Qatar Foundation (QF) has launched a programme to identify and support the needs of bright, young students in Qatar. 
The initiative – titled Qatar Foundation Gifted Enrichment Programmes will be supported by the Johns Hopkins Centre for Talented Youth (CTY).
As part of a co-operation agreement between the two entities, CTY will offer a customised version of its Live Interactive Virtual Explorations (LIVE) programme for the QF initiative.   
The QF Gifted Enrichment Programmes will offer engaging online enrichment courses, developed and delivered by CTY expert instructors, to identify gifted learners. It is set to run from February 6 to April 10.
QF gifted education experts will be on hand to support students through in-person workshops, which adhere to Covid-19 safety protocols, at Qatar Academy for Science and Technology, a QF Pre-University Education (PUE) school. Cynthia Lynn Bolton, head of Gifted Support, PUE Academic Affairs, said, “We are delighted to announce the co-operative agreement with the Johns Hopkins Centre for Talented Youth – a global leader in gifted education. This programme will provide learning opportunities to gifted students in Qatar, something previously limited to just a handful of schools locally or programmes outside of the country. 
“At QF, we are dedicated to developing and applying innovative models and practices that can influence and continuously improve education across Qatar and the region. And the agreement with the Johns Hopkins Centre for Talented Youth is an example of this commitment.”
The CTY agreement will help the development of the Gifted Enrichment Programmes – an effort that will aim to serve schools and families across the country seeking support for their gifted students, including a summer programme scheduled to be launched at the end of June 2021. 
CTY draws upon its four decades of experience identifying and nurturing the academic talents of young students. The long-term aspiration of this co-operation is to serve gifted learners in Qatar, and to create a thriving and sustainable programme that can serve these students for years to come.