Dubai, UAE: Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) has curated a wide range of workshops and discussion sessions for visitors to the Dubai Public Library branches under the School of Life initiative. With its diverse educational, cultural, and creative tracks and clubs, it aims to inspire the community to develop creative and life skills across various fields with opportunities for exchanging ideas, exploring the beauty of arts and Arabic calligraphy, learning how to prepare healthy meals, and more.

This month, the School of Life programme revolves around the theme of Jewellery and Design, featuring 34 interactive and creative workshops. In the ‘Create Your Precious Clock’ session, L’ecole Middle East – School of Jewelry Art will teach participants watch design, starting from selecting materials, colours and intricate details in a way that is innovative and reflects their personal identity. Al Safa Art & Design Library will see two sessions, the first ‘Investing in Gold & Jewellery’ where adults understand how to choose and understand gold as an investment asset, including evaluating and identifying counterfeit jewellery, market trends, and long-term vision, and the second ‘Redesigning Wind Towers’ that explores the possibilities of the wind towers in Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood by blending heritage with modern creativity. Umm Suqeim Library will host the ‘Jewellery Renovation’ session, where those aged 9 to 12 will recycle old pieces into new and innovative designs. Sikka Art & Design Festival will be the venue for the ‘Wire Jewellery Making’ session, where Boubaker Boukhari will teach adults how to use simple tools and metal wires to create with a distinctive artistic style.

Al Twar Public Library shall host the STEM Club within the scientific track, offering workshops like ‘How to Prepare for Scientific Competitions,’ which guides students on innovative problem-solving methods for international contests. Other sessions include ‘Addressing Environmental Challenges,’ focusing on using STEM fields to address global issues, and ‘Scientific Discovery,’ teaching participants to transform research ideas into actionable questions. The ‘Scientific Research Sources’ workshop will help participants distinguish between reliable and unreliable sources and data.

Al Mankhool Public Library will host workshops under the Impact track within the Career Club, such as ‘Empowering Professional Skills,’ where attendees will learn how to leverage their skills for personal and professional growth. ‘Innovative Work Methods’ is meant to discuss creative problem-solving approaches, while the ‘Professional Communication Skills’ session equips participants with tools to build effective networks and improve team collaboration. The library will also host three Chess Club sessions: ‘Chess Puzzle Solving,’ ‘Chess Masters Challenge,’ and ‘Historical Games Analysis.’ These help participants enhance critical thinking through various chess puzzles, develop the ability to recognise strategic patterns, deepen their understanding of game strategy, and analyse the decisive moves that changed the course of games played by world chess masters.

Under the Calligraphy Club, Al Mankhool Library will welcome Gino Banola’s ‘Creative Baybayin Calligraphy,’ teaching adults the fundamentals of Baybayin calligraphy and create a personalised piece, integrating the ancient script into contemporary designs. Banola will also offer a session on the Filipino script on the first day of Sikka Art & Design Festival on 31 January 2025. Calligrapher Mohammad Altamimi will have two sessions on the Ruq’ah script, one in Al Safa Art & Design Library and the other at Sikka.

As part of the Book Club, Bound to Read will offer two Al Twar Public Library reading adventures; the first for ages 5 to 8 on one of Edith Nesbit's classic children’s books, ‘The Railway Children,’ which tells the story of a family who moves from London to a house near a railway. The second adventure focuses on Guts, a book designed to help children build resilience by understanding key elements of courage and learning how to face challenges and fears in a positive and engaging way.

Within the Art Club, Al Safa Art & Design Library will host two workshops, the first by Benedicte Gimonnet titled ‘Colour Basics’ that teaches the basics of colour, its properties and classifications, focusing on the importance of tonal relationships, and the second by Medaf Creative Studio: ‘Art 101: Painting on Notebook Covers,’ where students aged 12 to 15 will gain the skills to design an artistic cover that reflects their personal creativity, with a focus on coordinating ideas and balancing durability and creativity. Sikka Art & Design Festival will be the venue of the third workshop, also by Medaf Creative Studio titled ‘Art 101: 3D Landscape Collage,’ wherein participants are encouraged to incorporate various materials and create a multi-dimensional landscape.

Al Safa Art & Design Library will see three Wellness & Nutrition Club sessions: two ladies’ pilates sessions as well as a session by Nada Saeed Kattan titled ‘Make Your Own Pie,’ where they can learn how to prepare the perfect pie crust with simple and easy steps while having access to an array of ingredients to choose from, allowing families to customise their pie to suit their taste.