Sharjah Children Shura Council Highlights the Need to Train Children on Social Media Use

The young members of Sharjah Children Shura Council (SCSC) have called for launching effective training programmes for children in the emirate to enhance their awareness about the optimal usage of social media platforms by promoting positive values and serving the community.

The call was made during the second meeting of the 15th edition of SCSC, held on Tuesday at the Consultative Council of Sharjah. Themed ‘Working Together for a Better Nation’, the session was held under the patronage of the Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs (SCFA) and Chairperson of the Rubu’ Qarn Foundation for Creating Leaders and Innovators.

Organised by the Sharjah Children Centres, a subsidiary of the Rubu’ Qarn’ Foundation, the meeting was attended by Ahmed Al Jarwan, Secretary General of the Sharjah Consultative Council, and Fatima Ali Al Muhairi, Chairperson of the Family Affairs Committee at the Sharjah Consultative Council, guest speakers Hanadi Saleh al Yafei, Department Director at the Supreme Council for Family Affairs and Head of the Organising Committee of the Child Safety Campaign, and Emirati sports journalist, Munther Al Muzakki Al Shamsi.

The session was presided over by Rashid Saif Khalifa Al Tunaiji, President of the 15th Sharjah Children Shura Council and attended by Maria Ahmed Al Naqbi, the first Vice-President, Al Hoor Mohammed Al Hooti, the second Vice-President, and Fatima Faraj Al Amiri, the SCSC Secretary. Also present were

The meeting featured discussions on a range of topics related to the usage of social media networks, and raising important queries on optimal usage and how to harness these sources to build a better country. The pivotal role social media can play in promoting positive ideas on cultural, educational and social issues was also promoted.

Al Yafei and Al Shamsi inspired the audience with their personal and professional accounts on how they use social media to serve the community.

"Social media is something without which existence seems impossible today. Thus, its role in everyday life cannot be ignored. The world’s youth is at a point where they need to use this phenomenon to their advantage, grasp the best ways to leverage digital technologies in ways that promote values and better serve our nation. The common use of social media also calls for the need to adopt a comprehensive strategy that aims to maximise its benefits and utilise it for the best interests of younger generations, to enable them to carry on with the nation's building and development,” Al Yafei remarked.

“The wide penetration of social media among young people makes it the perfect platform to promote good values and inspiring ideas. This is why we need to find ways to innovatively use this technology to build our personalities, give back to our nation and celebrate the many achievements of the UAE,” she added.  

Al Yafei noted: "Social media can be used to express pride in our national identity, share pictures and broadcast reliable news that reflect the cultural renaissance our country has achieved and highlight efforts by our wise leadership to make us happy and feel secured."

Munther Al Muzakki Al Shamsi expressed his pleasure in witnessing the participation of so many young members of the Sharjah Children Shura Council, referring to them as a reflection of the nation's bright future. Al Shamsi shared his personal experience in using social media platforms and how he harnessed them to support humanitarian projects and initiatives targeting community segments in need.

“Through my experience in voluntary work, social media sites represent a main source of support that helped me in implementing a series of humanitarian projects. These sites have increasingly played a great role in highlighting the plight of needy categories living under pressing humanitarian conditions to lend them a helping hand and draw a smile on their faces. We succeeded in mobilizing community efforts to help vulnerable segments of the society through these interactive platforms that see a huge turnout by all community members,” he added.

Aysha Ali Al Kaabi, Acting Director of Sharjah Children Centres, said: "Throughout its two-decade journey, the Sharjah Children Shura Council - under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs - has succeeded in establishing a leading parliamentary experience in the Arab region and raised children's awareness about current issues and public affairs. The SCSC has also contributed to honing children's skills in numerous domains. It serves as a platform where dozens of children have learnt about issues of importance in society, and have become aware about their responsibilities towards their nation.”

She added: “We highly appreciate the dedication of the members and their commitment to attending and actively participating in the training workshops and dialogue sessions that we organised as part of our preparations leading up to this session. We highly value their noble commitment and thank their families for their support and positivity.”

At the end of the session, the SCSC members made several recommendations, including the need to launch training programmes to enhance children's awareness about social media use. They also recommended that a voluntary work team be set up to share and post Children Centres' activities on social media sites, and called for establishing a dedicated social media platform to share the experiences of the Sharjah Children Shura Council’s members.

An initiative by Sharjah Children Centres, SCSC aims to build a generation that is aware and educated on parliamentary life in the UAE, in line with the emirate’s vision to encourage children to lead through education and participation in the legislative process. The council establishes principles based on respecting the opinions and freedoms of others, with Islamic values enshrined in its philosophy.