Sharjah Girl Guides make use and add value to the time spent by their young members learning about creative problem-solving.

Sohaila Ahmed, Staff Reporter

SHARJAH: In the spirit of its 2019 strategy, Sharjah Girl Guides (SGG) have launched five innovative clubs to add to the accomplishments and learning of their Brownies (7-11 years), Guides (12-15 years) and Senior Guides (15-18 years). From culinary arts to media and everything included, SGG seek to make use and add value to the time spent by its young members learning about creative problem-solving, development and leadership, and recognising their potential in non-academic activities.

This plethora of choice means that SGG members can pick the ones most suited to their abilities and interests, and is a good option for parents who do their best to provide their children with a good, holistic upbringing, which will guarantee a bright future for them.

The five clubs:

Cooking Club

SGG’s Cooking Club offers Guides a course in culinary arts divided into three levels. In its introductory level, girls will learn about easy, healthy recipes like soups, salads, and main courses in a timespan of three weeks. In the fourth and final week, members will be in a cook-off to make original dishes, putting into practice all their learning from previous weeks.

In the second level, the concepts of creating culinary delights with a special focus on appetisers, soups and salads will be taught. This will be followed by the third and final level, which will basically be a roundup, where the young cooks will learn dessert making along with food plating and decoration, to achieve the goal of creating a full meal.

Sports Club

In their ongoing efforts, to promote sport activities like horse riding, cycling, and swimming SGG launched the Sports Club early this year, as a response to a high demand of physical programmes. The club offers a selected range of sports training including horse riding, swimming, cycling and others throughout 2019, to develop the Brownies’ physical skills and provide them with the chance to participate in national competitions. Participants will be enrolled in different training courses for six sessions to enhance their physical abilities and mental tenacity.

Media Club

Simultaneously, SGG’s Media Club has lined up an array of activities for the Guides. From teaching them a range of basics and multimedia to empowering them with the right skills to serve social causes, the learning at this club has been designed to further both professional training and community service goals of SGG.

Escapade Club

SGG will be taking Escapade Club members to Jebel Jais mountains to experience the Middle East’s first commercial via ferrata. Professional instructors will guide the participants about how to use via ferrata kits, which they will try out on an adventurous climbing route. Additionally, the young adrenaline seekers of the club will also enjoy 3 thrilling zip lines across a 1-km zip over the rocky terrain of Jebal Jais.

Events Club

SGG has also established an Events Club with the aim to introduce its young members to the world of event planning and execution. Their learning at the club will help them take up responsibility for creative, technical, marketing, communication and organisational aspects of events. The purpose of this club is to hone interpersonal skills that will eventually lead to greater self-confidence and problem-solving abilities.

Speaking about these new features of SGG, Manager Shaikha Al Shamsi said, “SGG has chosen these particular clubs in response to the increasing requests from parents and young members. The different clubs that have been set up, will provide numerous opportunities to its present and future members to explore their hobbies, further their interests, and learn essential life skills that will give them an edge in both their professional and personal lives. Through these initiatives, we try to push SGG’s boundaries as a centre for holistic youth development and empowerment by responding to the new and emerging learning and capacity-building needs.”