Sharjah Girl Guides Lead a Workshop for Children with Special Needs
A visit to Al Wafa School for Capacity Development focuses on strengthening their leadership and community participation skills.
Sharjah Girl Guides (SGG) recently conducted a capacity building workshop for 30 students with special needs and Down syndrome at the Wafa School for Capacity Development in Sharjah.
The institution, which falls under the umbrella of the Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services, has been active since 1984 and offers children in the age group of 5 to 16 years training, education, and rehabilitation in line with international best practices.
Under an instructor’s guidance, two Guides (aged 12 – 15 years) led the 30 participants through a colouring and collage-making activity, demonstrating a great deal of confidence, compassion and amiability along the way. At the end of the workshop, the children were given an informative lecture on one of the biggest celebrations in the Muslim world, and presented with colourful balloons to take home.
Shaikha Abdulaziz Al Shamsi, Manager of SGG, said: “Children with learning difficulties amd special needs have the right to participation, non-discrimination, survival, development and protection. At SGG, we place utmost importance in instilling values of compassion, empathy and tolerance in our young members and many our programmes are designed to inspire them to celebrate the diversity that exists in the world.
“Developing an unencumbered spirit of volunteerism is one of the pillars of SGG’s teachings, and this activity was organised with a special focus on developing the Guides’ spirit of selfless civic participation and in the process boost their self-confidence and understanding of leadership.”
Al Shamsi also highlighted the pivotal role being played by Al Wafa and similar institutions in the UAE to not only empowering persons with intellectual challenges, but sensitising the general public and raising their awareness about the ways in which the condition can be tackled and prevented, one of which is the integration of these children within the community through such activities.
Established in the UAE in Sharjah in 1973, the guiding movement subsequently spread to all seven emirates, giving rise to the Girl Guides Association of the United Arab Emirates in 1979. Operating under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah and Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs (SCFA), SGG aims to inspire and nurture future generations to become progressive global citizens by providing a platform to develop to their fullest potential.