'Selah' Art Program hosts second workshop under the title, 'Identifying Emotions' for UAE orphans

In collaboration with Awqaf and Minor Affairs Foundation

Dubai - 24 January, 2016: As part the year-long ‘Selah’ Art Program, that reflects the unwavering belief of Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Gender Balance Council, President of Dubai Women Establishment, and wife of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs, UAE; in the therapeutic value of expressive art in providing disadvantaged children and orphans the opportunity to grow and develop self-awareness through self-expression with art material; The Cultural Office of Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum recently hosted the second 'Selah' workshop entitled, “Identifying Emotions”.

During the “Identifying Emotions” workshop, the children were instructed to sketch or create drawings that demonstrate their feelings in the form of art. The children were given instructions to use artistic painting and drawing materials to visually express their emotions on what they are feeling or how they have felt in the past. To create a supportive environment, the volunteer artists were encouraged to ask the children to give an example on when or where they had felt a particular emotion and demonstrate this in an artistic format.

Commenting on the workshop, Mona Bin Kalli, Director of The Cultural Office, said: “We believe that art is an important and universal facet of human expression, and we are delighted with the children’s participation in the “Identifying Emotions” workshop. After the loss of a parent or a loved one, children may fear what others think of them, their thoughts and their feelings; however, the ‘Selah’ Art Program gives the children a safe haven, where it provides them an opportunity to express themselves without the fear of judgement in an artistic manner rather than verbally.”

She added: “We are both inspired and impressed by the results of the children who took part in the “Identifying Emotions” workshop, where they used art as means of communicating their feelings. We were also grateful for the talented Emirati artists who generously gifted art material and volunteered for the program to motivate the children to develop their artistic and creative thinking skills to express themselves.”

Conducted by Emirati volunteer artists, the art therapy session titled “Identifying Emotions”, was organised by The Cultural Office and facilitated by Awqaf and the Minor Affairs Foundation to provide a safe and positive environment to help facilitate the process of rehabilitating vulnerable children.

The multiple workshops organised by The Cultural Office reflects Her Highness Sheikha Manal’s commitment to benevolent campaigns and humanitarian initiatives to continue developing the UAE’s arts and culture scene involving dedicated Emirati volunteers from the local arts community. Emirati volunteers are encouraged to participate with orphaned children; in order to motivate them to be more socially active and praise their artwork and creativity to instil confidence in them. Their interaction also provides a safe and empathetic environment to draw out latent emotions and help express themselves around others.

The Cultural Office organised a special 3-day training workshop for the Emirati artists to prepare them with necessary teaching skills to better engage and communicate with vulnerable and underprivileged children, as well as increase their practical knowledge of therapeutic art and specialist techniques to provide necessary psychosocial support. The Emirati volunteer artists for the ‘Identifying Emotions’ workshop included Alia Lootah, Khawla Darwish, Noor Al Suwaidi and Hamdan Buti Al Shamsi.

The ‘Selah’ Art Program comprises of the series of workshops ovet the course of a year and specifically designed to benefit disadvantaged orphans and minors across all seven Emirates. The following upcoming workshop will provide a specialised art program for children aged between 10 and 16 years of age.  The year-long program will conclude in showcasing the children’s art achievements during the workshop in an art exhibition, enhancing their self-confidence and enabling children to connect with their thoughts, emotions and core beliefs and give them the opportunity to grow and develop their creativity.

Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum continues to express her deep commitment towards arts programs that enable the development of children’s healing and growth. Therapeutic art which includes drawing, painting, clay modelling, music and drama, help children express their grief, and it also provides an emotional outlet to open up about their thoughts and emotions with others. Many studies have linked art with positive emotional, social, physical and spiritual growth, which improves the ability of disadvantaged children to engage at schools and contribute to their local community.