• As students develop ideas through the 8billionsideas partnership they will be able to tap into Citizens Venture fund to bring their ideas to market
  • The collaboration seeks to contribute to positioning Dubai as a global hub of learning excellence in a diversified knowledge economy
  • Further partners to be announced along the themes of Citizens Tapestry; Health & Wellbeing; Sustainability; Global Citizenship; and Digital Literacy

Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Citizens School, a visionary K-12 school, conceived, designed, and developed in the UAE, has announced that it will be joining forces with leading global education platform 8billionideas to build a unique programme centered around developing the entrepreneurial skillset for children, providing them with the opportunity to create and develop new ideas.

This collaborative initiative with 8billionideas is a step forward in building the second pillar of the Citizens Tapestry. Students will get to work on an invention every week, have access to an entrepreneurial mentor, experience world-class lessons and experiences in the field, as well as take advantage of a Citizens Ventures funding programme. Children will be able to share their learnings among a close-knit community, giving them a real-time insight on future ways of working and equipping them with the necessary skill sets to emerge successful in their adult lives.

Citizens will open in September 2022 and has started taking admissions. The school will give children the opportunity to make their own choices in a non-selective and inclusive environment. Using the UK National Curriculum as a framework, Citizen’s Tapestry is a custom-built curriculum that builds upon the blueprint with six key threads – Mindset; Entrepreneurship; Health & Wellbeing; Sustainable Leadership; Global Citizenship; and Digital Literacy – forming the pattern of a comprehensive, holistic, and fun education system. The curriculum has been influenced by some of the world’s leading researchers on education, motivation and mindsets, as well as cognitive scientists including Dr Carol Dweck, Matthew Syed and John Hattie, Guy Claxton, and Graham Powell.

Dr. Adil Alzarooni, Founder, Citizens School Dubai said, “With recent statistics showing that around 40% of nursey school children today will need to be self-employed to have any form of income in adult life, we need to re-imagine learning to meet 21st-century needs. At Citizens our aim is to identify potential, stimulate passion, nurture talent and celebrate bravery to incubate the producers, performers, competitors, creators, innovators and thinkers of tomorrow. As one of the positive global disruptors in the education sector, 8billionideas is set on a mission to give every student on the planet the skills and belief to change the world. Leading cutting-edge innovation across education, their goals are very much aligned with our belief in learning as a lifelong process and preparing students for jobs that haven’t been created yet.”

David Harkin, CEO, 8billionideas said, “'We are so excited to be working with Citizens School to help bring to life the vision of the entrepreneurship strand of the Tapestry. We are big believers that the focus for children should be learning about real entrepreneurship, and they must be able to have confidence in articulating and developing their ideas. The joint collaboration will allow children to unlock their entrepreneurial spirit from the moment they enter the school. They will have the flexibility and room to be creative, building confidence and knowledge over time, so that as a Citizens student, they feel confident in changing the world in whatever way they wish in the future. 8billionideas can't wait to work closely with the team at Citizens and make this all possible.”

Designed to present learning through a new lens, the Citizens learning experience focuses on the whole growth of a learner and is built around each child’s unique requirements, empowering them with choices to explore themes, expand interests and determine the routes that they want to go on to reach their full potential. This is all while equipping them with a rich, connected bank of knowledge and skills relevant for the 21st-century. 

Having recently announced the launch of cryptocurrency as an accepted payment option at Citizens School, the latest announcement is an example of how Citizens School is committed to reimagining the education and helping to position Dubai as a global hub of learning excellence in a diversified knowledge economy.