Selah Art Programme hosts second workshop for UAE orphans

DUBAI 24th January 2016 (WAM) -- As part the year-long 'Selah' Art Programme reflecting the unwavering belief of H.H. Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum President of the UAE Gender Balance Council President of Dubai Women Establishment and wife of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Minister of Presidential Affairs in the therapeutic value of expressive art in providing disadvantaged children and orphans with the opportunity to grow and develop self-awareness through self-expression with art material The Cultural Office of H.H. Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum recently hosted the second 'Selah' workshop entitled "Identifying Emotions".

During the 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 Programme 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 programme to motivate the children to develop their artistic and creative thinking skills to express themselves."

Conducted by Emirati volunteer artists the art therapy session was organised by The Cultural Office and facilitated by the 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 H.H. 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 instill confidence in them.

The Emirati volunteer artists for the workshop included Alia Lootah Khawla Darwish Noor Al Suwaidi and Hamdan Buti Al Shamsi.