Colourful socks to tackle racism, a water purifier for people in remote areas and an app that cuts off access to social media until homework is finished are just some of the design solutions created by students in Dubai Saturday Clubs.
Organised by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) in partnership with Dubai Design and Fashion Council, Dubai Design District, Dubai Creative Clusters Authority and Dubai Culture, Dubai Saturday Clubs is a platform that brings students and social entrepreneurs together to create design solutions that benefit local and global communities. The most recent round of Dubai Saturday Clubs saw students designing solutions to solve such challenges as environmental conservation, clean energy, community integration, wellbeing at school, and youth-related issues.
The latest edition of Dubai Saturday Clubs included 48 students from 42 schools in Dubai. Aged between 12 and 15 years old, the students attended two workshops a month between March and May. Hosted by social entrepreneurs, the themes of the workshops ranged from design thinking and technology for good to wellbeing and capoeira. Ten students who took part in the first edition of Dubai Saturday Clubs served as mentors to students participating for the first time.
Dr Abdulla Al Karam, Director General of KHDA said, “The value of Dubai Saturday Clubs is not just that it enables students to work on problems that matter, but it does so in a setting that encourages collaboration and creativity. Students have shown great enthusiasm and motivation in designing solutions for the real world, and have built meaningful friendships with each other in the process. Dubai Saturday Clubs is a forum that connects students with universities and the innovation industries, giving them valuable experience that will benefit them in their work and life.”
Saeed Mohammed Al Nabouda, Acting Director General of Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, commented, “We at Dubai Culture are happy to support Dubai Saturday Clubs, as it focuses on nurturing young talent, strengthens and promotes the cultural and creative fabric of Dubai, and empowers a new creative generation. We also thank the students’ parents for their support, as this is vital to developing a future generation who are globally and locally engaged.”
For more information about Dubai Saturday Clubs, visit www.dubaisaturdayclubs.ae or send an e-mail to info@khda.gov.ae
