Students learn new footballing skills with Your Health First
Professional footballer Abdulla Afifa plays a game with some of the visiting schoolchildren.
Schoolchildren and families from across Qatar have been learning about health and have had the chance to learn new skills from professional football coaches thanks to Sahtak Awalan and the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy.
Sahtak Awalan – Your Health First, which is the health campaign of Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar (WCM-Q) partnered with the Supreme Committee’s Generation Amazing initiative to provide a range of fun, exciting and healthy activities at the Wise Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) Festival at Katara Cultural Village.
Sahtak Awalan’s Yalla Natural Trailer was there offering advice about fresh, organic sustainable food and recipes, the planting tables allowed children to plant seeds and take then home to grow, and the blender bikes proved to be another hit, letting children make their own delicious and healthy smoothies using only pedal-power.
The main draw for the crowds, though, was the football pitch, allowing children to play games and learn new skills from professional coaches.
As well as attracting thousands of guests throughout the week, schools from across Qatar were invited to visit the activities each morning.
Eleven-year-old Shahd Badr from Cairo Private School for Girls had taken advantage of the presence of football coaches.
“She said: Playing football was the best thing about the morning; it was so fun and I really enjoyed running around. The coaches taught n=me how to run with the ball and how to stop and control it better.”
Unfortunately, that didn’t help her team as they lost 2-1, but Shahd added: “It’s very healthy to play football and it helps me to lead a healthy life.”
Faisal Jaber visited the Sahtak Awalan and generation Amazing activities with Al Hammad School.
Ten-year-old Faisal said he had enjoyed going on the blender bikes and making his own smoothies and had planted parsley seeds to grow at home.
He sadid: “I’ve learned a lot about plants and also about exercise and how it’s important for your health.”
Nesreen Al-Rifai, chief communications officer at WCM-Q, said the event had been a great success.
Mrs Al-Rifai said: “It has been a pleasure to partner with the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy and support the wonderful work that WISE is doing.
“Through this event, I hope that WCM-Q and the Supreme Committee have played a part in educating our children about health and how they can look after themselves through exercise and diet.
“They are the future of Qatar and we need to furnish them with the knowledge to make the right choices to protect their health.”