When Arij Baidas launched TalkShop UAE a year ago, it was for a simple reason: to cater to those who, like her, seek to improve themselves through knowledge.
“There was nothing consistent in Dubai in terms of interesting talks throughout the year,” says Baidas. “The talks in town were always specific or seasonal, during things like Art Dubai or other such events. I’m always seeking to learn, and I know there are others out there interested in learning from local speakers, on whatever the topic may be.”
To meet that need, TalkShop was born. The Dubai-based venture offers talks, seminars and workshops throughout the year. Topics vary; Baidas taps local speakers to educate and inform, and the audience can be members of the general public, or parents in particular, or working mothers, or teenagers, or corporate employees. “TalkShop’s purpose, really, is to give people tools and tips for life that they can implement straight away,” says Baidas.
The 39-year-old, who is of Palestinian and Syrian origin, is a research biochemist and has been living in Dubai for the past 16 years. She has two children, with a third due in January, but says parenting is only one of many topics that she addresses in the talks that she organises, despite it being one of the more popular categories of talks.
“We’ve had speakers talk to parents about preparing kids for jobs that don’t even exist yet, a parenting seminar on how to raise self-confident, resilient kids and how to raise kids in this age of social media and teach them to behave online,” says Baidas.
She has organised talks and workshops on everything from travel and nutrition and health, to parenting in the 21st century or how to improve communication skills. One forthcoming talk will tackle how to deal with challenging people and another will discuss the pursuit of happiness.
A popular series has been the Tools for Life series geared towards teenagers, which launched in October. It began with a workshop on presentation techniques, and in November, the two-and-a-half hour session taught teens how to set goals and manage their time effectively. This month’s topic will tackle leadership qualities, because, as Baidas puts it, “any student can learn to be a leader, regardless of their age or their experience, as long as they have the right tools”.
Then in January, Baidas will host a session meant to help teenagers deal with stress. “We have more planned as part of the series,” explains Baidas. “We will look at mindfulness, then plan another workshop teaching kids how to debate.”
These are skills that teenagers will not necessarily learn in a school setting, says Baidas, and yet are essential qualities they will need to get through life.
Last month, for example, when the Dubai-based psychologist Sakshi Ravi – who is specialised in organisational behaviour and is a certified neuro-linguistic programming practitioner and coach – spoke to teenagers about goal setting and time management, she did so out of the belief that “time management skills need to be more embedded in the everyday education of teenagers.
“Children need to learn how to prioritise and take things one step at a time without dropping the ball, and yet get going and pick up the pace of life without wearing themselves down,” explains Ravi.
Baidas agrees. “Time management is tricky,” she says. “Sometimes you can be amazingly organised, but sometimes you spend so much time writing up those lists that you don’t have time to get things done. In the workshop, teenagers were taught to understanding what goal setting is, how it will affect your time, how to make the best use of your time, and how to be more productive.”
Teenagers are free to choose which workshops to attend, rather than be under the obligation to attend the entire series.
• The Leadership Qualities workshop for teenagers, part of the Tools for Life series by TalkShop UAE, is on December 6 from 10am to 12.30pm at Ductac, Mall of the Emirates; Dh180. To book a place, email arij@talkshopuae.com or visit www.talkshopuae.com for details