Nurturing a love of sport among children with disabilities ahead of the Special Olympics is the aim of a partnership between a special needs centre and mainstream schools across Dubai.
Teachers at Tender Hearts Arena say playing sports and learning alongside students will stimulate and motivate children with special needs.
They said results will not be immediate but are keen to find Emirati students and those of other nationalities to represent their country in future competitions.
“The whole objective is to train these students for the Special Olympics and for interschool competitions. We hope to find a strong sports person through the programme,” said Arti Khazanchi, co-founder of a recreational centre that opened two years ago in Umm Sequeim for children and young adults.
Some 30 students with developmental disabilities including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism and Down Syndrome between the ages of even to 25 are regulars at the centre where they learn martial arts, piano, yoga and cooking.
Some study in mainstream institutions and sign up at the centre for music, art and theatre after school. They represent a wide variety of nationalities from across the globe.
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Read more:
Dubai special needs volunteer programme requires 'commitment and empathy'
Buddy programme helps special needs pupils explore world of art and sport
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The centre has partnered with the Ambassador School in Dubai’s Mankhool area and plan to expand the project to other schools in the emirate.
“This is our launch pad. It will depend on their ability whether they get selected for track and field or basketball or swimming. Sport is the common ground if you want to have inclusion and the programme we have started will also focus on sport,” Ms Khazanchi said.
“Through sport and music everyone can come on one platform, it is the best way to bring people together. We plan to train them slowly. We know it will take time for this to grow. We have a long way to go and it will not be easy,” she said.
Pupils from Ambassador have been volunteering at the centre for a year but the new programme opens up the mainstream school campus to students with disabilities for extracurricular activities.
Children from Tender Hearts have been paired with Ambassador students in the hope that strong bonds will be forged as they are viewed as friends instead of coaches and teachers.
Educators believe that while there has been some integration of children with special needs in schools, participation in joint after-hours activities is not widespread.
“These students will be able to learn on a bigger campus with our coaches, sports facilities and open grounds. Their aim is to involve more students in sports and we have students who are passionate about helping them. We will work together towards skill development for the Special Olympics,” said Sheela Menon, principal of Ambassador School.
“It also makes our students more sensitive and compassionate and able to see the world of a determined child. Many have never understood their challenges. Our target is to involve more students and get more centres with special needs to come to our school. This will help towards the goal of Dubai becoming a disability friendly city by 2020.”
While the overall focus is inclusion and integration, the aim and long-term plan is to pinpoint the sporting talents of students.
Training in sports will also help with employment in the future, said Tender Hearts co-founder Neena Raina.
“They could be assistants to a fitness coach and can help the main instructor. Training in athletics and swimming will be excellent for children who are hyperactive or have ADHD because they can put all that energy into running and into sport,” Ms Raina said.
The Special Olympics World Games will be held in Abu Dhabi in 2019 in which athletes with intellectual disabilities will compete in 24 sports including athletics, basketball, swimming and football.
As the first city in the Middle East to host the event, it aims to change perceptions and address the stigma linked to people with developmental disabilities in the region when people watch 7,000 athletes from 170 countries compete.
A beginning will be made in March this year when some 1,500 athletes from the region will participate in the Mena games.
THE%20JERSEYS
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Ferrari
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Michael%20Mann%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Adam%20Driver%2C%20Penelope%20Cruz%2C%20Shailene%20Woodley%2C%20Patrick%20Dempsey%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Match info:
Manchester City 2
Sterling (8'), Walker (52')
Newcastle United 1
Yedlin (30')
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHayvn%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2018%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EChristopher%20Flinos%2C%20Ahmed%20Ismail%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbu%20Dhabi%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efinancial%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eundisclosed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESize%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2044%20employees%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eseries%20B%20in%20the%20second%20half%20of%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHilbert%20Capital%2C%20Red%20Acre%20Ventures%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
'Morbius'
Director: Daniel Espinosa
Stars: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona
Rating: 2/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
More coverage from the Future Forum
INDIA'S%20TOP%20INFLUENCERS
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
THE BIO
Ms Davison came to Dubai from Kerala after her marriage in 1996 when she was 21-years-old
Since 2001, Ms Davison has worked at many affordable schools such as Our Own English High School in Sharjah, and The Apple International School and Amled School in Dubai
Favourite Book: The Alchemist
Favourite quote: Failing to prepare is preparing to fail
Favourite place to Travel to: Vienna
Favourite cuisine: Italian food
Favourite Movie : Scent of a Woman
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE%20athletes%20heading%20to%20Paris%202024
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THE SPECS
Engine: six-litre W12 twin-turbo
Transmission: eight-speed dual clutch auto
Power: 626bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh940,160 (plus VAT)
On sale: Q1 2020
UAE%20v%20West%20Indies
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