Goumbook partners with Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation to promote sustainability focused education.
We’re thrilled to announce a long-term partnership between Goumbook and the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation on two profound initiatives: the “Takween” initiative aimed at fostering Emirati youth’s employability and future skills, and the “Greening Communities” program providing lifelong-learning opportunities to the Arabic-speaking community in the UAE.
Greening Communities: cultivating sustainability-mindedness
In April 2023, the Ministry of Education unveiled the UAE’s “Green Education Partnership Roadmap” in preparation for COP28. Among its pillars, the “Greening Communities” program was introduced, and the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation joined hands as a strategic partner. The core objective of this pillar is to create learning opportunities for climate awareness, both within formal and informal educational settings, to engage all members of the community.
Goumbook is honoured to be selected as an implementing partner for the “Greening Communities” program, which officially kicked off during the Climate Future Week, organized by the Museum of the Future in collaboration with the Fiker Institute. The inaugural event, a Climate Fresk workshop under the theme “Climate Understanding: Learn, Connect, Act,” set the stage for an exciting journey ahead.
Over the next four months, Goumbook is committed to conducting 24 workshops across the seven Emirates, reaching out to 1,382 participants from various walks of life, including school and university students, parents, employees, and the general public. These workshops will encompass a variety of engaging and educational activities drawn from Goumbook’s diverse campaigns, such as Climate Fresk workshops, Ghaf seed plantings, mangrove plantings, beach clean-ups, and sustainable meal packings.
Our primary goal is to raise awareness, inspire, and empower participants to become active agents of change in our collective fight for a liveable climate and a sustainable future for everyone. With the different activities we offer – from planting trees to collecting marine debris or saving edible food from going to waste – we aim to open participants’ eyes to the intricate connections between individual actions and the global climate crisis. We emphasize that every small daily decision has the power to create ripples of change that eventually, collectively, create the transformative impact we need.
Takween: Empowering Future Leaders through Education
The “Takween” initiative, launching in 2023, is the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation’s after-school learner enrichment program designed to empower Emirati middle and high school students. Over a three-year period (2023 – 2025), Takween offer a wide range of programs, courses, activities, and events for learners in partnership with Emirates School Establishment.
Goumbook, in its role as a partner in the “Takween” initiative, offers two tailor-made programs targeted at Emirati students aged 13 to 18, aligning with the “Skill Development” pillar (enhancing students’ sense of national identity and global citizenship by increasing their understanding of critical global challenges and potential solutions) and the “Success Advising” pillar (supporting students in their journey toward success) of the initiative:
- A “Sustainability Series” comprising a rotation of four workshops with hands-on activities, focusing on different Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Climate Fresk (SDG 13), Give a Ghaf (SDG 6, SDG 15), Be(e) Conscious (SDG 15), and Sustainable Meal Packing (SDG 2, SDG 3, SDG 12)
- A 4-week program titled “Learn, Do, Share” that develops students’ knowledge of the SDGs and empowers them to actively address key global challenges. The diverse weekly sessions anchored around various sustainability topics encourage youth to become active learners, participate in meaningful activities, and ultimately become ambassadors inspiring sustainable living practices in their schools and communities.
Both educational initiatives are rooted in the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals, addressing global challenges while bringing localized solutions to the forefront. Through their shared vision and commitment, Goumbook and the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation are contributing to the development of informed and responsible citizens that use their conscience, skills, and motivation to address global challenges and create a more sustainable future.