3000 STUDENTS IN (CHILDHOOD OF THON)
More than 3000 male and female students from schools affiliated with the Sharjah Education Council and the Sharjah Special Education Authority, along with their peers from Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services (SCHS) students, participated in the morning of Monday, November 22, 2021, in the recreational and educational activity (Childhood of Thon). The city’s Early Intervention Center organized the event under the sponsorships of the Sharjah Sports Council in Khalid bin Mohammed Stadium to mark (Early Intervention Week), which the center celebrates annually in conjunction with the anniversary of its foundation, November 26, 1993.
The Commander-in-Chief of Sharjah Police, Major General Saif Al Zari Al Shamsi, His Excellency Issa Hilal Al Hezami, Chairman of the Sharjah Sports Council, His Excellency Abdul Malik Muhammad Jani, Vice Chairman of the Sharjah Sports Council, attended the event, which began with the national anthem. A number of city officials and a large audience were present as well.
After the military band of the Police Academy at the General Command of the Sharjah Police presented a group of enthusiastic patriotic pieces, the activities of “Thon’s Childhood” were launched under the supervision of dozens of volunteers from the city and abroad. Students participated in sports and entertainment competitions that included a simulation of disability. This aims at integrating and consolidating cooperation between the city and community institutions in accordance with international best practices.
Mr. Mohamed Fawzy, Director of the Early Intervention Center, confirmed that the main objective of (Thon’s Childhood) is to integrate children with disabilities with their non-disabled peers and raise their awareness of accepting differences, dealing with respect and providing support when needed.
He explained that the center organizes the event for the third time, as Al Majaz Waterfront hosted the first edition in 2017. Then, the center organized it for the second time in 2019 at Al-Alam Island. Today, the Centre organized the third session at Khalid Bin Mohammed Stadium in a clear confirmation of the importance of raising awareness of the issues of persons with disabilities and their right to integration and education in accordance with international best practices.
Fawzi spoke about the leadership of Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services. The city was the first to introduce the service of early detection and intervention in the region through its establishment of the Early Intervention Center. He pointed out that the services provided by the center are appropriate educational, preventive and curative interventions at an early stage. Therefore, parents must realize the importance of early detection and intervention. He asked them to follow-up with the Centre continuously to achieve the best results.
Regarding the activities of the Early Intervention Week, Mr. Muhammad said that it would include a set of surveys and examinations in schools and kindergartens. In addition to many awareness lectures. He also said that the Center has been organizing the survey program since 2006 in order to reach children in kindergartens, nurseries and schools and to detect early cases of delays in growth or disability to provide appropriate services and reduce the gap between developmental delay and chronological age as much as possible.
At the end of the event, the city honored main sponsor (Sharjah Sports Council) and their media partner (Sharjah Radio and Television Corporation). Special thanks went to city's partners, Sharjah Police General Command, Sharjah Education Council, Sharjah Private Education Authority, Dubai Drums, Smart Fitness and Souq Jubail.