Countdown: Earth's largest space festival, U.N. declared World Space Week

September 29, 2013, Vienna, Austria:   World Space Week (WSW), the world's largest annual celebration of space, science, and technology and their contribution to the betterment of the human condition and life on earth kicks off on this week, Thursday, October 4th, running one week, until Wednesday, October 10th.

Free festivities such as space fashion shows, space art contests, space displays, exhibits and demonstrations with rockets and robots, stargazing, special planetarium sessions to name a few, will take place in over 90 nations including Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and UAE.

Schools, government organizations, specialty clubs, and private citizens are encouraged to join in the celebration by attending upcoming local events or inventing their own space related activities and events and then posting details and contact information to the global World Space Week online calendar.

Created by the U.N. General Assembly to mark the signing of the Outer Space Treaty which occurred Oct. 10, 1967 and Russia's historic and successful mission into space with Sputnik 1 on Oct. 4, 1957 which lead the way for space exploration. The annual event draws over 30 million participants worldwide.

Visit www.worldspaceweek.org for general information and country calendar of events For detailed information and local support, please email wsw@ayvf.org

Visit www.spaceyouth.com

About World Space Week World Space Week is an international celebration of science and technology and their contribution to the betterment of the human condition. Created in 1999 by the U.N. General Assembly to mark the signing of the Outer Space Treaty which occurred Oct. 10, 1967 and Russia's historic and successful mission into space with Sputnik 1 on Oct. 4, 1957 which lead the way for space exploration. World Space Week's theme for 2011 is 'Human Space Flight'.

About The World Space Week AssociationWorld Space Week is lead by the World Space Week Association, a non-government, non-profit organization which is operated by national coordinators in over 90 nations. It is led by an all volunteer Board of Directors that includes Elon Musk, Buzz Aldrin, Tom Hanks, Bill Nye, Lisa LaBonte and space leaders from around the world. World Space Week is supported by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs.

About the Arab Youth Venture Foundation:Founded in 2007 in the United Arab Emirates, AYVF is an innovation lab and idea factory bringing to life initiatives that nurture the innovative spirits and critical thinking skills of youth across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). AYVF's innovative programs empower the next generation of scientific researchers, engineers, inventors, corporate leaders and entrepreneurs in the region while fueling a pipeline of talent that support GCC governments' economic diversification goals while fostering science diplomacy among nations.

AYVF began by delivering dynamic weekend science festivals in leading UAE Malls with activities focused on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, aerospace, math), art and literacy for the 6-12 segment and has since directly engaged over 32,000 kids across 62 nationalities. In 2010 AYVF became the national coordinator for World Space Week in Bahrain, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and UAE.

AYVF is best known for its groundbreaking educational alliance with NASA and its historic UAE NASA internship program as well as spearheading the launch of the Arabian Gulf's (GCC's) first United Nations Association in support of civics and global leadership skills building while doubling the number of Model UN clubs in the nation.

As a start-up incubator aimed at empowering up and coming Arab entrepreneurs, AYVF created and spun-off its first company under 100% Arab ownership, Space Ed-Ventures, focused on space camps and space education for the junior and high school demographic.