Ma’an Launches 2022 Edition Of The ‘Exchange’ Social Innovation Platform

The Authority of Social Contribution – Ma’an launched today the second edition of the ‘Exchange’ at the Galleria, Al Maryah Island in Abu Dhabi.

The opening ceremony drew the participation of Her Excellency Salama Al Ameemi, Director General of Ma’an.

Themed ‘Collaborate for Good,’ the second edition of the ‘Exchange’; is convened as part of Ma’an’s efforts to drive social innovation and encourage a culture of community participation and contribution to find solutions to social priorities in Abu Dhabi.  Running from 16 to 29 March, 2022, the social innovation space by Ma’an to find inspiration and meet like-minded people who are passionate about helping others in Abu Dhabi.

Commenting on the launch, Her Excellency Salama Al Ameemi, Director General of Ma’an, said: “Ma’an is committed to providing various sectors of Abu Dhabi society with innovative platforms that enable them to actively participate in programs that deliver a measurable social impact to fulfillAbu Dhabi’s social priorities. To achieve this goal, we mobile our collective efforts through strengthening partnership between public, private, and third sectors.”

“In Abu Dhabi, our wise leadership is keen to provide all society segments with equal opportunity to participate in building a cohesive and collaborative community where everyone enjoys the highest quality of life. Through this social innovation space, we aim to offer a platform for all our partners and stakeholders, especially the Abu Dhabi community, to explore and contribute to the efforts being made to tackle various social priorities.

“The ‘Exchange’platform allows us to engage with community members, entrepreneurs, startups, third sector enterprises and passionate people with creative ideas to turn them into innovative projects and support Abu Dhabi community inits efforts to address various social priorities. It also enables us to collaborate with prominent experts, speakers, and investors who care about social issues to benefit from their expertise, knowledge and investments to deliver social impact and enhance community participation,” Al Ameemi added.

SOCIAL CERTIFICATE

On the opening day of the ‘Exchange 2022’, Ma’an launched the UAE’s first social certificate to ensure the sustainable growth of companies with a social impact in their competitive markets.

The certificate aims to support companies with a social purpose to be recognized as social enterprises locally and internationally, and to become part of a network of social enterprises in the UAE.

By having the social certificate, companies will be recognised as social enterprise that gives their business a unique selling point and differentiate it from the normal business, Besides being part of a bigger network of social enterprises, boost your market credibility while providing access to several incentives and benefits offered by Ma’an.

Other advantages of the certification include access to mentoring and guidance from experts in the social sector, financial support, office space and related facilities, education and development support, and affiliation to an exclusive network of social enterprises.

The agenda of the ‘Exchange 2022’ features a diverse selection of inspirational speakers who share their learnings, motivations and social ideas covering a broad array of areas, ranging from Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), social entrepreneurship and social investment, to volunteering and social priorities. Visitors can also learn more about Ma’an’s mission, discover volunteering opportunities and take steps towards fostering their own social enterprises.

The ‘Exchange’ is open to public from Wednesday, 18 March until Tuesday, 29 March 2022, from 10am-8pm, at 2nd floor in The Galleria Al Maryah Island, Abu Dhabi.