More than 7.6 million young people around the world have been reached by the Islamic Conference Youth Forum for Dialogue and Cooperation (ICYF-DC), an organization affiliated with the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) during the coronavirus pandemic, said the head of ICYF Taha Ayhan Friday.

During a meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Ayhan – who has led the rapid development and transformation of the group after becoming president of ICYF – said that 67 OIC clubs were established in 26 countries. He added that around 117 clubs in 37 countries are currently in the establishment phase.

Referring to cooperation with more than 400 international youth non-governmental organizations worldwide, Ayhan stated that they have brought together leaders from all around the world such as entrepreneurs, investors, young businessmen, opinion leaders and artists.

Saying that ICYF has done all of its work online during the coronavirus outbreak, Ayhan added that the organization’s activities have reached more than 7.6 million people. Around 2,500 young people participated in programs interactively.

In late May, ICYF, which represents Muslim youth all around the world, launched an Online Volunteering Training program with the participation of 100 young people from more than 50 countries to highlight the importance of volunteering amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"Volunteering activities would provide youth the abilities to cooperate and learn conflict resolution. That is why young people with volunteering experience have more chances to have better performance in their education and business life as well as a high possibility to succeed in life as a whole," Ayhan said.

Young people participating in the Online Volunteering Training program will receive advanced course on volunteering by leading experts from respectable institutions such as the United Nations Volunteers, the Turkish Red Crescent, Medisina and the University of Hamad Bin Khalifa.

Although the previous training took place in destinations such as Antalya, Doha and Baku, due to the pandemic, this year the forum decided to conduct the meeting through an online training program.

Ayhan also emphasized that training youth on volunteering would contribute to the establishment of a young network of volunteers while intensifying intercultural ties.