Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival: Games help children memorise emergency numbers
Child Safety Department organises edutainment sessions to boost youth’s security awareness
Sharjah: The Child Safety Department (CSD), affiliated with the Supreme Council for Family Affairs in Sharjah, has curated an assortment of edutainment activities at its interactive stand to augment awareness on child safety in an attractive way, at the 14th Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival.
The CSD’s awareness showcase is spearheaded by the ‘Memory Game’, an initiative that challenges young participants to memorise emergency hotline numbers, such as Fire Department (Civil Defence), Police and Ambulance. This undertaking is in response to the department’s previous survey, conducted during the last edition of the SCRF, which revealed that 82 per cent of children didn’t know emergency phone numbers.
Another activity at the CSD stand was the ‘Safe Trip’ game, which provides a lesson on the various safety measures and precautions to take while embarking on an adventure outdoors. Through interactive gameplay, children were able to learn about the proper attire and equipment to bring along during excursions to the beach or desert, which contribute to the prevention of injuries during outdoor activities, and ensuring that they remain safe and secure throughout their journey. The game also highlighted the importance of having a first aid kit to handle simple injuries.
Community outreach
Hanadi Al Yafei, Director of CSD, said: “The Child Safety Department is committed to safeguarding the welfare of all children in the UAE, and our presence at the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival 2023 is a testament to our unwavering mission and dedication to reach a wider audience, particularly those who visit book fairs, cultural festivals, and other events across Sharjah. This is part of CSD’s strategy, plans and inclusive annual campaign that seek to further awareness efforts through appealing fun edutainment activities about child safety rules and procedures that protect them physically, psychologically and emotionally from dangers and risks, whether in their everyday life, or online when they are using the internet.