The Department of Community Development (DCD), in cooperation with The Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, Family Development Foundation, the Early Childhood Authority, and Abu Dhabi Sports Council, organized “child platform” an interactive and educational platform that included goal-based activities and workshops, as part of its celebration of Emirati Children’s Day.

DCD expressed its keenness to cooperate with Abu Dhabi’s social sector entites to educate various groups about children’s rights and ensure their growth in a healthy, safe, and supportive environment.

One of the department’s priorities is to set up initiatives and principles that serve children, youth, and families. Through these steps, DCD aims to achieve its vision of providing a decent life for all members of society, in addition to working to create a sound environment that contributes to building a cohesive society and bringing it to a decent standard of living in the emirate.

DCD explained that the celebration of Emirati Children’s Day reflects the societal efforts the department is providing to families, especially children, to ensure it is built in a proper manner that makes it able to face the various obstacles and challenges that it may face in society, especially since the child is considered the main pillar for the future of the country and its social prosperity, given their role in advancing the development process towards building a sustainable society.

The department indicated that the interactive platform that was held in Yas Mall was well received by the public and children, as they were briefed on the Parents’ Guide to Mental Health, which was launched last year, to help parents properly understand and deal with the concepts of mental health and enable them to live a healthy life, as they were provided with educational information and guidance on dealing with the stresses of daily life and moving towards stable and healthy living. The guide dealt with what mental health is and how it affects individuals’ behaviors, thoughts and feelings in their daily lives, as well as the factors affecting mental health, such as relationships, lifestyle, and external and internal factors.

On the other hand, the interactive workshops presented by social sector entities received great interaction from children, as the Family Development Foundation presented various awareness activities and workshops, including: “Sustainability Dialogue with Children”, “Today’s Game for Tomorrow”, and “Journalist of the Future”, while the Media Council for Motherhood and Childhood presented a workshop on recycling, in addition to shedding light on the Child Environment Award, which targets children between 7 to 18 years old, and aims to promote the importance of environmental work, raise awareness and establish a culture of innovation among them. Abu Dhabi Sports Council gave a presentation on “Abu Dhabi 360” program, that aims to promote a healthy lifestyle in society by achieving a comprehensive balance in all physical, mental and social aspects.

The interactive workshops aim to explore and develop children’s skills, and provide them with new knowledge that combines science, fun and knowledge, in addition to motivating them to think, imagine, create and innovate, to enrich children’s imagination and artistic skills.

On their part, the audience we aware of the importance of the workshops and their role in spreading awareness and acquiring knowledge and skills that enable children to try new skills that contribute to refining and developing their personalities.