Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) is presenting innovative sessions and knowledge-rich sustainability-themed workshops that will be offered for Dubai Public Library members in November and conducted through clubs, including the ‘Book Club’, ‘Crochet Club’, ‘Photography Club,’ ‘Leadership Club,’ and ‘Wiki Club,’ all of which fall under the umbrella of the School of Life project. The project aims to promote positive thinking and build and develop cultural, creative, and life skills for individuals in the community. Additionally, it focuses on nurturing and refining the abilities of emerging talents in various arts and cultural fields.
These educational sessions, presented in both Arabic and English, will allow participants to explore sustainable practices, discuss valuable books, and learn about creating impactful content. This initiative aligns with Dubai Culture’s commitment to creating a creative environment within the Dubai Public Libraries and comes as part of Dubai’s cultural vision, which aims to cement the emirate’s position as a global centre for culture, an incubator for creativity, and a thriving hub for talent.
During November, visitors to the Mankhool Public Library will have the chance to meet Serine Ben Brahim, who supervises the Wiki Club sessions. These sessions aim to develop skills, enhance capabilities, and empower participants to contribute engaging and influential content to the multilingual Wikipedia. Attendees will be trained on how to make basic edits, adhere to neutrality, understand citation templates, and distinguish between source types. They will sharpen their research skills and use artificial intelligence tools to enhance the text editing process before publication in the digital encyclopedia.
The Book Club for young Al Twar Public Library members will have the opportunity to discuss books using the art of storytelling through a workshop called ‘Tiny Tales’ presented by Lamya Tawfik. Participants in the ‘Meeting with a Book’ workshop, hosted by Al Safa Arts and Design Library, will be able to review and discuss a selection of valuable books under the supervision of Dalia Abouelatta.
On the other hand, Al Safa Art and Design Library will host a wide range of innovative workshops, such as ‘From Farm to Coffee | Sustainable Practices in Coffee’ given by Mohammed Almedfai. Hessa and Amina Aldahel will also conduct a workshop on ‘Vegan Leather Bookmark’ while Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al Nuaimi, also known as ‘Green Sheikh,’ will address ten environmental, social, and economic challenges during his participation in the ‘Sustainability in Leadership’ session hosted by the Hatta Public Library.
The ‘Crochet Club’ will offer a set of interactive workshops overseen by Ekaterina Pogodina, who will introduce Al Safa Art and Design Library members to the basics of crochet art, teaching them essential stitches such as chains, single crochet, and more. Meanwhile, Karim Wally will be responsible for the ‘Photography Club’ to train Al Twar Public Library members in the art of photography, covering camera basics, lenses, settings, lighting, and the secrets of photo editing.
Abdulrahman Younis, Acting Director of the Public Libraries Department at Dubai Culture, affirmed the Authority’s commitment to supporting the objectives and strategies of the ‘Year of Sustainability’ by promoting the concept of sustainability for all community members and providing them with training to practice it across various sectors to improve the quality of life. He stated: “Through the activities of the ‘School of Life’ clubs, under the theme of ‘Sustainability,’ we aim to motivate the public and visitors of the Dubai Public Libraries to uphold a sustainable environment by exploring practices through a diverse range of workshops that educate and encourage the preservation and conservation of the environment, in line with Dubai Culture’s goals to inspire future generations and empower them to actively participate in the cultural initiatives that Dubai and the UAE are witnessing.”
Dubai Culture also concluded the eighth edition of the Reading Box initiative, which took place at City Centre Mirdif under the umbrella of School of Life to promote a culture of reading as a permanent social behaviour among the community. The initiative organised an impressive 58 workshops and numerous reading sessions presented by a group of Emirati, resident and national authors and witnessed the attendance of over 1,100 participants. Reading Box is part of the Authority’s efforts to encourage reading and make it a daily cultural practice, in line with its commitment to supporting the National Literacy Strategy 2016-2026, which aims to instil cultural values in society and support all areas of culture, including arts and literature.
