SHARJAH, 26th January, 2018 (WAM) — Sharjah Media Arts for Youth and Children, FUNN, has concluded its 5-day FUNNtastic Winter Camp for children with special needs. At the heart of this creative endeavour is clay modeling and stop motion animation.
A group of vibrant, warm and confident young ladies from the Awladouna Centre for People with Disabilities in Sharjah have spent sunny winter mornings at the Sharjah Classic Cars Museum – a place that proudly guards the rich automotive heritage of the world – getting their feet wet with the basics of clay animation.
Hands-on workshops and creative activities for children with special abilities have a proven track record of developing their motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and offering them a unique platform for expression. It is highly recommended by doctors and special needs experts, who say that these activities often require teamwork or a heightened level of interaction, and go a long way in tackling sensory issues, communication challenges or the children’s difficulties with developing social skills.
“At FUNN, we strongly believe that exploring ones creative potential and nurturing an interest in the media arts is an entitlement that our children must enjoy irrespective of their physical and mental ability or social standing. By exercising our vision, we seek to encourage, empower, educate and entretain children through interactive workshops like these that are both fun and creative. The FUNNtastic Winter Camp has been designed to improve communication and literacy in special needs children, while channeling their creativity and imagination in a productive way,” said Sheikha Aisha Al Mualla, Events and Programmes Coordinator.
Workshop trainer, Jamila Ibrahim Al Mualla, commended FUNN’s efforts in promoting inclusive growth and development in local community, and commented on the value a project like this adds to the lives of children, saying, “Stop Motion Animation is an excellent way to have students begin to explore the world of movie making. We chose to work with clay because many children with special needs have challenges with their fine motor skills, and building things with their hands is one of the best ways to improve that. FUNN is providing the younger generations with a fantastic platform to challenge their imagination and nurture their interest in the media arts, and this camp is a fine example.”
FUNN aims to nurture a future generation of creative artists in media and film. It is seen promoting new media works and films made by children and young filmmakers of the UAE at international film festivals, and conferences worldwide. Their larger goal is to foster talent through these festivals, conferences and workshops at both locally and internationally, and form a close-knit network of talented youth who can share experiences and expertise on a global scale.
