Sharjah Girl Guide (SGG) members learnt the art of watercolour painting,made handicrafts, honed their advocacy and social skills,and picked up on essentials of entrepreneurship in a series of online workshops SGG organised for them in October.

Held on October 8, ‘Clay creation’in which Guides (11 – 14years) and Senior Guides (15–18 years) participated, was a step-by-step tutorial by art teacher Maha Al Sharif who taught the girls the basics of preparing clay to make various objects. As a test piece, the girls combined clay with leaves to create a unique mix of materials with which they made a jewellery box. The workshop kits were delivered to the participants’ homes prior to the session. The workshop earned the participants SGG Art badges.

Senior Guides learnt how to raise awareness on social issues and causes at a workshop titled ‘My Voice, Our Equal Future’, on October 10. The session was a precursor to celebrating the International Day of the Girl Child on October 13, and aimed to empower participants to create and lead advocacy projects on the subject. The workshop earned them SGG Hear me Now badges.

Guides imbibed the science behind smells at the workshop titled ‘Perfumery’ held on October 15. A professional perfumer taught them the basics of mixing fragrances in this hands-on interactive session on the Zoom platform, using the mixology kit provided to all participants. At the end of the workshop, the Guides created their own personalised fragrance, earning SGG Personal Development badges.

At ‘Drawing Waves’, the workshop held on October 17 in collaboration with Kofaa Training Services, Brownies (7 – 10 years) experimented with watercolours, mastering the techniques to create realistic paintings depicting the movement of waves in the sea. The participating Brownies earned SGG Art badges.

Senior Guides learnt the intricacies of building up their social media presence at the ‘Social Media’ workshop held on October 20. The SGG media team conducted the session also gave them tips on organising their Instagram accounts to attract more viewers. The participants received SGG Skills badges.

The long journey of cocoa seeds from being planted to being consumed as a piece of chocolate was taught to Brownies at a workshop titled ‘House of Chocolate’. Participants were informed about different kinds of chocolate and their benefits, as well as the dangers of consuming too much. They also learnt from chocolatier MaysoonAbushakra, who led the session, how to make a ‘chocolate house’at home using a kit SGG provided them prior to the session. The workshop held on October 24 earned all participants an SGG Art badge.

Two more workshops will be held on October 31 for Brownies and Senior Guides, including ‘Reading Together’, which will be presented by Dalal Al Mulla, educational and social supervisor, and will include reading and discussing a book to spark the participating Brownies’ imagination and develop their social and communication skills. Each of them will earn an SGG Culture badge upon completing the workshop.

The second workshop will see Senior Guides hand painting coffee mugs at the workshop titled ‘Coffee Cup and Colours’, guided by artist Maitha Hamdan, who will lead a discussion on how to get the best out of their talents by turning them into business ideas. Participants will receive the SGG Art badge.

SGG’s monthly workshop programmes are aimed at ensuring that members remain active at home and advance their skills, while adhering to the national guidelines for health and safety currently in place to curb the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic.