The Department of Community Development - Abu Dhabi, the regulatory body of the emirate’s social sector, showcased the ‘Behavioural Rewards Programme for Family Cohesion’ at GITEX Technology Week 2024, the largest technology exhibition in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia.
This initiative, implemented in collaboration with the ‘Danat Behavior– Faza’a, promotes positive behaviours and community engagement among students and parents by offering incentives. The programme aims to increase parental involvement in school activities, promote volunteerism, enhance family time, strengthen family cohesion and solidarity, improve students’ academic performance, and boost participation in social activities. The first phase of the programme will be piloted at Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Awal School, with plans to extend to other academic institutions across Abu Dhabi.
Commenting on the participation at GITEX 2024, Her Excellency Eng. Shaikha Al Hosani, Executive Director of the Social Monitoring and Innovation Sector at DCD, said: “We are excited to participate in GITEX Technology Week this year, where we will showcase the Behavioural Rewards Programme for Family Cohesion in collaboration with Danat Behavior .By encouraging volunteering and participation in community and sports activities, we are fostering a generation that values cooperation and social responsibility, ultimately strengthening family bonds and promoting solidarity in our society.”
She added: “At the Department of Community Development, we believe that investing in promoting positive behaviours among young people is an investment in a brighter, more prosperous future. Through this programme, we aspire to bring about a tangible shift in societal perspectives on the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders in Abu Dhabi, preparing a generation that is aware, responsible, and actively engaged in society. We look forward to achieving meaningful results that will contribute to our goals and improve the quality of life for all individuals and segments of society.”
Programme Description
The programme addresses the universal opportunity of how to increase parental engagement in and out of schools by using incentives to bring about positive behaviours that foster family cohesion It encourages parents to volunteer with students, attend school events, participate in courses designated for parents, and various joint activities with their children, which enhance communication and learning.
Moreover, the programme focuses on encouraging students to also contribute to civic engagement through various initiatives including volunteering, improving their academic performance, attending school events, Al Sana moral education program , and participate in sports activities to foster long-term positive behaviours among youth and families. Efforts to improve school performance take a multi-faceted approach, which includes academic performance, school attendance, and participating in extracurricular activities.
Through this programme, the Department of Community Development aims to promote the values of citizenship and family cooperation, enhance family cohesion, and improve the quality of life for families, as it encourages parents to spend quality time with their children in and out of school by participating in useful activities such as reading and community volunteering events, and enjoying educational and cultural activities, in addition to programmes that enhance Emirati heritage, especially on weekends.
The programme’s impact is monitored, and its results are evaluated with the aim of expanding its scope to include more target groups in the future. This programme is an important step towards building a more cohesive and inclusive society, as it contributes to spreading positive values and establishing social responsibility at all levels of society.
The programme is in line with the ‘Danat Behavior – Fazaa’, which is one of the initiatives of the Behavioural Rewards Department at the Ministry of Possibilities to support and implement the strategic framework and the UAE national model for behavioural rewards. It is the first programme in behavioural science with the following fundamental pillars: the nation, society and family.