St. Mary’s Church in Dubai, the oldest church in the city, is organizing a fundraising walk to raise funds for the treatment of 53 underprivileged cancer patients. The event, called Mercithon 23, will take place on Sunday at Dubai Creek Park, with the aim of raising Dh4 million ($1.08 million) from both corporations and the public.
About 1,000 pupils of St Mary’s Catholic School lined up on Wednesday, with hands joined in prayer, to stand in formation to recreate the famous cancer ribbon symbol in the church grounds.
The school children also formed the number 51 to reflect the years since the country’s first National Day when the seven emirates united.
Public fundraising is strictly controlled and requires permission from the authorities. Dubai Health Authority and the Community Development Authority are partners for the event.
Organizers hope to waive or reduce treatment costs for the patients through funds raised from the walk. The patients range in age from 22 to 80 years and come from countries such as the Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, Lebanon, Pakistan, and Nigeria. Public fundraising in Dubai is tightly regulated, and the event has received permission from the authorities, including the Dubai Health Authority and the Community Development Authority.
The church hopes to see 15,000 people participate in the walk.
When & Where
Sunday, 19th February 2023 from 8AM to 4PM at Creek Park, Dubai.
Experience the written and spoken word at the 15th Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, taking place from 1-6 February 2023. Meet your favorite authors, participate in literary debates and workshops, and celebrate literature, arts, and creativity with world leaders, thinkers, and icons.
This year’s theme is ‘Old Friends’ and features stars such as Brian Cox, Barkha Dutt, Bobby Chin, and Ghizlan Guenez. Be there at the InterContinental Dubai Festival City and Mohammed bin Rashid Library.
Attend the 2023 edition of The School & Nursery Show Dubai, taking place at the Dubai World Trade Centre’s Sheikh Maktoum Hall from 4-5 March.
Connect with top educators and heads of leading institutions, learn about admission requirements and fee structures, and find the right fit for your child. This free, two-day exhibition is your chance to have all your questions answered and make informed decisions.
Celebration of Life Day falls on January 22nd. It is a day when children and grandchildren who bring joy to everyone around them are honoured. The day has come to signify everything about the beauty of life in itself.
For many people, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic, it has also become a reason to celebrate and uphold childlike qualities in themselves.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman & Managing Director, Aster DM Healthcare has asked people to liberate the child in them on this day.
“As people become older, it is natural that they lose their child like qualities,” he said.
“It is important for the life to be balanced to have fun, maturity, and control. Qualities in children like imagination – which helps them to make an airplane out of a piece of paper – and curiosity of asking questions always helps to learn. These are unfortunately lost as we age.”
Professional development
For some industries, their very future might depend on people being able to rediscover their childlike qualities. Author and founder of Uhibbook Publishing Sadia Khan said that openness and lack of ego are important for the industry she works in.
“When change is happening so fast, I think people need to be open and eager to accept new technology,” she said.
“There are many distributors and publishers who are still stuck on the ‘we need to publish x amount of books’ mindset. They are not realising that the industry is being revamped every minute with ChatGPT, artificial intelligence (AI) and digital distribution. It is absolutely vital for everyone in the industry to go back to creativity, humility and the honesty and authenticity of children to tell stories and create original content.”
Moreover, according to experts, these qualities not only allow people to have a rewarding life, but also help them advance professionally. Training manager and development coach Preeti Wale Sagar says that qualities like curiosity, persistence and optimism help people get far in their careers.
“A highly regarded leadership quality, curiosity helps individuals in listening to ideas of team members without any underlying preconceived thoughts or judgments,” she said.
“Persistence helps people achieve better results and at the same time build strong character and self-confidence. Meanwhile, optimism helps them take risks and be innovative. Optimism [also] has a whole lot of health benefits, like, it helps lower stress levels, promote better sleep and foster good personal relationships. All of these benefits help individuals perform better at work.”
Childlike personality
Dr. Moopen says that he agrees with psychologists who say that there are three parts to a person’s personality once he attains maturity — child, adult and parent. “While the adult is a positive, reasonable, and loving person, the parent is controlling and critical,” he said.
“The third personality type is the curious, inquisitive, fun-loving, and risk-taking child.”
According to him, it is essential for a person to have a bit of every part for holistic development. “The right combination of a balanced personality is said to be 60% adult, 20% parent and, 20% child,” he said.
“While both parent and child behaviours are required in a persona, an overdose of either will have a deleterious effect not only on the person but also on those around him.”
“I believe I am more of a parent-contaminated adult and would like to have more of the playful child in me for being imaginative and inquisitive, while creating more fun and excitement around me.”
According to Sadia, the day is also a reminder for both adults and youngsters to learn from each other. “Older people must realize that it is fine to learn from and take advice from the youth,” she said.
Children in UAE will be encouraged to pick up a book and read as much as they can when the latest edition of the Creative Reader Competition is launched by MAKTABA, the Library Management arm of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi). The competition will begin in January 2023 and runs through April 2023.
The annual Creative Reader Competition motivates children to not only read as much as they can in Arabic and English, but also to visit and support the emirate’s public libraries. The programme aims to contribute to participants’ intellectual and cultural development and foster a love of reading among the younger generations.
Open to students at public and private schools across the UAE, this year the competition welcomes a new age group, kindergarten students, in addition to elementary and intermediate levels (cycle 1 and cycle 2).
The competition is open to participants across the country. Those wishing to take part must obtain a MAKTABA membership and register via the MAKTABA website, then pass a personal or virtual assessment interview. Participants must read as many books as possible, fill out the competition form and submit it on time. All competition details are available in a special booklet that can be obtained from schools, public libraries or the MAKTABA website.
The judging panel, which includes writers, educators and librarians, will assess entries based on parameters including the percentage of booklet completion, the number of books borrowed from public libraries, reading comprehension level, and linguistic, critical analysis and creative thinking skills.
Participants can borrow books from MAKTABA branches across Abu Dhabi, and from the MAKTABA digital library. There is also the opportunity to join virtual reading clubs.
The previous edition of the Creative Reader Competition attracted 627 participants, including People of Determination, from all seven emirates – a year-on-year increase of more than 111 percent, reflecting the growing interest of youth in reading for fun and cultural development.
Those interested in participating in the competition can register via the website: https://ar.library.dctabudhabi.ae/Creative-Reader-Registration
Creative Careers Days is being held at Jameel Arts Centre on Sunday and Monday. It is free and open to students, as well as their parents and teachers. More than 30 booths will be featured, offering visitors an opportunity to meet prominent artists, curators and industry specialists.
The programme will highlight a diverse range of career pathways. It will introduce options in tertiary education, both locally and internationally, and present student and postgraduate open calls, residencies, internships and volunteering opportunities.
Inspirational talks, informational workshops — including how to create and pitch your portfolio — and behind-the-scene museum tours will be running. The programming also includes an opportunity for aspiring high school and university musicians, with a UAE student band and music ensemble showcase.
Students are invited to join career surgery sessions to receive expert advice and guidance on navigating the creative industries. An additional multimedia research zone features behind-the-scenes videos and resources, while the Jameel Library will display a special range of resources on pedagogy and arts education for both students and teachers.
The event is the biggest gathering of its kind to happen in the UAE, according to Antonia Carver, director of Art Jameel. “It’s all spurred by a collective commitment to inspiring and informing the next generation of cultural enthusiasts and professionals,” she added.
“It’s affirming to witness the sheer excitement and dedication across the spectrum, from universities looking to encourage teens to apply for arts degrees, to institutions eager to get to know emerging UAE talent, to the dynamic, creatively-minded youth of the UAE themselves, thirsty to gain knowledge and meet the industry in this ever-growing field.”
Several institutions and authorities from across the country are set to take part, including the Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi, Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, Sharjah Art Foundation and The National Pavilion UAE — La Biennale di Venezia, to name a few.
This event is UAE’s first annual arts career festival for high school and university students.
Carver said that with the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi expected to open in 2025, and the Dubai Creative Economy Strategy aiming to boost the number of creative and cultural companies to 15,000, while creating 140,000 jobs by 2026, “2022 feels like the right year to launch this major new event boosting homegrown talent development in the creative industries”.
Creative Careers Days will be held at Jameel Arts Centre on Sunday between 10am and 6pm and Monday between 9am and 8pm
