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DWC NEWS
AFRA ATIQ
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International Women’s Day Celebration
To commemorate the 100th year anniversary of International
Women’s Day, Dubai Women’s College, in partnership
with Ernst & Young, held an impressive one-day
event on its campus entitled “Inspiring and Celebrating
Women: Past, Present and Future Successes.” Women
from the community, DWC alumnae and several schools
attended the event on 23 March, 2011. It featured a panel
discussion that brought female leaders in to discuss their
challenges and experiences, an Alumnae Souk, where
DWC graduates displayed their own products and
businesses, and a photo exhibition by DWC Applied
Communications students. Various workshops focusing
specifically on female empowerment ran throughout
the day.
The keynote address was delivered by Her Excellency
Najla Al Awadhi, former Member of Parliament of the
United Arab Emirates, Young Global Leader, and founder
and CEO of Najla Al Awadhi Consulting. Her Excellency
discussed the role of women in society and urged
young women to advocate for social change. She also
stressed the importance of life-long learning, volunteer
work and being role models. Her Excellency also spoke
about the importance of social media in relation to
raising awareness about the challenges facing women
in the region. She encouraged women in the audience
to become social media activists, mentioning issues
that are fundamental to the progress of women and
lobbying for the empowerment of women.
After the keynote address, the Celebrating 100 Years of
Women Achievements panel discussion took the stage.
The panelists were: Nima Abu-Wardeh, presenter, BBC
World News weekly financial program, Middle East
Business Report and CEO of cashy.me; Deanna Othman,
Country General Manager, Premium Banking UAE, Chair
of UAE Diversity & Inclusion Council at Standard
Chartered Bank; Ginnie Carlier, Partner and Diversity
& Inclusiveness Leader at Ernst & Young MENA; Latifa
Fikri, Vice President, Product Marketing, E-vision at
Etisalat; Nicholle Kingsley Senior Associate at Herbert
Smith; Manal Omar, Regional Program Manager for the
Middle East for Oxfam. The lively discussion was moderated
by Dr. Behjat Al Yousuf, Associate Director of
DWC. Although many valid points were raised, most of
the discussion centered around overcoming challenges
and striking a balance between corporate career and
family life.
Memorable Quote
“We don’t need to compete with men who set the bars.
We need to create our own way of doing things” - Nima
Abu Wardeh
Green Street Cafe
DWC Goes Social
DWC, keeping true to its slogan “Practicing the Future,” officially launched its
very own Twitter and Facebook accounts in February, 2011. Each account
is maintained by DWC’s marketing department and designed to keep
the community up to date with college news and events. They also act as
platforms where students, graduates and staff can interact. DWC also has
its own YouTube channel and Linkedin account.
DWC Library set up a blog to keep the DWC community informed and
well-read. The blog features library news, student resources and online
library services. Currently, DWC’s social media accounts have a combined
total of approximately 600 subscribers and growing.
http://www.facebook.com/HCT.DWC
http://twitter.com/HCT_DubaiWomCol
http://dwclibrary.wordpress.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/dwchct
The Foundations department “Green Team” held the Green Street Cafe on
March 17, 2011. Green Street Cafe, an initiative organized to spread environmental
awareness, focused on sustainable transport, water and electricity
conservation and general environmental issues. Supporting the
event were Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Dubai Electricity
and Water Authority (DEWA). RTA’s Dr. Khaled Al Zahid, Director of Marine
Transport, ran an informative discussion about the need for creating
an environmentally aware generation. Dr. Al Zahid also spoke about RTA’s
innovations in creating a sustainable transportation system. He stressed
the importance of youth being involved in that process. Moving away
from transportation, but still focusing on youth, Abdulla Mohamed
Al Qassab, Graduate-Senior Technical Customer Services at DEWA,
led a lively, interactive discussion with DWC students on the importance
of saving water and energy. Al Qassab emphasized that water and
electricity conservation is a national duty and not something to be taken
lightly. He gave some quick tips and tricks that the students could implement
in their homes and distributed bio-lights. The Foundations students also
performed a play entitled “What Will Happen To the Turtles?” The play
examined the harsh reality of the costs of development and the impact it
has on the environment and its inhabitants.