Clubwise: Italian Cultural Association, Dubai

Every week, we bring you the latest on the UAE's clubs, associations and groups. We choose one each time and profile it, highlighting its purpose and activities. We also bring you bits of news from other such groups. So that you know what is happening when, where and why. This week: Italian Cultural Association, Dubai

UAE and especially Dubai has become a hub for residents of many international communities. There are active clubs and groups for all those who are interested to participate.

One such alliance is the newly-found Italian Cultural Association. Initially started as a school for children interested in maintaining their Italian heritage, the association has diversified into a centre for adults as well, since there were many people interested in learning Italian as a foreign language.

The group is a non-profit organisation and its aim is to promote cultural awareness within the Italian community and the expatriates.

"We want to give foreigners an opportunity to learn Italian as a foreign language," says Anna Rasmussen, president of the association.

The organisation meets every Thursday and Monday at the Emirates International School where Italian is taught to beginners as well those interested in learning it at intermediate level.

The association is directly under the patronage of the Italian Consulate and it conducts cultural and sporting events. The group also has a library, which lends out books and videos to those interested.

The association has had a number of programmes on its agenda from the beginning of this year. In January the association was to host a film festival, with English sub-titles that would further enhance the Italian society.

In addition to this, the association intends to promote Italian art as well, bringing renowned artists into Dubai. It had organised a seminar on Oriental carpets which was conducted by professionals flown from Italy. Guests were escorted around Dubai for a briefing on carpets available in the UAE.

The Italian community in Dubai is fairly small in comparison to some others, owing to which it is a close-knit society.

"We want to encourage the children to partake and speak their mother tongue. It can only be done if one parent is Italian and they frequently converse in the language," suggests Rasmussen.