Exhibit Program Educates, Entertains Families
- Pipeline
- Saudi Aramco News
- Dhahran Media
Login to leave ratings
Author: Rola Awad (Saudi Aramco News)
Released 18 August 2008
DHAHRAN, August 13, 2008 -- Learning couldn’t be more fun than it is in the Saudi Aramco Exhibit Summer Program, where kids can learn all sorts of things, from how to protect the environment to learning how to drive safely, in small electric cars.
Children demonstrate their knowledge of rules of the road as they take the wheels of electric cars to safely drive a course at the Saudi Aramco Exhibit Summer Program. The objectives of this year’s summer program are based on some of the company’s corporate social responsibilities, which include environmental awareness, recycling, safety and health. The program focuses on “edutainment” - educating in an entertaining way.
“The main focus of the program is to ensure that people leave the exhibit with a message about the issues at hand,” said Raed A. Alouni of the VIP Visits and Special Events Group.
“We need to ensure that the children and parents don’t forget the messages of the program, and we can guarantee this by injecting educational information into an entertaining environment,” he said.
Every day, lectures are held in the exhibition along with dozens of informative and engaging displays that give youngsters a chance to learn about the Kingdom and the company’s activities, from drilling offshore to exploring the desert. Many of the displays are interactive and give children the chance for some hands-on experience.
If you’d rather take a laid-back approach to education, why not stop by the Exhibit Theater to watch an informative film? The films, some of which are in 3-D, focus on the origins of exploration for petroleum. They include “Energy to the World,” “But…Where Does It Come From?” and “The Land of Khozama.”
Children take part in a coloring event hosted in the Environmental Tent before getting their certificates.On your way through the exhibit, you can take a look at the art gallery that displays the winning artwork from company-sponsored children’s art contests. There, you can get information about future contests.
Youngsters can continue their journey through the exhibition into tents set up outside.
The first tent - the Garden Traffic Tent - offers sessions on basic traffic safety, such as seat-belt usage and traffic signals.
The Environment Tent, which is the second tent, presents sessions about reducing, reusing and recycling, along with different environmental tips. Kids will have a chance to put their artistic abilities to work as they create masterpieces focused on recycling.
“We tried to make it as exciting, attractive and interactive as we could,” Alouni said.
He added: “I think the kids will understand the messages because they received a license and a certificate, and they now feel that they’re committed - whether it is to traffic safety or to the environment - and they’ll actually implement it in their lives.”
Khalid A. Al-Falih, center, tours the Summer Program with a group of company executives and honored guests on the opening night of the program.If you need a break, you can make your way to the Grand Tent to grab a bite to eat and enjoy a healthy snack or beverage. This tent also hosts children’s contests and the daily question, which is based on information displayed in the exhibition, as well as distinguished speakers who will give special lectures.
Dr. Ali Al-Hamadi, a training and innovation expert, was the distinguished speaker on Saturday and spoke about 20 innovative ways to develop innovative ideas.
Dr. Waleed Al-Rumi is the next speaker, and at 7:30 p.m. Friday he will present, “I Want to Succeed, But. …”
The exhibition also hosts an open-air cultural heritage area that showcases traditional crafts from cities such as al-Hasa and Qatif.
Khalid A. Al-Falih, executive vice president of Operations; Khalid A. Al-Buraik, executive director of Saudi Aramco Affairs; and Khalid K. Al-Mulhim, general manager of Government Affairs, were among the 2,800 people who attended the opening night.
(Article by Rola Awad)