الشارقة 24:
The Sharjah Volunteer Award recently concluded its participation in the 26th edition of the Sharjah International Storytelling Festival 2026, organised by the Sharjah Institute for Heritage under the theme “Tales of Friends.” The award’s involvement aimed to creatively engage storytelling and interactive arts to instill values of volunteering and giving among children, while also familiarising families and visitors with the award’s mission to support and promote a culture of volunteerism within the community..
Building a Culture of Volunteering
The Sharjah Volunteer Award believes that fostering a culture of volunteering must begin early in life, starting with children’s awareness. It is imperative to transform values such as participation, assistance, and responsibility toward others into ingrained daily behaviours. Therefore, the award focused on delivering interactive content that blends knowledge, creativity, and entertainment, providing children with opportunities to discover the essence of giving and express it through their own voices and tools..
Hanane Al Khayyal, Executive Director of the Sharjah Volunteer Award, emphasised that the award’s participation in the “Storyteller Forum” was not merely an introductory presence but aligned with its objective to broaden its reach across various societal segments. Cultural and heritage platforms serve as influential spaces for raising awareness and reinforcing values of volunteerism..
Shaping the Future of Volunteering
Al Khayyal remarked that children should be viewed as partners in shaping the future of volunteerism, rather than mere recipients of awareness messages. It is essential to present volunteering as a human value and a behaviour that can be actively practised, not just a theoretical concept. By allowing children the space to draw, write, or narrate acts of kindness, they can translate values into personal experiences. This is a vital first step towards creating a generation that sees giving as part of their identity and responsibility towards their community..
Further highlighting the strength of volunteerism, the Executive Director noted that its true impact is not only measured by the number of participants in initiatives but by how well the values of volunteering resonate within individual consciousness and behaviour. This underscores the significance of the award’s presence at cultural events that gather children and families, allowing them to encounter volunteerism conveyed in a language suited to all age groups while opening new avenues for thinking, initiative, and engagement..
Al Khayyal also pointed out that the engagement witnessed at the award’s platform proves the importance of delivering volunteer messages through innovative tools that resonate with children’s interests. Storytelling, drawing, and reading not only serve as entertainment but can also become effective bridges for building awareness, especially when linked to human values like cooperation, solidarity, and responsibility..
In conclusion, Al Khayyal conveyed that real impact starts with a small idea that a child can carry into the future. The more we succeed in transforming volunteering from an abstract idea into a value that we live and practise, the closer we come to establishing a community where initiative, giving, and responsibility become ingrained, sustainable cultures. This is the message the award strives to communicate through its participation in such cultural and community events..
Strong Engagement from Families and Children
During the four-day event, the award’s platform attracted a significant number of children, alongside students, families, and various visitors to the festival. Participants interacted with the various activities, workshops, and informative content presented. Over 500 publications, including diverse books, stories, colouring booklets, and the “Little Volunteer” magazine, were distributed during the award’s participation, alongside a series of engaging workshops and activities which saw notable attendance and interaction..
Among the activities was the “Draw Your Impact” workshop, which enabled children to create scenarios representing volunteering and transform them into artistic works, thus enhancing their ability to express concepts of kindness, assistance, and participation creatively. Additionally, the platform included colouring booklets inspired by volunteering practices and provided insight into the award’s objectives, categories, fields, and participation mechanisms while offering students opportunities to showcase their volunteer experiences and initiatives..
Expanding Awareness of Volunteerism
The platform also featured a reading of the story “The Good Box,” authored by child Zainab Abdullah, which introduces the concept of volunteerism to children through narrative storytelling, exemplifying a model that intertwines children’s literature with the promotion of human values..
The conclusion of the award’s participation in the festival aligns with its ongoing efforts to broaden awareness of volunteerism and reinforce its presence across various community, educational, and cultural environments, contributing to building a generation that is more cognisant of its role in serving the community and creating a positive impact..
This year’s Sharjah International Storytelling Festival featured over 100 storytellers, experts, researchers, and media professionals from more than 30 countries, with Finland as the guest of honour, alongside participation from a variety of cultural institutions, universities, institutes, and governmental entities..