Sharjah Girl Guides (SGG) organised a series of online workshops in September to engage Brownies, Guides and Senior Guides to learn new crafts, increase their social and emotional skills, and understand Emirati culture, from the safety and comfort of their homes.

Titled ‘Art of Embroidery’, the workshop held for Guides (12-15 years) on September 5 was a step-by-step tutorial by Emirati artist Ahlam Al Mulla who taught the girls the basics of embroidery before moving on to different types of stitches, culminating in them learning to form creative patterns with different coloured threads. The embroidery kits were delivered to the participants’ homes prior to the workshop. The session earned the participants Art badges.

Social and emotional learning was at the heart of the workshop titled ‘Understand your emotions’, held for Brownies (7 to 11 years) on September 12.  The video module created by Himma Social Initiative, a community organisation, taught the young girls about how to recognize, manage and express healthy feelings and emotions while increasing their communication skills. They learnt healthy emotional habits and ways of successfully dealing with everyday situations and events, earning a Social Skills badge.

Brownies also participated in a workshop titled ‘Friendship’ on the same day,that taught them the importance of friendship in their lives and what they can do to develop and nurture these friendships. The Brownies learnt how the right friendships can help them develop emotionally and morally. By choosing the right friends, children can learn many social skills, such as how to communicate, cooperate, and solve problems. The participants earned a Social Skills badge.

The workshop on September 19 titled ‘Windows to Cultures’ opened up the world of Emirati culture for Brownies, Guides and Senior Guides (15–18 years) with girls from different nationalities learning about Emirati traditions in a fun and entertaining manner. The interactive session also covered the basics of Emirati etiquette. The participants, who were presented with a Culture badge.

The same day, Brownies and Guides in the age group of 9 – 12 years participated in another workshop titled ‘The Art of Cake’. The interactive session on Zoom taught them the basics of baking and culminated in the girls expertly baking a classic chocolate cake, earning themselves an Art badge.

Brownies received lessons on becoming ‘The Organised Brownie’ at a workshop held on September 26. The participants learnt the mental, physical, and emotional benefits of getting rid of clutter in their lives, and ways of organising their daily routine to save time and lead stress-free lives. They also learnt to make weekly organisers to create a workable routine, set goals and achieve them. The session also helped the girls develop their problem-solving skills and earned them Social Skills badges.

In the second workshop of the day, titled ‘Birdfeeder Workshop’, Brownies and Guides were taught to make birdfeeders using sustainable materials such as clay. They also learnt to use ‘Zen Doodling’ techniques to embellish the clay pots with artistic designs. The tool kits were supplied to the participants at home. The participants earned Art badges for their work.

SGG’s workshops programme for September ensured that members remained active at home and advanced their skills while adhering to the national norms of safety currently in force.