The first week of the summer social platform launched by the Ministry of Community Development kicked off today Sunday (July 25th) with the title "Our Summer is Recovering” under the theme "Community Safety is a Shared Responsibility". A series of initiatives and events are being organized within the Agriculture Hub for one week until July 29th in conjunction with the professional development hub that starts this week and continues through July and August in parallel to all weeks until 26th August.
The first week of the summer social platform launched by the Ministry of Community Development kicked off today Sunday (July 25th) with the title "Our Summer is Recovering” under the theme "Community Safety is a Shared Responsibility". A series of initiatives and events are being organized within the Agriculture Hub for one week until July 29th in conjunction with the professional development hub that starts this week and continues through July and August in parallel to all weeks until 26th August.
The Agriculture Hub targets children aged 6 years above and all members of the community through (5) programs which stimulate the participation of the whole family. These virtual events that are organized by the Ministry of Community Development at 11.00 a.m. each day highlight: agriculture and sustainability program; Sunday 25th July, basics of agriculture, types and time of horticulture according to seasons, irrigation and fertilization on Monday 26th July, importance of agriculture, organic agriculture in the UAE on 27th July, and innovative agriculture program throughout 28-29 July.
The professional development hub includes the Toastmasters Program, which includes practical training in speech and presentation skills, how to influence others confidently and effectively, the power of voice and body language, theatre, presentation, evaluation and dialogue. The hub targets children aged 13 to 17 years old and runs from 25th July until 26th August through (15) educational workshops being implemented every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Saeed Al Khateri, Head of the Summer Social Platform at the Ministry of Community Development, said that the platform includes a set remote programs, initiatives and events in context of adhering to the directives and strategies of the UAE government regarding the recovery plan of COVID-19 pandemic. The ministry is implementing those events with (9) ministries, private sector and entities all over the UAE to reflect the ministry's vision "a stable family and a cohesive society".
The Summer Social Platform provides 60 training programs and interactive field and virtual workshops for different age groups, as well as a range of initiatives being implemented "remotely" and on ground, opening the way for wide participation among the community members.
Al Khatri emphasized on the importance of the Summer Social Platform as it embodies partnership between federal ministries and local government authorities and the private sector to promote the investment of leisure time during the summer vacation and stimulate family participation in an atmosphere of happiness and positivity. The summer social platform addresses all groups, especially children, which allows each family to choose from a range of projects and initiatives, foremost those programs and projects related to agriculture hub, since they are usually popular in the community and support the involvement of many family members who are interested in home gardening and agriculture in general.
Students, parents and various members of the community can access and join the programs and events according to their scheduled dates and timings through the ministry’s website www.mocd.gov.ae or Call Centre (800623).