The word ‘volunteer’ may not be widespread in Arab culture, but there are words that have similar meaning and are an essential part of life in the UAE. One of these words is ‘al fazza’ – one who helps people without expecting a reward. And, as evidenced by the high number of volunteers at the FIRST Global Challenge 2019 in Dubai, citizens and residents of the UAE are familiar with this concept.

The volunteering crew has 780 members spanning 78 nationalities – 630 Emiratis and 150 expats – who speak 43 languages. Women dominate at 78 percent, while men account for 22 percent. The volunteers range from 17- to 72-year-olds, which proves that age is no barrier when it comes to love for technology.

The diverse professional backgrounds of the volunteers are all too evident with engineers and doctors working as one unit alongside students. The teams are divided into three groups: Technical, Operations, and Guest Services that includes escorts, media relations, airport meet-and-greet, and transportation.

The volunteers started their training a month before the launch of the event. Eng Mohammed Al Shatri, Manager of the Organizing Department, notes that as the first AI event in the Middle East, the Challenge provides an opportunity for volunteers to learn a unique set of skills. He says: “The volunteering program is highly professional. Out of 4,800 candidates, we chose 780 volunteers in three stages that included oral interviews, written tests, and practical evaluation.”

Abdulsalam Al Hammadi, Head of the Judging Section Volunteers, said: “The Judging Section is responsible for scoring the teams according to a variety of technical and non-technical criteria that include originality, enthusiasm, international solidarity, global journey, collaboration, engineering design, innovation, quality of technical documentation, safety, and mentor.”

He added: “The judges must apply equal standards to the participating teams. There are 35 judges from the UAE and 30 judges from other countries, divided into 20 groups of three. No one is allowed to judge a team of their own country to ensure a neutral evaluation.”

Athletes are prominently represented among the volunteers. Maryam Al Balooshi, Technical Director of the Volunteers Team, practices judo, while Faisal Al Ketbi, Deputy Technical Director of the Volunteer Team, has a black belt in jiu-jitsu. When the two heard about Dubai’s intention to host the FIRST Global Challenge 2019, they were brimming with enthusiasm because they were keen to learn about artificial intelligence and robotics. Maryam and Faisal are enjoying the atmosphere of the event that is different from their previous volunteering experiences.

Volunteerism has long been an integral part of the UAE culture as well as the government efforts to promote sustainable development and build a better future for the new generations. The country has multiple entities that organize community service activities and volunteering at events such as Expo 2020. Initiatives that encourage volunteering include UAE Volunteers, the National Volunteer Program for Emergencies, Crises and Disasters, Takatof, SANID, We Are All Police, the Dubai Volunteering Center, Dubai Cares, Sandooq Al Watan, and Volunteering Incubators.