I got a wonderful opportunity to volunteer at START Workshop at JAMJAR in Dubai. START was founded in March 2007 by Art Dubai and the Al Madad Foundation and is now an independent non-profit organisation under Al Madad Foundation. Inspired by Richard Kamler words “Art is our one true global language. It knows no nation, it favours no race, and it acknowledges no class. It speaks to our need to reveal, heal, and transform,” they believe in art enabling students to understand the world around them. START runs various art workshops across the Middle East and Asia for orphans, refugees and children with special needs. I am really passionate about art and I truly believe that art in any form can bring out the creativity, talent and happiness in anyone regardless of their age and aptitude. I was really impressed by this organisation’s vision and goals and therefore, wanted to help them in any way possible.
I volunteered at one of their open art workshops at JamJar in Dubai. I went for a two-hour program for a day and helped children with learning disabilities and special needs (majority of them autistic). The 
activity for the day was about understanding and drawing landscapes. This was part of an art therapy. I was being assisted and guided by a lovely and enthusiastic woman, Mrs. Mahbouba . With her, all volunteers tried to turn the day of the young talented blossoms into a lively and colourful one. We all sat around a long table and followed Mrs. Mahbouba as she drew on the board. Count by count, step by step, colour by colour, the young blossoms learnt to draw a scenic landscape. I, along with other volunteers, assisted the children as they went about their creation. They were reinforced to pour out their hidden passion and talent.
I really enjoyed helping the children. I sat with them at the table and assisted those near me understand a landscape. I posed questions to them as what they thought a mountainous landscape looks like, what all is there in nature- grass, trees, sky, clouds, what colour they are and likewise other questions. I handed crayons and asked the children to colour in different patterns like making dots or straight lines. In between when the children tuned out or got tired, I along with Mrs. Mahbouba made them clap and repeat counting. This helped them be attentive and use their hands more. Also, we tried to engage them into conversation like what is their favorite colour or asked them to locate objects of particular colour in the room like red shirt, green box, blue pencil, etc. Such activities really help them to learn their surroundings, use motor skills as well as relate things to each other.
Whenever they did something good, answered a question correctly or colored a part of a landscape, I showed signs of appreciation like giving a thumbs up sign, smiling at them, telling them that they did a good job and patting their shoulders, it made them very happy. Their laughter brought a big smile on my face. Moreover, I was really surprised to see the children show such spirit and eagerness to participate. They were very keen to learn. Although they didn’t interact verbally, I could see they tried to express themselves through the work. Further, it was very interesting to see them learn from each other.
Here are some of their masterpieces:
It is really incredible seeing children decipher the world around-green bushes, brown trees, yellow-green leaves, blue clouds. Unique in their own way, these children interpret the universe in their own special way and through their artworks we could surely try to understand better. Not many people realise the gravity of the situation. Not everyone is very fortunate and the world could be a better place if we all corporate and spread love. The organization and kids appreciated my efforts and I would love to spend more days with the organization to fill the lives of young kids with vibrant colours.
