HOPE for Exceptional Needs is running a unique pilot program for this summer starting on the 10th of July 2016.
📍A summer of therapies strictly one-on-one basis offering intensive training.
📍Two months of skill acquisition and development in all therapuetic areas.
📍Call, message or whatsapp on:
056 663 1176
056 695 6887
📍Email:
📍Transportation available
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Association of Language Teachers (KSAALT) Jeddah Chapter is a non-profit professional service organization for English language teachers, created in 2006 with a handful of dedicated educators who had a desire to serve, educate and connect English language teachers in Saudi Arabia through professional development with interactive and engaging general meetings, workshops, and mini and annual conferences.
KSAALT is inviting proposals for practical workshops and presentations from English teachers and ELT professionals for their conference on 28 May,2016. The theme for the conference is Students’ Motivation: Motivate the Unmotivated. For more information, or to register, visit their Facebook page.
Fear of public speaking can be debilitating for most people. Whether standing in front of a class, giving an office presentation, or simply introducing yourself at a gathering, or within a group of friends. If you are a quiet sufferer, and would like to overcome your fear, Toastmasters may be just the place for you.
Toastmasters is a nonprofit educational organization that operates clubs worldwide for the purpose of helping members improve their communication, public speaking and leadership skills. This blog post has been written by Jeddah Blog reader and member of the Jeddah Toastmasters, Rayeesa Tabassum.
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Toastmasters International, celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, has been at the forefront in imparting communication and leadership skills to members all around the world.
Saudi Arabia is District 79 and has over 200 clubs though out the Kingdom. Understanding the need for a ladies only club in Jeddah, TM Shanthi Lakshman, an experienced toastmaster since 2000, decided to start “Jeddah Elite Ladies Toastmasters” club in June 2013. It has grown steadily ever since and now boasts of 26 vibrant ladies from different countries like India, Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka.
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There are lecturers, supervisors, students, doctors and also homemakers giving the club a unique appeal. The atmosphere is very friendly and welcoming, and female guests are warmly invited to attend their meetings, which are held twice every month.
This is a great place to improve our communication and leadership skills to advance in our careers, to gain better confidence and also to improve our language proficiency. With the shortage of social activities in Jeddah, I personally find this an amazing opportunity to meet new people from different cultures and make friends.
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In the words of TM Shanti Lakshman “In Toastmasters, there is no instructor, only facilitators”. There is no teacher-student relationship here. It is the perfect place for people who are terrified of public speaking, people who never got a chance to be on the stage and finally want to face their fear. This place provides support, motivation and encouragement; and members take their own time to progress slowly at their own pace and level of comfort.
As a member of Jeddah Elite ladies, I welcome you all to attend our meeting and experience the magic of public speaking and power of leadership. Hope to see you all there!
For more information, contact Toastmasters via Twitter: @eliteladies, email: jeddah.elite.ladies@gmail.com and Facebook: JeddahEliteLadiesTM
An Educational Personality Development workshop through introspection by Sadathullah Khan will be held on 3, 4 and 5 April, 2014. The sessions will be conducted in English. If you are interested in attending, check further details below.
In this blog post, I am particularly proud to be able to introduce you to a lady who has, and continues to inspire me and countless others. Her non-stop positive attitude is infectious and the sheer energy, determination, drive and passion she draws upon and imparts to those around her makes me wonder whether she might just be super-human. Uzma Raheem is a force of nature, and a shining source of support and hope to many families here in Jeddah. Jeddah Blog writer Anousha Vakani sat down with Uzma earlier this month to chat with her about the inception and growth of the Hope Center, its success stories and the challenges she faces.
Uzma Raheem after winning her 9th International award in 15 years.
The Hope Center needs little introduction – the people of Jeddah, the rest of KSA and even abroad have watched it grow from a summer programme held in a tiny apartment to a full-fledged multi-cultural institute that has won a total of nine international awards in just fifteen years. Yet, the Center’s founder and directress, Uzma Raheem, speaks to us about the Center’s growth with paramount humility. She is not oblivious to the lives she has touched but her pride lies in the teamwork and dedication that is the foundation of this ‘life-skills institute,’ as she prefers to call it.
Baking activity with the children.
She admits that not even in her wildest dreams did she imagine that her efforts would grow to this magnitude. Even receiving a licence from the Ministry was inconceivable, let alone gaining both national and international recognition and awards. However, she says the Center is not just about her efforts, “it is a community project, a joint effort with so many supporters and well-wishers. We have very dedicated, compassionate staff and in fifteen years we have managed to establish our credibility in the market so yes, people know that Hope for Exceptional Needs does deliver.” However, it’s not an easy task – one struggle is that of finding trained staff. The Center started off with just two or three volunteers at one time working with an average of six to nine students. It has grown to a full-sized institute with fifty staff members but it is still a struggle. One reason for this, Uzma Raheem notes is that, “universities are churning out students but guess what? They’re taking their degrees and working in other fields that pay more. You cannot get into this field with a commercial mindset, especially if you’re working with disabled children. You’ve got to have the compassion as well. If you’re thinking of the rewards of both this life and the after, then yes, come in to this field where the salary may not be that high but the job satisfaction is tremendous.”
The children with their toys.
The job satisfaction is another factor we discuss, and her contentment is hard to misplace. She mentions the success stories, of fourteen children who have been integrated into mainstream education, one who has gotten a job and one who has gotten married. “Three children came into the center who could not even walk and today when I see them running in the hallways, I think my heart leaps behind them. I sleep with a lot of peace in my heart. It’s that fantastic.” When asked about the struggles that come with her job, she sighs and admits that there are many, as with any other job. “Apart from the financial aspect and the shortage of resources, I have to say the children are the easiest part of my job. One of the most difficult parts is actually dealing with the parents. While some parents come in with this wealth of knowledge and acceptance of what their child is going through, and that’s half of our job done – when the parents meet us midway – some parents are, unfortunately less educated or educated and in denial or under severe depression – those are the families that are a challenge to work with, but it is part of the package.”
Martial arts training at the Center.
Among others, the center offers physiotherapy, occupational therapy, hydrotherapy and speech and hearing therapy. While they do not set an age limit, Uzma Raheem encourages parents to admit their children as early as possible. “A young child is like freshly kneaded dough and you can mould them out into any shape you want, whereas an older child is like slightly stale dough and if your try too hard to make any shape out of them, they break.”
The children on a visit to Makkah.
Religion is also a major point of focus at the Hope Center. The Muslim children are taught basic du’as, the ritual of wudu and etiquette for visiting the Holy Mosque. Regular trips are also made to Makkah where the children make tawaaf and implement all that they’ve learnt. “I think religion plays a big part, and not just for the children but for us as well, in finding comfort that a higher power is looking after our children,” Uzma Raheem muses as a wrap up to our brief but enlightening conversation. To learn more about the Hope Center’s programmes and to follow their progress, join Hope- for exceptional needs on Facebook. Check out their website too, expected to go live in a few days’ time.
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. Read more…
Date: 27th June, 2013
Venue: Conference Hall of Saudi German Hospital
Time: 8:15pm-10:15pm
Contact aqsara@hotmail.com for any queries. Further information can also be gleaned from their Facebook Event page.
The summer is upon us, and although the first few days of the summer vacation will surely bring welcome relief to children and parents alike, for many youngsters, boredom will begin to set in. Kids will fall into an all too relaxed routine, sleeping late and waking late. If parents are not worrying about how to prise their sons away from Minecraft and daughters away from the Disney Channel, they are fretting over the lack of use of grey cells for a whole three months. Summer clubs can be an excellent way to stimulate little people and get them using their minds and bodies constructively. The following are some of the summer clubs we have come to know about in Jeddah that are still open to registeration. We urge you to visit and do your research before taking a final decision.
If you would like your summer club activity to be listed here, drop us an email with all the details.
A fun and productive Summer Club for kids starting 8th June, 2013. Not only varied activities, but very reasonably priced too. Activities include swimming, taekwondo and cooking for children aged 5-11. For more details or to make a reservation, call the numbers below.
Why not use the summer to learn a new language? The Alliance Française will be holding intensive French classes in June.
4 Weeks Accelerated Classes Start June 8.
Self-growth and self-improvement are important parts of life. For many of us, this slows down or even worse, comes to a halt once we leave formal education. But it doesn’t have to be this way. There are many unexplored avenues to seek out, and many new skills to acquire. Silk painting classes are catching on, and there are now instructors teaching this art to those who wish to expand their skill base.
Silk painting is the application of paints or dyes directly onto silk fabric using an exciting array of watercolour techniques.
Uzma Sabahat is one such lady who has been instructing in the art of silk painting for the past eighteen years in her home country Pakistan. Now that she resides in Jeddah, she has begun giving workshops here.
Uzma’s silk painting.
Her next workshop is a 3-day event to be held on the 12th, 13th and 14th of May, 2013 from 9-11am. The cost is SR 350 for the entire 3-day course, including all materials and equipment.
Details of the latest Project Management Professional (PMP) Training Course in Jeddah are as follows:
Ignite Jeddah is an exciting event coming up in March at the Effat University. Ignite is a worldwide event, where participants are given five minutes to speak about their ideas and personal or professional passions, accompanied by 20 slides. Each slide is displayed for 15 seconds, and slides are automatically advanced. The presentations are meant to ignite the audience on a subject, i.e. to generate awareness and to stimulate thought and action on the subjects presented.
Ignite was started by Brady Forrest, who is the Technology Evangelist for O’Reilly Media, and by Bre Pettis of Makerbot.com The first Ignite took place in Seattle in 2006, and since then the event has become an international phenomenon, with gatherings in Helsinki, Finland; Paris, France; New York, New York; and many other locations. At Ignite Jeddah, 20 well-known and educated youth will talk about their personal and professional stories. It’s going to be a wonderful night of motivation and success stories. The event is hosted by Effat University, and organized by the Effat SG (Effat University Student Government). It will take place of 7th March in the Effat Hall from 5:00 – 10:30 PM.
You can register here. Tickets cost 100 SR and they will be sold at Virgin Megastores and at the day of the event. The organizers say that it’s very important to register online, and once the tickets are available e-mails will be sent to the people who registered.
Further information can be gleaned from the Ignite website, their Facebook page, by emailing igniteJeddah@effat.edu.sa or by calling 02-6364300 ext 5405
Have you ever fancied being a theatre actor or writer, but not sure of the techniques? This refreshing workshop will lead you through building a plot, creating complex characters, constructing a story and authoring short, dramatic scenes. For aspiring actors, you will be lead through physical and vocal training, the basics of acting, analysing different scenes and much more.
You can register at mathal@ateeq.me . The closing date for registration is 5pm on 11th February, 2013.
Urdu is the fourth most commonly spoken language in the world, and to secure the language, build bridges between the East and the West, and serve future generations, the Urdu Academy International has been launched with its head office in Jeddah.
Rohail Khan, founder of the UAI asserts that the organization will be a global think tank “to incubate new ideas and develop new projects to promote the Urdu language, literature and culture.” Activities will be held in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and GCC countries. Rohail tells Jeddah Blog that an office will be established next year in Washington, DC to manage operations across North America and Europe.
Urdu lovers are invited to join and contribute towards the growth of this newly-founded think tank. Click on their Facebook page for further details.
Some projects in planning are the launching of a quarterly Urdu Digest, publishing an Urdu-to-Urdu dictionary for the comprehension of difficult Urdu words, publishing a Grand Urdu Encyclopedia, and an Urdu thesaurus. They will also petition Facebook to adopt Urdu as one of its official languages. An international directory of Urdu writers, poets and scientists will be compiled and develop computer operating systems in Urdu, making Urdu accessible to the average smart phone, computer and laptop users.
If you think you may be interested in participating in this project, or would simply like to follow their progress, check out the UAI’s Facebook page.
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