Release of Community Volunteering Guide:

The Dubai Police General Headquarters won first place in the governmental institutions category for its volunteering policy, which includes the issuance of a community volunteering guide. This guide encourages organisational units and employees to participate in volunteering activities, enabling community members to volunteer with Dubai Police in various fields, using the latest methods aligned with the UAE’s volunteering approach.

Following in the Footsteps of Zayed:

In the educational institutions category, the American School of Taryam won first place for its "Following in the Footsteps of Zayed" initiative. This initiative aims to teach students the importance of volunteering and instill a sense of loyalty and belonging to the Emirati community. A total of 62 initiatives were carried out during the academic year, benefiting more than 15,000 people through activities both within and outside the school.

Volunteering Sprouts:

Second place was awarded to Victoria International School in Sharjah’s central region for its "Volunteering Sprouts" initiative. This initiative focuses on preparing students at all educational levels for volunteering through awareness, educational, and practical activities. It involved 41 volunteering activities benefiting 537 students and their parents, as well as 82 employees, and included a motivational competition and 5 educational workshops.

Integrating Efforts to Promote Volunteering

In this context, Fatima Mousa Al Balushi, Executive Director of the award, praised the efforts of governmental and educational institutions in supporting volunteer work through various initiatives that contribute to enhancing the culture of volunteering among a broad segment of the community. She emphasized that these efforts demonstrate the integration of institutions with the community to instill volunteering values.

Al Balushi explained that the "Best Supporter of Volunteering" award is given to organisations that provide financial or knowledge support or establish policies for volunteer projects and initiatives. In terms of financial support, institutions must contribute at least 500,000 AED in cash, in-kind, or service support for at least two volunteer programmes. For knowledge support, it involves publishing and developing knowledge related to volunteering through books, studies, and research. If an institution opts for policy support, it should contribute to creating effective policies for enabling and organising volunteering within institutions.