Happiness Talks supports UAE's pursuit of happiness

Dubai - The speakers included students and faculty from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Dubai

Fifteen speakers took to the stage in the run up to the International Day of happiness - through the platform Happiness Talks - to share their voices for happiness and giving to make UAE and the world a better place.
The speakers included students and faculty from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Dubai, who were keen to contribute to the spreading happiness initiative.
This March, Happiness Talks collaborated with the World Speech Day to spread happiness not just in the UAE but across the globe. Now taglined as a "Weapon of Mass Happiness", Happiness talks is a CSR initiative, a free-to-attend event to support the UAE Happiness Initiative and the Year of Giving to spread true inner happiness amongst the community here in the UAE.
Talks about giving, empathy, emotional intelligence, gratitude, inner happiness, happiness as a choice, well-being, health, relationships, purpose and meaning of life for increasing happiness levels, were delivered live for the audience, to learn and adopt from. The event was also streamed live globally through the World speech Day platform and was viewed by thousands across the globe live.
Reg Athwal, a world renowned public speaker, author and entrepreneur, was the main speaker who awed the audience with his talk about 'Unleashing their DNA of Happiness'. His stories about the need for people to explore and unleash their internal and external happiness left the audience introspecting. "Involving students and their thoughts to make a difference in the community here and the world felt so good," said Mashal Waqar, a student at RIT Dubai.
"We had a chance to speak our heart out and make a contribution to make the UAE and the world a better place and that is such an awesome feeling," said Hannah Shibu, another student.
One of the speakers Ghanim Al Falasi, SVP, People Happiness Department at Dubai Silicon Oasis, said: "We are in the process of creating a weapon of mass happiness. This is what this initiative of Happiness Talks is about. We want to go to the masses with happiness message and live the vision of our leadership to make the UAE the happiest country on earth."
Simon Gibson, founder and organiser of the World Speech Day, congratulated Happiness Talks in conducting such a spectacular event from Dubai. He said: "World Speech Day has been a huge hit worldwide, with more than 80 countries participating. So often, people think of a city or a region's contribution in terms of wealth, but the World Speech Day has shown that in the future, its true worth will be in the value of its ideas. Happiness Talks from Dubai was an example of just that. Sharing their experiences and need for happiness and giving to make the country and the world a better place was received so well by thousands who were glued to the sessions conducted from Dubai."
Rehan Naeem, organiser of the event and chief happiness enabler at firm Touch Points, said: "Happiness Talks today has not just facilitated happiness in the community here, but has now taken the message with motivation and results from Dubai to the world."
saman@khaleejtimes.com
Happiness Talks supports UAE initiative
Happiness Talks is a CSR initiative to support the UAE Happiness Initiative and the Year of Giving to spread true inner happiness amongst the community here in the UAE.
Delivered on a monthly basis, Happiness Talks is a free-to-attend event for people from all walks of life to learn from and increase their happiness levels for a better and fulfilling life. The next event in the series will be conducted in April, to share new and unique ways of enabling happiness for self and others.
UAE's pursuit of happiness
The UAE celebrates International Happiness Day today. Here are a few things you must know about the UAE and its quest for bringing happiness to residents
> The UAE topped the list of Arab countries in the Global Happiness Index for 2014, 2015 and 2016
> The UAE was the first country in the world to establish a ministry for happiness in 2016 to ensure the community's happiness
> 2017 was announced as the Year of Giving, which aims to create a happy society, as giving and charity are considered the keys to happiness
> A national programme for happiness and positivity was approved by the UAE Cabinet that aims to make happiness a lifestyle in the community

• Dubai