Future Generations .. Kuwaiti Festival for the development of children's perceptions

Nadia Al Dabbas - Kuwait

11-year-old Maha Mutlaq al-Mutairi said that Kuwait had a group of islands nestled in the waters of the Arabian Gulf. That was what she studied until she reached the fifth grade in a school in Kuwait's Ministry of Education.

Maha knew that the Kuwaiti islands numbered nine, but did not know the existence of a tenth island is the island of Shuwaikh dating back to 2000 BC, and the island has now joined the Shuwaikh industrial area as an extension across a land bridge, and therefore no longer exist as an island.

This information, in addition to many others such as the identification of wild animals closely and the importance of recycling and environmental hazards, was received by Huwara Ahmed, 13, who is studying in the seventh grade in general education schools. They were also included in the awareness sessions, "Organized by the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters.

According to the director of the festival, Maryam Salmin, in her interview with Al Jazeera Net, presented programs to provide this target group - ages 4 to 17 - with life skills that enable them to take steady steps towards a better future within plans that stimulate creative and intellectual queens and unleash their talents and invest their time. Their vacancy in accordance with various cultural programs and activities that take into consideration their requirements.

The festival was opened with the participation of a number of artists and a group of children. The festival featured a musical representation panel that reviewed the history of the festival since its inception and the cultural, artistic and literary achievements it witnessed and the development that took place over 30 years.

According to the director of the festival, the main focus of the workshops is the workshops that develop the writing and reading skills of young people and children and encourage them to engage in this literary field, resulting in the emergence of many outstanding children at the end of each festival.

Break the deadlock
Here, Maryam pointed out that the child at the beginning of his participation in the workshop is closed to himself, as he realizes deep down that he may be in school, but when he begins to explore the general atmosphere that is accompanied by a state of fun and competitions that break the deadlock, Skills and creations, to conclude the programs and culminate in a distinguished group not less than 70% of the participants.

Mariam Salmeen stresses that the responsibility of involving children in cultural and artistic communities lies with their families, which, in their view, opens the door for them to broaden their horizons and highlight their abilities. Many families are surprised by the talents of their children, which are discovered by supervisors during the festival.

She says that the most important thing for the festival organizers is the process of selecting the specialized professors who supervise these workshops which are in accordance with certain criteria, and here confirms that most of them are PhD holders to master the art of developing the skill of this age group through a distinctive teaching method through which the instructor can produce ideas And the creations of children and young people, who are divided into teams of age and thinking.

The festival did not forget people with disabilities, where they opened their doors to participate in all its activities, as well as the allocation of activities for some segments are compatible with their abilities, and this year the festival chose the category of children "Down syndrome" and chose to go to them in their association and a ceramic workshop continued on Three-day orbit.

Volunteer work
Within the activities of the festival and its activities, a lecture entitled "The Impact of Volunteering in Building the Personality of Future Generations" was presented at the Kuwait National Library Theater, presented by Bushra Bint Yousif Al Kindi from the Sultanate of Oman.

Boshra, a bachelor of psychology and a master's degree in social work, explained the general concept of volunteering and the value of volunteers to humanitarian goals that are not linked to the religious affiliation or nationality of a country and its importance in promoting society. , As it saw an investment in the abilities of youth and young people and the development of their personalities.

In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera Net, Bushra Al Kindi highlighted the importance of planting positive values ​​in the hearts of children, young people or adolescents, which will positively reflect on their behavior in light of the challenges of the world, intellectual invasion, smart devices and electronic games. Independence and different from the generation that preceded it, which has been proven by studies.

The child who watches violent cartoons or horror scenes will have a direct impact on his behavior, such as violence, nervousness and rapid arousal, while children who do not watch such films and serials They are more stable and more self-respecting, and therefore have personalities together.

According to Bushra al-Kindi, the primary responsibility for children falls on parents as the first pillar, because this role is entrusted to them by law, law and society. They have to set up control points and mechanisms to follow with children and adolescents. For example, it is necessary to set certain times for playing or using the Internet and knowing people Who occupy them in this spacious space, so as not to fall into pirate traps or bad behavior and thus exposure to delinquency.