Sharjah24: Sharjah Girl Guides (SGG) organised a series of interactive workshops in August virtually to empower its members in various ways – from learning new skills such as animation and digital arts, embroidery and dessert making to entrepreneurship programmes that taught them the basics of starting a business.

Brownies, Guides and Senior Guides participated in a variety of activities that not only sparked their creativity but also enhanced their problem-solving skills from the safety of their homes.

A 4-day personal development workshop titled Young Entrepreneurs was designed for Brownies (7–11 years), teaching them the basic skills of starting a business, starting with creating a business name and logo, business cards and finally designing accessories to be sold with a custom-made bag. The items made by the Brownies were listed for sale on MinimalbyS.com for sale. The sale proceeds will be donated to SGG. Held via the WebEx platform, the workshop earned the participating Brownies a Personal Development badge.

One of the highlights of the August programme was a workshop hosted by Senior Guide Batool Al Tamimi for Brownies, Let’s Read for Palestine. Al Tamimi read out a story about a Palestinian child that brought Palestine’s history and culture alive for the young girls and increased their awareness about the condition of the children in the country. The participants earned a Palestine badge.

Following this, Brownies expanded their knowledge of Palestine by participating in an art workshop titled Imagine Palestine, that had them creating a flip book and filling it with images of the fabled nation from their research and imagination. It earned them a Palestine badge. 

Similarly, Guides (12–15 years) who participated in the Palestinian Threads workshop, learnt about Palestinian culture and heritage along with the age-old artistry of Palestinian embroidery that goes back thousands of years to the Canaanite era. They were awarded a Palestine badge.

In collaboration with FUNN, the Sharjah-based organisation dedicated to promoting and supporting media arts learning among children and youth, SGG held a 5-day workshop titled FUNN-tastic: Ready for Take-off, which gave members aged 13-16 years a fascinating peek into the world of animation and digital arts, while teaching the basics of visual storytelling to create their own animation films. The participants were presented with a Media badge.

Popular chef Abeer took Guides with a sweet tooth on a culinary journey of discovery at a 5-day workshop titled The Art of Making Desserts. She taught them how to create a variety of desserts across cuisines, earning them Amazing Chef badges.

Senior Guides (15–18 years) learnt how to make an impact via social media at the 5-day Digital Change Makers workshop. The girls were taught to use various multimedia tools optimally and increase their digital awareness to evolve a strong social media strategy, using it positively and effectively to serve the community. They earned a Media badge.

Operating under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Wife of His Highness Ruler of Sharjah and Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs (SCFA), SGG aims to inspire and nurture future generations to become progressive citizens who can develop themselves and build a better world by providing the girls with a platform to develop to their fullest potential.