programs and activities that focus on STEM and the arts in an engaging and fun environment. The initiative is striving to reach 2 million youths by 2020. The events were attended by Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources HE Ali I. Al-Naimi, Saudi Aramco’s president and CEO Khalid A. Al-Falih, and the undersecretary at Jazan governorate, Dr. Abdullah Al-Suwaidi. Also attending were many of the region’s VIPs, social networking personalities, and young people, especially from the University of Jazan.