From Survival to Abundance

BECOMING A CHILD AUTHOR

Voices of Future Generations, the inspiring global writing competition for children, is offering a webinar series for youngsters to drill down into some of the Sustainable Development Goals and clear tips and tricks for how they can pursue this research to elevate their creative writing to the highest standard. Students, parents, and teachers can sign up for free on the website at https://vofg.vofgarabia. org/webinars.

This unique writing initiative, launched under the patronage of UNESCO in 2015 and brought to the Middle East in 2019, was created to promote sustainability awareness and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The regional competition is organised by the Emirates Literature Foundation on behalf of HH Sheikha Hissa bint Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Goodwill Ambassador for the initiative for the Middle East region.

The series of webinars, entitled ‘The SDG Story Drill,’ will focus on SDGs 6-9, and SDGs 11-12. Each webinar will drill deep into one of these SDGs and ensure young writers gain a good understanding of the issues, and then explore how they can use this research in their writing. Attending the webinars will help students hone their craft and write gripping, edge-of-the-seat stories.

The advice offered during these sessions will greatly benefit students entering the Voices of Future Generations competition, which is open to children aged 8-12, writing for children aged 6 and above. All entries must be between 600 and 1,500 words long, in Arabic or English. The stories should feature one or more of the Sustainable Development Goals, and the writer’s hopes, dreams or aspirations for a sustainable future. Entries are open to all children resident in the Gulf region and in full-time education, including those home-schooling. Registrations for the third year are now open and the competition will close in the first half of 2022.

Following the conclusion of the SDG Story Drill series, there will be a series of workshops for schools. Any school in the GCC can apply for a dedicated workshop provided they have registered a minimum of 20 students to enter the competition.

The webinars offer a deep dive into selected SDGs and how children can use them in creative writing

VOICES OF ARABIA

ABU DHABI ARABIC LANGUAGE CENTRE LAUNCHES ‘ELOQUENT CHILD’ PROJECT

The Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), part of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi, has launched its landmark cultural project, ‘Eloquent Child’, which aims to promote the values and aesthetics of the Arabic language to new generations, invest in their abilities and innovations, and strengthen their cultural and national identity.

The project is a continuation of the Centre’s vision and objectives to enhance younger generations’ knowledge and culture, in addition to strengthening their connection to the Arabic language. Under the supervision of prominent Arab intellectuals, it presents all 28 letters of the Arabic alphabet as songs with video clips that take aesthetic values into account in terms of the poetry, melody and performance.

His Excellency Dr Ali bin Tamim, Chairman of the ALC, said: “The project reflects the Centre’s vision to advance the Arabic language and promote it with the younger generations. These objectives are in line with the UAE’s ambitious plans and strategies for the education system, which is a national priority and a key contributor to our efforts to build a robust civilisation.

“This project is a significant and promising step we are taking, bringing us closer to creating highly educated generations with a strong connection to their Arabic mother tongue – the cornerstone of their national identity,” HE bin Tamim added. “With that in mind, we sought to empower the younger generation to master their language in an innovative and unconventional way.

We strive to create a generation that is knowledgeable of the aesthetics of their language and capable of making a positive impact in their environment and community.”

The ALC released the first song of the series, beginning with ‘Alef’, ‘Baa’, ‘Taa’, ‘Thaa’, Jeem’, Haa’ (the first letters of the Arabic alphabet), with others to follow covering all letters of the Arabic alphabet. The songs were written by poets Amal AlSahlawi from the UAE and Abdul Ghani Tlais from Lebanon, under the musical supervision of veteran Lebanese singer and music composer Ahmad Kaabour. Meanwhile, composer Hani Siblini managed the musical arrangement, with singers Ahmad Kaabour, Nadine Hassan, Rasha Al-Rifai, and Elie Khayat, performing the songs.

As part of its strategy to support children’s and young adult literature, the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre dedicated a special section to the project on its new website to display an integrated collection of books and stories under these categories, in addition to educational songs made especially for them. The innovative style and design of the ALC website addresses visitors in both Arabic and English and aims to ensure seamless browsing and a smooth transition between the various sections and content, which cover a wide variety of topics.

The project aims to underline the values and aesthetics of the Arabic language

The new and improved website is open to all visitors at www.alc.ae, offering access to valuable information and books.

Dr. Arif Khan is founder of NEUROPEDIA, the first comprehensive children’s neuroscience center in the region. He has extensive experience in the management of various childhood neurological conditions such as epilepsy and seizure disorders, headaches and migraines, sleep disorders, neuromuscular conditions, movement disorders, neonatal neurology, cerebrovascular stroke, cerebral palsy, neurometabolic conditions, neurogenetic conditions, neurobehavioural conditions, autism and ADHD.

Screen Time in Children – a Modern Day Pandemic.

Children have easy access to televisions, tablets, phones and gaming devices. Infants, toddlers and preschoolers are now growing up in an environment saturated with technologies and digital gizmos. Screens are clearly a part of our everyday lives like never before. It’s absolutely essential for a number of daily routines like social media, online food shopping, connecting with loved ones, listening to music and sharing messages.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued guidelines for screen usage in children. For children under two years of age, the only screen interaction should be in presence of an adult and making sure that the content is carefully selected. For children between two and five years of age, not more than one hour per day of independent screen time is advocated. No specific limit for older children has been stated, provided it doesn’t interfere with their sleep, physical activities and other healthy habits.

These recommendations are useful but obviously difficult to implement in a child who is fixated on a screen behaviour to keep himself or herself engaged and entertained.

We can keep listing these alarming numbers. But the fact of the matter is that we are dependent on these new-age technologies for essentially everything and we consume an excessive amount of these harmful ‘blue-light’ along with the barrage of information that we intend to consume. Adverse effects of screen usage are very well known but still more research is needed to fully understand them. However, these have to be emphasised and reiterated even more as this new-age obsession encroaches on our life. Excessive screen usage leads to reduced physical activity, increased weight gain, poor social interaction, reduced family time, less sleep, hyperactivity, headaches and eyesight problems. There are some other negative implications which might come to our knowledge in the coming years.

Our screens are pervasive and addictive. We know it from our personal experience with them. It is not a surprise that our kids are fascinated by this activity and jump on to it quickly, easily and intuitively. Screens and its content shapes our children’s minds and we need to make sure that it’s in the right direction.

I have always advocated the 4’M’ rule for all my patients and parents.

THERE ARE MANY ALARMING FACTS WHICH ARE WORTH NOTING. ACCORDING TO A SURVEY,

Children aged 0 to 2 years engage in more than 3 hours of screen time per day.

School aged children

49% spend more than 2 hours on screen in a day 16% spend more than 4 hours per day.

In the US

95% of teens have access to smartphones

For children between two and five years of age, not more than one hour per day of independent screen time is advocated

Excessive screen usage leads to reduced physical activity, increased weight gain, poor social interaction, reduced family time, less sleep, hyperactivity, headaches and eyesight problems

MINIMISE your kids’ screen time. I understand that this is the major hurdle. As a parent, keep set times for your toddlers to enjoy screens. It should be something they look forward to during the day rather than having uncontrolled access to screens throughout the day. If your children are spending a lot of leisure time on screens, start by setting smaller and more attainable goals. Reduce their screen time to half and then slowly reduce it to reach close to the recommended allowance.

MITIGATE and curate their content to include educational content. Joining them during their screen time and understanding their current choices helps in curating the right content for them.

BE MINDFUL of dependence on screens and think of alternative activities to keep them engaged. The best way to do this is to keep hand-held devices away from their reach and visibility. Outdoor activities are a good distraction from the screens and children tend to enjoy it more than indoor activities.

Finally, be a MODEL for your child by maintaining good screen time behaviour yourself. Establish no screen zones at home like dining space and bedrooms.