1. arabian 6
the arabian sun
The Arabian Sun is a weekly pub-
lication issued free of charge by
the Public Relations Department
for Saudi Aramco employees.
Publishing Director: Haitham Jehairan
Editors: Jamsheed Din, Todd Williams
Editorial staff: Musherf Alamri, Eamonn
Houston, Scott Baldauf, and Jeff
McCoshen.
Correspondence may be addressed
to the editor, North Admin Build-
ing, Room AN-1080, C-05A.
Articles may be reproduced provid-
ed The Arabian Sun is credited.
North Admin Building, Room AN-
1080, C-05A, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Telephone (013) 876-0374
Email: publishing@aramco.com
ISSN: 1319-156X
Saugata Nandy captured this image of the sun
as it set on Ras Tanura this summer. Nandy used
a Canon EOS 70D camera with an f/5 exposure
at 1/3200 second shutter speed to capture the
image. Nandy, who is an engineer with the
R&NGLF Capital Efficiency Department, lives
in Ras Tanura and has been with the company
since January 2015.
the sun smiles on Ras Tanura
Dhahran — More than two dozen young
students of leadership and communica-
tions skills recently graduated from the
Saudi Aramco Toastmasters Club’s semi-
annual Youth Leadership Program (YLP).
The graduation marked the culmination
of five months of moving beyond comfort
zones, overcoming fears of vulnerability,
and reaching new levels of boldness.
Designed to help individuals between
the ages of 13 and 17 build speaking and
leadership competencies, the program
came to Dhahran in 2008 under the aus-
pices of YLP coordinators Soliman Almadi
and Haider Al-Haj. It is seen as a way to
develop students’ potential to build lead-
ership skills in various businesses, indus-
tries, and communities, as well as prepare
them for adult level Toastmasters clubs.
“When we started, we had a goal of
having 1,000 youngsters finish this pro-
gram,” said Almadi. “We’re now at
around 400. These youngsters are getting
a 10- to 15-year head start on most other
people, so imagine what they will be able
to do,” he said.
The YLP looks to provide essential skills
want to gain confidence? new life skills? try the YLP
— arguably one of the toughest tasks to
perform. Almadi said he was especially
proud of the number of young Saudi fe-
males who successfully navigated a steep
learning curve to complete the program.
For participant Sarah Aljishi, the program
helped build her confidence with pub-
lic speaking. “It gave me the strength to
overcome the fear of the stage. Original-
ly, I was scared to talk in front of a lot of
people, but I followed the evaluation, and
now I feel good that I have improved.”
Malak Al-Madani said the program al-
lowed her to explore her interests, which
have had a strong influence on her life.
She expressed her gratitude to the coor-
dinators for being encouraging and sup-
portive.
Kareem Almadi said when he first got on
stage, he was shy. After seeing puzzled ex-
pressions on faces in the audience, he re-
alized he needed to refine his speeches. “I
fixed my speeches and made them better
overall. Now, the faces are smiling.”
Lana Daraiseh said she used to despise
presenting in school projects. “Now, I’m
more comfortable and when there’s a pre-
sentation, I feel like it’s much easier.”
by Kainat Qazi
in communication and future success such
as listening carefully to others, organiz-
ing and presenting thoughts coherently
and convincingly, and speaking impromp-
tu. The apprentices also learn to evaluate
others, participate in and lead group dis-
cussions and meetings, and even role play
management positions.
Students were required to finish two
speeches: an icebreaker and a topic tai-
lored to a passion of theirs. These exercises
involved a self-reflection segment, pressing
speakers to pen what they learned from
the sessions and how identified strengths
and weaknesses could improve their public
speaking abilities.
graduation
At the graduation ceremony, partici-
pants showcased how far they’ve come in
their journeys. Each student held the mi-
crophone on stage one last time for col-
leagues, directors, and beaming parents
alike, speaking on topics such as “Texting
while Walking,” “Unsafe Driving in Sau-
di,” “Pollution,” and “Wasting Food.”
Students then answered unscripted
questions as part of a Table Topics session
long-lasting benefits
Al-Haj said retention remains difficult,
as demands from school and other ac-
tivities sometimes make it difficult for
participants. However, he noted that the
testimonies and successes of other YLP
graduates help to encourage others.
Graduates who wish to continue prac-
ticing their proficiency in public speaking
have the opportunity to join the Gavel
Club — a youth level Toastmasters group
started in 2013. Soliman Almadi noted
that he wants seasoned “Gaveliers” to
conduct workshops for YLP participants to
expand student-on-student learning and
mentorship.
YLP has already had an impact outside
the Kingdom’s shores. Al-Haj recounts re-
marks he once received after happening
upon a 2008 alumnus of the program at
a shopping mall in Houston: “He thanked
me because his university had recom-
mended him (after he had showed them
his YLP certificate), and he told me how it
even impacted his major.”