Sharjah residents believe in 'effective' use of free time

Jassim Hamad Al Hammadi (second from left) and others during the Press conference of Sharjah Award for Voluntary Work at the Supreme Council of Family Affairs in Sharjah.

A study has revealed that more than 80 per cent of the community members in Sharjah are interested in participating voluntary activities.
The study by Sharjah Award for Voluntary Work (SAVW) has identified an increased community awareness of how important volunteering is to nation building, character development, and effective use of free time.
Titled 'Community Awareness of Volunteer Work - A Field Study on the Emirate of Sharjah,' and prepared in collaboration with Sharjah University, the study revealed that 87.1 per cent of respondents expressed their desire to participate in volunteer work, while only 12.9 per cent expressed unwillingness to do so.
The findings were announced in a Press conference held on Wednesday at the premises of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs.
Jassim Hamad Al Hammadi, secretary general of the SAVW, said that the study aimed at measuring social awareness around volunteer work and its significance in Sharjah.
The findings will serve not only as a roadmap to improve volunteer work in accordance with the national vision, but will also promote its contributions to community service and development. Al Hammadi added that the SAVW will implement the study recommendations and address the challenges it has identified through an integrated plan of action.
This plan will herald a new stage of volunteering and encourage a higher level of social awareness and participation in humanitarian work.
Commenting the study, Iman Rashid Saif, director of health education department of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, said that the custodians of the SAVW were keen to carry out this study in order to take its programmes effectively to the target groups, especially youth, who will have the greatest impact in society. Also, it is essential to test and assess how important volunteer work is to the differ0ent social groups in order to come up with more effective plans that speak to their core beliefs and aspirations. Besides, the findings are expected to help design evidence-based programmes that more effectively target these audiences.
In its conclusion, the study has emphasised including volunteering in the curricula from kindergarten to higher education and introducing practical activities to help develop youth awareness of, and engagement with, social issues and present challenges.
Prof Abdullah Almnazl, director of the Research Institute of the Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Sharjah, thanked the Award custodians for making this important project a reality.
afkarali@khaleejtimes.com

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