Greenleaf: Promoting Youth-to-Youth Knowledge Exchange

Greenleaf International Institute (GLI) is a dynamic online training institute run by a group of young people. Established in 2012, the institute offers courses and other learning materials online on various subjects in three languages- English, Arabic and Bengali. The aim is to enhance the knowledge and skills of youth specially those who do not get the privilege to study in a physical university. Courses are offered free of cost.  The motto of the institute is to empower young people and ensure access to quality education at their convenient time.

Spoken Arabic Classes

For those who would like to learn Arabic beyond basic words and phrases, the ‘I Can Talk Arabic’ classes may be of interest, and will be held beginning the week of September 15, 2012. Hadeel Alabbasi sent us the following information on the classes she conducts.

My Life

An interactive class where participants are divided into four groups depending on their level. Every group has a group leader who leads the group through the activities. The class’s content is driven from everyday life situations. Participants learn the content together, apply it in the form of conversations, and then present what they’ve learned to the other groups.
Participants do not need to read or write Arabic to attend this class.
Timing: Sunday evenings 7pm-9pm starting Sep 16th. And/or Monday mornings 10am-12pm starting Sep17th.
Fees: 20 Riyals per class.

Book Club

Every month we assign one book. The books, at this point, will be children’s books for a 2nd grade reader level. We would be using a technique used to analyze books from a philosophical stand point. This method has proven to be very affective and it will help participants with their conversation, comprehension, and thinking skills.
Participants need to know how to read and comprehend at a second grade level.
Timing: 3rd Sunday of the months of Sep, Nov, and Dec. 10am-12pm.
Fees: 20 Riyals per class + Book fees.

My Qur’an

This unique class is divided into two sections. In the first section, we would be introducing Tajweed “How to read the Qur’an properly” using storytelling that is fun and interactive. The second section would be reading, understanding, and applying Soorat “Younus”.
Participants can vary in their Arabic level. Participants who do not know how to read or understand Arabic are welcome. The class will be a mixture of Arabic and English.
Timing: Tuesday mornings 10am-12pm starting Sep 18th.
Fees: 20 Riyals + material fees.

My Grammar

The objective of this class is to make the Arabic grammar as easy, understandable, and enjoyable as possible : )
Participants need to know how to read Arabic at any level.
Timing: 4th Sunday of the months of Sep, Nov, and Dec. 10am-12pm.
Fees: 20 Riyals + material fees.

Media

An interactive class where participants watch, comprehend, learn, and discuss a piece of media. The class is divided into four groups depending on participants’ levels. Towards the end of the class, participants share what they have learned with the rest of the groups.
Participants do not need to read or write Arabic to attend this class.
Timing: Sunday evenings 7pm-9pm starting Feb 2013. And/or Monday mornings 10am-12pm starting Feb 2013.
Fees: 20 Riyals per class.

Skype sessions are also offered and will be announced at the start of the classes. Field trips will also be offered.

If you would like further details, you can email Hadeel at hadeel.alabassi@gmail.com or call her on 0504618552.

Ask Bee: 10 Essential Arabic phrases I learnt in my first month in Jeddah…and you should too!

Due to the sheer numbers of expatriates in Jeddah, it is common to see people coming here to settle all the time. It is quite true, that with the aid of rapid hand gestures and basic English, one can manage perfectly well on a day to day basis without any knowledge of the Arabic language. However, those who have been here a while will agree that understanding and usage of a few choice words makes one’s life that much easier.

In this month’s blog post, Bee addresses the concerns of a newly-settled resident who frets that she is unable to communicate in the local language and gives us 10 of the most commonly used Arabic words to get us going 🙂 If you think Bee has left out a word or phrase of vital importance, leave a comment and let us know !

About Bee

Bee is a 30 something mother, wife, corporate consultant and a bona fide prodigy in the art of shelling out unnecessary, unsolicited and often useless advice. The kind people at her office actually pay her for doing this on an hourly daily basis and she returns the kindness by making them lose sleep over random pointless issues. She currently lives in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia with her very sane husband (he takes after his mother) and her two not very sane children (they too take after their mother). Her own personal hell would be to have nothing to do with no-one paying her for pretending to have nothing to do.

“Before I moved to Jeddah, I was a hip-swinging, fist-pumping hippy who liked to party all night and didn’t know a word of Arabic. The above is not really true except maybe the last bit; my knowledge of the language was rudimentary at best. I knew a few words here and there from the Quran but didn’t know the contextual use or even the Saudi pronunciation so even when I used those words, I got completely blank stares from the locals.”

Having dealt with this blank stare marathon at numerous occasions I decided to arm myself with the must-know-can’t-survive-without list of Arabic phrases. These phrases along with a clever mix of expressive sign language will make your life and transition much easier. I promise you that!

Arabic Classes for Women

We caught word of these interactive Arabic classes conducted by Hadeel Al Abassi, focusing on the practical, communicative aspect of language. A direct note from Hadeel to potential learners.

 

    

 

Dear Eager Learners,

I am happy to announce the start of our “Interactive” Arabic classes March 11^th. We will be introducing two kinds of classes, our signature class and our media class. Classes will be held on Sunday evenings and Monday mornings.

Class Format and Set-up

Class Timings

Signature Class: 11 classes from March to May 2012

Evenings (Sundays 7:00-9:00) March 11^th, April 1^st-15^th-29^th, May 13^th-27^th.

Mornings (Mondays 9:30-11:30) March 19^th, April 9^th-23^rd, May 7^th-21^st.

Media Class: 11 classes from March to May 2012

Evenings (Sundays 7:00-9:00) March 18^th, April 8^th-22^nd, May 6^th-20^th.

Mornings (Mondays 9:30-11:30) March 12^th, April 2^nd-16^th-30^th, May 14^th-28^th.

Class Set-up

Every class is formed into four groups with different levels and topics. Every participant would decide prior to the start of the class the level which she would take part in with the help of the instructor. Every group would have a group leader who would guide participants through their work.

Session Format 

Each group would receive a paragraph or an article according to its level (In the media class we would watch some form of media). Participants would go through every word in the received text (Movie) with the help of their leader. Laptops, dictionaries, flash cards, and other props would be used to enhance understanding. This would continue for half an hour. In the next half an hour, each group would choose from five to fifteen words depending on their level from the material provided and try to form it in a way to present it to the other groups. Presentations would be five minutes long. In the presentation, each group would be using the words that they have learnt in the session. This would go for the next half an hour. The last half an hour would be a five minute “Word Game” and “Reflecting Time”. Every member would have a chance to exercise their Arabic while reflecting on their learning experience.

Session Prices

First class is free! Ten classes are for 200 riyals. Each class is 20 riyals. We encourage you to attend all 11 classes as this would help you gain a vocabulary base of at least 440 new words that you can actually use! You can also mix and match between the two classes or attend all 22 classes! We only ask you to let us know about your plans.

Our prices are reasonable because of the generous contributions of our wonderful group leaders, who have volunteered their time and effort for our beloved language.

Session Rules

• Arabic, sign language, and drawing are the languages used in our sessions. We will not be talking in English : )
•  Making mistakes is encouraged!
• Our classes put emphasize on conversation. You do not need to know how to read or write Arabic, neither would you necessarily learn how to read or write.
• Having fun while learning is our motto!
• We start on time and respect our time limits.
• We help and support each other.
• We will invest our energy to make “US” extraordinary!
• We are learning from each other, so please teach, show, and enlighten us so we can better serve you!

Our Goal

To make these sessions the building blocks of a center that people come to from all over the world to learn Arabic.

Let us make this dream come true! Be a part of it and join us on our exciting journey!

Please call for a free mini coaching session so we can put together your goals towards learning Arabic.

Hadeel Alabbasi

Family Counselor and Life Coach

hadeel.alabbasi@gmail.com

0504618552

Please note that Jeddah Blog does not endorse all services and activities that figure on the blog. We share all information we receive relevant to your queries and interests. If you can qualify or comment on any information, or update it, if you find that an older post is no longer relevant or the contact information has been changed, please write in to us at team.jeddah.blog@gmail.com with your comments and experiences. We’d be very happy to hear from you.

Arabic Classes for Women

We caught word of these interactive Arabic classes conducted by Hadeel Al Abassi, focusing on the practical, communicative aspect of language. A direct note from Hadeel to potential learners.

 

Dear Eager Learners,

I am happy to announce the start of our “Interactive” Arabic classes March 11^th. We will be introducing two kinds of classes, our signature class and our media class. Classes will be held on Sunday evenings and Monday mornings.

Class Format and Set-up

Class Timings

Signature Class: 11 classes from March to May 2012

Evenings (Sundays 7:00-9:00) March 11^th, April 1^st-15^th-29^th, May 13^th-27^th.

Mornings (Mondays 9:30-11:30) March 19^th, April 9^th-23^rd, May 7^th-21^st.

Media Class: 11 classes from March to May 2012

Evenings (Sundays 7:00-9:00) March 18^th, April 8^th-22^nd, May 6^th-20^th.

Mornings (Mondays 9:30-11:30) March 12^th, April 2^nd-16^th-30^th, May 14^th-28^th.

Class Set-up

Every class is formed into four groups with different levels and topics. Every participant would decide prior to the start of the class the level which she would take part in with the help of the instructor. Every group would have a group leader who would guide participants through their work.

Session Format 

Each group would receive a paragraph or an article according to its level (In the media class we would watch some form of media). Participants would go through every word in the received text (Movie) with the help of their leader. Laptops, dictionaries, flash cards, and other props would be used to enhance understanding. This would continue for half an hour. In the next half an hour, each group would choose from five to fifteen words depending on their level from the material provided and try to form it in a way to present it to the other groups. Presentations would be five minutes long. In the presentation, each group would be using the words that they have learnt in the session. This would go for the next half an hour. The last half an hour would be a five minute “Word Game” and “Reflecting Time”. Every member would have a chance to exercise their Arabic while reflecting on their learning experience.

Session Prices

First class is free! Ten classes are for 200 riyals. Each class is 20 riyals. We encourage you to attend all 11 classes as this would help you gain a vocabulary base of at least 440 new words that you can actually use! You can also mix and match between the two classes or attend all 22 classes! We only ask you to let us know about your plans.

Our prices are reasonable because of the generous contributions of our wonderful group leaders, who have volunteered their time and effort for our beloved language.

Session Rules

• Arabic, sign language, and drawing are the languages used in our sessions. We will not be talking in English : )
• Making mistakes is encouraged!
• Our classes put emphasize on conversation. You do not need to know how to read or write Arabic, neither would you necessarily learn how to read or write.
• Having fun while learning is our motto!
• We start on time and respect our time limits.
• We help and support each other.
• We will invest our energy to make “US” extraordinary!
• We are learning from each other, so please teach, show, and enlighten us so we can better serve you!

Our Goal

To make these sessions the building blocks of a center that people come to from all over the world to learn Arabic.

Let us make this dream come true! Be a part of it and join us on our exciting journey!

Please call for a free mini coaching session so we can put together your goals towards learning Arabic.

 

Hadeel Alabbasi

Family Counselor and Life Coach

hadeel.alabbasi@gmail.com

0504618552

Please note that Jeddah Blog does not endorse all services and activities that figure on the blog. We share all information we receive relevant to your queries and interests. If you can qualify or comment on any information, or update it, if you find that an older post is no longer relevant or the contact information has been changed, please write in to us at team.jeddah.blog@gmail.com with your comments and experiences. We’d be very happy to hear from you.

Kids’ Cupcake Classes with Chef Vivian

Please note, this class is for Arabic speakers only.