Children Prepare for the 15th Edition of Sharjah Children Shura Council

Members of the forthcoming 15th edition of Sharjah Children Shura Council (SCSC) are getting ready to spread their message far and wide. Preparations for Sharjah’s pioneering parliamentary experience for children included two public speaking and media skills workshops, to improve the children’s speech-making skills and media handling abilities to enable them to fully and confidently disseminate the news of the council’s sessions and meetings.

Held under the slogan ‘Working Together for a Better Nation,’ the 15th edition of the council is the latest organised by Sharjah Children Centres, a subsidiary of Rubu’ Qarn Foundation for Creating Future Leaders and Innovators, and the organising body of the council. The training sessions were conducted by Sharjah Media Corporation (SMC) and Strategic Planning Consultant Ahmed Al Mahmoud, both leading specialists in the communications field.

“The children taking part in the Shura Council have been selected for their leadership skills, for their commitment to children’s issues, for their maturity and for their level headedness. They are young pioneers who are carrying the hopes and ambitions for their generation on their shoulders. We organised these workshops because it is vital that these young people are equipped with the skills to convey their thoughts accurately and with maximum impact to the media. We chose to have the sessions hosted by SMC and Strategic Planning Consultant Ahmed Al Mahmoud, because of their leadership in strategic media communications,” said Aysha Ali Al Kaabi, Acting Director of SCC.

Titled ‘Media Interview Skills,’ the first workshop was conducted in collaboration with SMC and held at Al Hira, Mleiha and Khorfakkan Children Centres. The activity was formulated to train SCSC's members on how to effectively interact with various media, including print journalists and broadcast crews.

During the 9-day workshop, which was presented by media expert Jamil Al Refai from SMC's Sharjah Media Training Centre, the council members were introduced to the important role that media outlets play in conveying ideas and voices to the wider community. Participants learned a number of essential skills on how to prepare for media interviews, such as proper body language, maintaining eye contact and methods of enriching a discussion. It also covered tips on appearing in talk shows and how to communicate effectively during phone interviews.

‘Presentation and Effective Dialogue’ was the title of the second workshop, which was held at Children's Centres in Halwan, Al Hira, Mleiha, and Khorfakkan. The 10-day course was facilitated by Ahmed Al Mahmoud, Strategic Planning Consultant, with the aim of enhancing children's ability to speak publicly. Al Mahmoud instructed the young members on methods of effective dialogue and introduced them to the general approaches embraced by the UAE to enhance national loyalty and ensure the happiness of its citizens and residents.

The second workshop was conducted by Yusra Abdul Ghaffar Baqi, Goodwill Ambassador at the UN, and Head of Happiness and Corporate Social Responsibility at Aafaq Islamic Finance. Baqi demonstrated to the children various public speaking styles and skills, and presented the ‘Happiness Programme,’ which aims to instill values of happiness and positivity in them.

SCSC, an initiative by Sharjah Children Centres, aims to educate members on parliamentary life in UAE in line with the emirate’s vision to encourage children to lead through education and participation in the legislative process. It aspires to establish principles based on respecting the opinions and freedoms of others, as well as entrench important Islamic values, such as selflessness and serving the community.