The Writing Center Diwaniya Volunteer at Dar Al Athar Al Islamiyya's (DAI) Story Time for Children at the Amricani Cultural Centre
31st Jan 2016 | by the Department of PR & Marketing
The Writing Center Diwaniya Book Club at AUK participated in Story-time, an initiative conducted in collaboration with Dar Al Athar Al Islamiyya (DAI), in which members volunteer to read stories for children at the Amricani Cultural Centre. This initiative goes in line with the Book Club's mission of promoting reading within the community. This year's first reading was of Oh! The Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss, who graduated from Dartmouth College, AUK's international partner institution, in 1925.
This collaboration is part of a community outreach project led by Hanouf Aljuhail, Assistant Director of Learning Support Services, and members of the Writing Center and The Diwaniya Book Club. The reading session was conducted by Omar Khalil, the Diwaniya's President, and Dana Maan, Treasurer, and was supported by Aljuhail and Hala Botros, the Academic Support Specialist at the Writing Center and Diwaniya Book Club Advisor.
"We selected Dr. Seuss's Oh! The Places You'll Go! for this event because it delivers an inspirational and important message to children; believe in yourself and strive to achieve your dreams no matter how difficult it may seem sometimes. It is a powerful message conveyed through the popular and catchy Dr. Suess rhymes, which the children find fun to read and listen to," explained Aljuhail. "Through this initiative, we aim to encourage children to love reading and help them see the endless possibilities it'll bring to their lives," she added.
The children enjoyed listening to the story being read and interacted with the readers as they performed parts of the story for them. Following the reading, the children all received balloons containing quotes from the book as mementos of the experience.
Story-time was filmed by Kuwait Television channel (KTV1). Members of the Writing Center and Diwaniya club were interviewed about their experience and about the collaboration with DAI.
The Diwnaiya Book Club hopes to instill the love of reading within the community and encourage AUK students to become better writers. The Diwaniya holds monthly meetings at the Writing Center where members read selected books and prepare for events to promote reading in the AUK community.
About Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, is the international partner institution to the American University of Kuwait (AUK), as defined by the Private Universities Council of the State of Kuwait (Resolution no. PUC (5/21-2/2005). Dartmouth and AUK have worked closely together since 2003, when the two institutions signed a Memorandum of Understanding that facilitated a series of advisory, consultative, and cooperative projects.
About Dar al Athar al Islamiyyah (DAI)
Dar al Athar al Islamiyyah (DAI) is a cultural organization based around the private art collection owned by Sheikh Nasser Sabah al Ahmed al Sabah, founder of The al Sabah Collection and his wife, DAI director general and co-founder Sheikha Hussah Sabah al Salem al Sabah. Since its inception in 1983, DAI has grown from a single focus organization created to manage the loan of the prestigious al Sabah Collection of art from the Islamic world to the State of Kuwait to become an internationally recognized cultural organization.
Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 31st January 2016
Photography by the Office of Public Affairs (C) 2015
