Community service opportunities at AUS support volunteer student initiatives to empower underprivileged children 

Building connections with the community, offering opportunities for development to the underprivileged and contributing to their well-being constitute core values for students at American University of Sharjah (AUS), who recently sought to empower disadvantaged children through two remarkable initiatives. The first was teaching them basic skills in computer programming and building their capacity and the second was creating hand-made toys to draw a smile on their face. 

Organized by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers-Eta Kappa Nu (IEEE-HKN) Lambda Lambda Chapter at AUS in collaboration with the Office of Community Service and Outreach at AUS and the Big Heart Foundation, students taught coding skills to 21 underprivileged children in the labs of the College of Engineering. Using the Hour of Code platform, the children applied basic coding skills to complete 20 levels of interactive mazes and earn certificates of completion.

In a second initiative, students from the IEEE-HKN chapter organized the eighth edition of the Toy Story Workshop. The workshop saw more than 75 AUS volunteer students hand-stitch 40 technology-themed soft toys—such as mobile phones and robots—over the course of two days that will be donated to children in need. To help students of all skill levels participate, the chapter held a training session to teach first-time sewers basic stitching techniques.   

“Volunteering in such initiatives introduces students to other realities and gives them an opportunity to provide support to those who need it. It makes them more conscious about other people’s needs. We wanted to introduce underprivileged children to STEM fields and encourage them to pursue a future in these areas,” said Mahira Pathan, corresponding secretary of the IEEE-HKN Lambda Lambda Chapter and computer science major.

She added: “This is the first time we have organized such a workshop for children, and we are very happy with the outcome. We are hoping to organize more such initiatives in the future and involve more children.”

Other IEEE-HKN Lambda Lambda Chapter members who helped organize the initiative were Jowaria Khan, president and computer engineering major; Rohan Mitra, vice president and computer science major; Khalid Ali, treasurer and computer engineering major; Tariq Al Mutawa, recording secretary and electrical engineering major; and Maha Nadhari, news correspondent and electrical engineering major.

“We are proud of the work our students have been doing. Community service provides students with the opportunity to become active members of their community and have a lasting, positive impact on society at large. It is great to see them give back to the community using the education they are receiving at AUS. We look forward to more collaborations and initiatives that will further enrich students’ experiences and contribute to the betterment of society,” said Aisha Ali, Community Service and Outreach Manager at AUS.

The AUS Office of Community Service and Outreach offers a wide selection of programs and events that cater to diverse student interests with a focus on the community and introduces new volunteers to charity work. The office has also built strong partnerships with a number of national and international organizations and has won several awards for their work with the community. Community service and volunteering are entrenched in AUS’ institutional values, among which are offering a transformative student experience that prepares students to become  outward-looking and responsible individuals ready to join the world, and offering opportunities for active engagement that contributes to the development of society.

For more information about community service initiatives at AUS, visit www.aus.edu/life-at-aus/student-life/community-involvement.