It was organized by the Youth Research and Studies Center "Murshad" affiliated with the Specialized Council for Youth Associations.

This was what happened in the session Design Thinking as a Strategic Tool for Innovating Virtual Youth Programs presented by my teacher Professor Dr. Yasser Al-Shahri — one of the calm minds that practices deep thinking and teaches creativity as an ethical responsibility before being a technical skill.

Not all sessions pass through the audience's memory without impact; some leave an impression akin to a “shift” in the way of thinking.

Between the Professor and His Students: A Relationship Beyond the Classroom

In this session, he reaffirmed that principle when discussing “design thinking” not as a borrowed term from Western innovation schools, but as a method that can be cultivated in the Saudi and youth environment to yield a deeper understanding of human needs before solutions.

He always reminded us that thought is not complete unless it walks on its feet towards reality.

Since my university days, I was accustomed to Dr. Yasser's precision in combining theory and practice.

He spoke with the mind of a thinker, with the heart of an educator, and with the wisdom of one who sees that innovation is not made by intelligence as much as it is made by listening.

The Essence of the Proposal: Humanizing Innovation

The focus of the session revolved around a central idea that Dr. Al-Shahri expressed clearly:

“Solutions do not start from technology, but from humanity.”

Thus, he emphasized the stage of empathy (Empathize) as the backbone of any successful design, for those who do not empathize cannot innovate what touches actual needs.

From his perspective, youth programs are not products to be designed, but experiences to be lived with them, and their construction is to be shared.

This simple principle – which is the essence of design thinking – transformed in his discourse into a comprehensive value framework that rearranges the relationship between the designer and the beneficiary.

I felt, as I listened to him, that the discussion was not about a professional tool, but about a philosophy of human thought that calls the educator and decision-maker to humility before human experience.

From Definition to Application: Design Thinking in the Youth Field

But more importantly, he did not leave the methodology in its academic dimension; he demonstrated how it can be employed in the context of value fortification for youth, by integrating values, judgments, and behaviors into a single digital experience that promotes virtue in a modern and inspiring way.

He introduced the five stages (empathy, definition, ideation, prototyping, testing) as an interconnected system that each youth association or educational institution can utilize in designing their virtual programs.

What distinguished Dr. Yasser's presentation was his ability to simplify complexity without compromising scientific depth.

He clearly illustrated – as a knowledgeable expert – that values are not instilled through indoctrination, but are designed through experiences that make the youth feel they are part of the idea, not its object.

From University to Community: The Extension of Knowledge

What struck me most was that he was able to bridge the gap between the university classroom and the nonprofit work field, clarifying that universities are not places for indoctrinating concepts, but platforms for producing new awareness that can lead sectors toward innovation and sustainability.

There was in his tone a reflection of experience, and in his examples an indication of his long exposure to youth programs in reality.

Dr. Al-Shahri spoke about design thinking as a teacher speaks about a life he believes in.

The session felt as if it were a meeting between academic thought and social application, where theory settled on the ground of volunteer work, turning design thinking into not just a training tool, but a key to leading social change.

Lessons in Leadership and Thought

Among the phrases that struck me during the session was his saying:

“An idea that is not tested remains a beautiful assumption.”

Therefore, he called for adopting prototypes, and testing them in small environments before scaling up, to minimize failure and maximize learning.

He believes that knowledge without experience is half awareness, and design is not measured by its theoretical beauty but by its ability to endure in the field of application.

This short phrase encapsulates the essence of the methodological work that Dr. Al-Shahri adopts;

he is a model of intellectual leadership that respects experience more than impression, and believes that great ideas start small but are precise in their understanding of humanity.

Values Beyond the Curriculum

His proposal extended a philosophical school of thought that sees genuine creativity as inseparable from ethics, and that youth programs which do not respect humanity as an end will remain insufficient no matter how advanced their technology.

Through his balanced discourse, I realized that Dr. Yasser deeply connects design thinking with our Islamic and human values, when he reminds us that intention, benevolence, understanding reality, and compassion for people are all pathways to more authentic and less superficial innovation.

The session was not just a lesson in “how to design,” but in “why we design.”

The Impact of the Meeting: In Thought and Practice

What Dr. Yasser did in this meeting was that he presented to us a methodology that liberates creativity from randomness and makes it a practice whose impact can be measured and developed.

We, the workers in this sector, are in dire need of this type of thinking that starts from human need and ends with responsible innovation.

After the session, I realized that design thinking is not just a “skill to add to my professional toolkit,” but a new lens through which I view the entire nonprofit work.

A Final Insight

A professor who carried knowledge with the demeanor of scholars, presented it in the language of educators, and left it to grow in his students an expansive meaning of innovation, and a deeper understanding of humanity.

This is Dr. Yasser Al-Shahri:

When a professor leaves the hall but not his impact from the minds of his students, it is proof that he was not teaching a subject, but planting thought.

Rather, a new language for understanding humanity and building hope in the minds of the next generation.

I left the session more convinced that design thinking is not just a tool for developing youth programs,