Postcards to Space — An initiative to boost children’s interest in space exploration

DUBAI: Emirates Post Group (EPG) recently launched the “Postcards to Space” initiative in partnership with “Club for the Future”, a private foundation established by Blue Origin, “UAE Space Agency”, “Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre” (MBRSC), and “AzurX”.

The initiative, which is in line with EPG’s celebrations of the UAE’s Golden Jubilee, was unveiled to increase the interest of the youth and the future generation in space exploration, which has been identified as one of the vital pillars to building a sustainable and knowledge-driven economy.

The “Postcards to Space” initiative reaches more than 10,000 students from schools across the Emirates, especially from the primary/elementary education level, encouraging them to express their vision for the UAE in the next fifty years through dedicated postcards designed for this initiative.

Various school visits across the country began on November 28, and in the new school term, EPG will also invite students to visit key Emirates Post Customer Happiness Centres to inform them about the importance of the postal and logistics sector in the country, in addition to organising workshops on the “Postcards to Space” initiative.

The postcards will be transported by Emirates Post, the UAE’s official postal operator and leading express provider, to the United States of America. The cards will then be placed onboard Blue Origin rockets and sent into space. “Flown to Space” will be stamped on each postcard before being returned to the students as a special souvenir on the occasion of the UAE’s Golden Jubilee.

Abdulla Mohammed Alashram, GCEO, Emirates Post Group, said, “We consider the ‘Postcards to Space’ initiative a milestone and an important part of our commemoration of the country’s Golden Jubilee. This new initiative reflects our relentless efforts to encourage and motivate our young generation to be proactive in shaping the future of the Emirates for the next 50 years especially in the areas of space exploration, science and technology, and engineering, which are pivotal disciplines to the UAE’s continuous development and sustainability. Through ‘Postcards to Space’, we aim to also educate our youth about the pivotal role of the postal sector in the country’s economic growth.”

Michael Edmonds, President, Club for the Future, said, “Joining with leading global organisations is necessary to increase the interest of youth in STEM careers. We want to ensure their contributions to building a nation that emphasises innovation, technology, and space exploration for the benefit of Earth.”

Fahad AlMheiri, the Associate Partner at AzurX, added, “As Blue Origin’s UAE and regional representative, it is a privilege to bring International, UAE Government, and private entities together to initiate the ‘Postcards to Space’ initiative on this momentous occasion of the UAE Golden Jubilee, and get the youth inspired to think big and bold looking ahead to the next 50 years of the nation from Space.”

WAM