Wise’s Doha Learning Days Inspire Experimental Learning In ‘generation Unmute’

The Doha Learning Days (DLD), an immersive community event hosted by Qatar Foundation’s education think tank WISE, returned on November 18 and 19 with various pop-up locations across Doha.

Delivered in partnership with STUDIO 5/6 (Ministry of Communications and Information Technology), Qatar Sports For All Federation (QSFA), Qatar Reads, Doha Debates, Generation Amazing, Qatar Academy and Dadu, Children’s Museum of Qatar, DLD brought together local community members of all ages to engage in experiential, informal learning.

Dr. Ameena Abdul-Majeed, Director of Programs and Content, WISE, said: “We are delighted to present Doha Learning Days as a space for community and collaboration, among organizations and individuals, to help strengthen the local learning ecosystem. Together with our partners, we wanted to inspire and invite an array of perspectives to seek innovation through fun and family-friendly activities. This is especially important for the youngest members of our community, who can now come together after a long period of separation to enjoy explorative learning in the company of their friends and peers.”

With less than three weeks to go until WISE 2021 kicks off its first-ever hybrid edition on December 7-9, DLD set the tone for this year’s WISE theme ‘Generation Unmute: Reclaiming our Future through Education’.

Curated for youth and families, activities centered around promoting creative self-expression as a catalyst for local innovation. Studio 5/6, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology’s maker space initiative, empowered the community to create and innovate through a variety of tech-based challenges that aimed to increase knowledge and skills in digital fabrication and emerging technologies. These included using its MakeyMakey invention kit and pocket sized coding robot OZOBOT to complete a series of tasks, as well as using 3Doodler pens to create a 3D flag festival.

Meanwhile, Qatar Sports For All Federation (QSFA), a member of the Ministry of Sports and Youth (MSY), led an outdoor exercise session at Aspire Park, inspiring fun community-building through movement. Mr. Abdullah Al-Dosari, Director of Events and Activities at the QSFA, stressed the Federation’s keenness in encouraging all segments of society to practice sports and take advantage of its positive impact for all age groups.

Tapping into creative self-expression, Dadu, Children’s Museum of Qatar organized a hands-on workshop on how to make biodegradable plastic, teaching sustainability through play. After learning how to make the biodegradable plastic, participating children were able to expand their creativity to make their own ornaments and toys.

A reading corner set up by Qatar Reads, a Qatar Foundation initiative, inspired book discussions and storytelling among DLD participants. Throughout the month of November, Qatar Reads also collaborated with WISE on the virtual Family Reading Program, bringing together 800 children across Qatar under a creative call to action.

Doha Debates and Generation Amazing teamed up to facilitate real-time video conversations between DLD participants and youth in Uganda’s Nakivale refugee camp via Doha Debates’ Doha Portal, a curated space for learning, questioning and connection. Amjad Atallah, Managing Director of Doha Debates, highlighted the importance of facilitating these interactive and powerful conversations, which provide an opportunity for young refugees in Nakivale to have a cross-cultural exchange with DLD participants and to discuss Generation Unmute.

Qatar Academy’s Activists in Action led an impassioned call for sustainability with a petition to support the ban of single-use plastic bags in the country. Their DLD booth spoke to young changemakers and global citizens in the local community, who were able to sharpen their life-long leadership skills.

 

SOURCE  :   TIMES KUWAIT

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