SCHS ORGANIZES A BRAINSTORMING SESSION
On Tuesday, October 2, 2018, Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services (SCHS) organized a brainstorming session in the field of humanitarian services in collaboration with United Arab Emirates National Commission for Education, Culture, Science, and the affiliated schools of UNESCO. A large number of students attended the event in order to encourage the positive contributions of youngsters in humanitarian services, focusing on this field, raise people’s awareness of its importance as well as supporting persons with disabilities in every area of life by facilitating education and stimulate their active participation in society by using educational channels and Information Technology.
Ms. Amal Al Koos, Secretary-General of United Arab Emirates National Commission for Education, Culture, and Science, appreciated the advanced level of SCHS in offering services to persons with disabilities according to the best practices worldwide.
She said, “In last July, three schools operating under the umbrella of SCHS joined UNESCO network of schools. These schools are SCHS Early Intervention Center, Al Wafa School for Capacity Development and Al Amal School for the Deaf. They are the first schools for special needs to join the network”.
She pointed out that today’s brainstorming session is part of other sessions conducted to attract creative and distinguished youngsters in UAE so they can think together and suggest solutions for local and international issues in every area of life.
She also pointed out the importance of focusing on humanitarian services sector and supporting it due to its importance in UAE. Therefore, public and private bodies must recruit information technology to raise awareness of humanitarian services sector and encourage the active participation of youngsters with disabilities in every area of life.
In the beginning of the session, the Director of SCHS Mrs. Mona Abdel Karim delivered a lecture entitled (Respectful Disability Language) in which she explained in details the terminology that people should use to address persons with disabilities without insulting them or causing embarrassment. For example, people should not say (Mongolian) instead; they should say persons with Down syndrome. People should not say dumb instead; they should say persons with hearing impairment. Dr. Samia Mohamed Saleh, Director of Al-Wafaa School for Capacity Development, has confirmed that this lecture is part of schools preparations for the informative campaign aiming at raising people’s awareness of mental disability, which the school is going to organize in the upcoming February to introduce non-disabled students to respectful disability language. The interaction of students in painting and coloring workshops, which gathered them with their peers in Al-Wafaa School for Capacity Development, was remarkable.
During the session, students formulated five groups to discuss means of supporting persons with disabilities, enhance the concept of happiness in the field of humanitarian services, and raise people’s awareness of mental disability through education. This would encourage the positive contribution of youngsters in humanitarian services, focusing on this field, raise people’s awareness of its importance as well as supporting persons with disabilities in every area of life by facilitating education and active participation in society by using educational channels and Information Technology.
To conclude, Dr. Samia has pointed out the importance of raising people’s awareness of the rights of persons with disabilities such as education, integration, empowerment, and advocacy throughout consolidating the concept of social responsibility. She called upon individuals and institutes to realize the deep meanings of this concept and work accordingly for a better chance of success