Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre Launches Season 13 of the Junior Cultural Guide Programme Under the Al Shabab Al Banie Initiative for the Summer Holidays

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre has announced the launch of the thirteenth edition of the Junior Cultural Guide Programme, one of its initiatives under the Al Shabab Al Banie umbrella, which unites the Centre’s youth-focused activities and programmes dedicated to the nation’s younger generations.

Embodying the Concepts of Social Responsibility

This programme embodies the Centre’s commitment to social responsibility and its pioneering role in serving the community, by supporting the family’s role in fostering the ethical upbringing of emerging generations among the nation’s youth. Through its activities targeting the UAE’s youth, it harnesses their energies and talents, hones their skills and imparts the personal attributes that qualify them to present the nation’s civilisational image—applying the Centre’s foremost value: “We work with the spirit of patriotism rooted in the UAE’s authentic heritage.”

Integrated Training Methodology

The Junior Cultural Guide training programme, launched as part of the Youth of the Nation initiative, is an educational model aimed at refining the talents and energies of young people through a comprehensive set of training components and diverse workshops. The programme stimulates participants’ passion for conducting cultural tours at an early age, while providing them with the essential knowledge and skills required in this field.

In addition, the programme introduces participants to the fundamentals and standards of cultural tour delivery and provides them with training accordingly. It also acquaints them with the Centre’s messages in reviving the arts of Islamic civilisation, as a cultural legacy passed down through generations.

Through this programme, the Centre seeks to prepare a new generation of youth to become worthy ambassadors of the United Arab Emirates, reflecting its noble message of promoting values of tolerance and fraternity among the peoples of the world.

The Centre has invited male and female school students to register for the summer training programme, which is divided into two sessions targeting two groups of students in each. The first training period runs from 14 to 24 July, while the second runs from 4 to 14 August. Both sessions include two age groups: the first from 11 to 14 years old, and the second from 15 to 17 years old. Each group is trained separately.

The programme includes two training workshops. The first is entitled The Impactful Speaker, which introduces the legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the approach of the wise leadership, presentation, speech delivery and effective communication skills, overcoming anxiety, and preparing impactful commentary. The second workshop is entitled The Aesthetics of the Mosque and Practical Application, and includes an introduction to 498 graduates of the programme during its previous cycles

It is worth noting that, since its inception, the number of Junior Cultural Guide graduates has exceeded 498. The Centre strives to cultivate the talents of the emerging generation and prepare them for a promising future through this programme, which forms part of the Al Shabab Al Banie initiative . It affords participants the opportunity to gain direct insight into the Centre’s values and messages of tolerance and coexistence—principles upon which Emirati society is founded—and instils in them an awareness of their role as ambassadors representing their homeland with distinction.

Continuous Education

The programme opens future horizons for its participants to pursue careers as Cultural Tour Specialists—embracing the principles of coexistence and respect for others. It is built upon an integrated educational methodology, comprising diverse training modules and workshops that ignite their enthusiasm for leading cultural tours at an early age and encourage ongoing development through successive stages. The Centre has steadfastly ensured the sustainability of training and qualification for the programme’s elite graduates, continually refining emerging talents’ skills via the ‘Guide of the Future’ initiative, which supports select alumni of the Junior Cultural Guide Programme with advanced training. This pathway culminates in the ‘Ibn Al-Dar’ programme, which prepares them to serve as trainee guides within the mosque or to work part-time, with graduates given employment priority in this vocation.

National Competencies

It is worth noting that the training and qualification of participants in the Al Shabab Al Banie initiative is conducted by highly competent national cadres of Cultural Tour Specialists within the Centre, while the Emiratization rate for the Cultural Tour Specialist role at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre has reached 100%.