A1SaudiArabia.com

JEDDAH – The British Council organized an environmental event this week entitled “Turn Litter into Art” with the cooperation of Friends of Jeddah Parks and local companies interested in the preservation of environment. 

The activity, which took place at Al-Faisal Sports Park in Jeddahs Nuzla Al-Yamaniya District, was organized with the aim of raising awareness of the importance of reusing waste material and how such material can be made into beautiful works of art while at the same time saving natural resources, according to Mohammed Shaiju, British Council project coordinator and event organizer.

Read More

The British Council (BC) in Jeddah organized an environmental awareness program for its female staff and students to mark what it called the “Green Day” last week.

“We are screening The Age of Stupid, an environmental British documentary film produced by Franny Armstrong,” said Diana Rayan, EFT (Environmental Framework Tool) coordinator at the Council. “At the British Council, we believe that every individual and every institution has an important role in protecting our environment and cutting down on the amount of energy we use and waste. We have launched a Go Green initiative to encourage all our staff and visitors to be more environmentally responsible and to be aware of our daily actions, both at the work place as well as in our personal lives,” she said.

“Moreover,” Rayan continued, “using the simple memory aid of the 3Rs – reduce, reuse and recycle, we are doing what we can to protect the environment, and we encourage you to do the same for the sake of our country, our planet and ourselves.”

Read More

JEDDAH: Arab News Editor in Chief Khaled Almaeena made good on Wednesday the promise to sponsor four students for a second English course at the British Council.

The students, chosen by their teachers for their aptitude, keenness and progress during the first course, which was offered by the British Council free as a Ramadan goodwill gesture to the community.

We are an English-language Arab newspaper and that very fact demonstrates the value of being able to communicate in what has become a language that has worldwide currency, said Almaeena at the ceremony where the check was handed over to Marcus Gilbert, director of the British Council in Jeddah.

Read More

JEDDAH – Mamdouh Salem, the Saudi filmmaker and director and producer of Rawad Media, production and distribution will participate in the eight-day 6th International Dubai Film Festival starting Wednesday.

“My new title of cultural ambassador of Saudi Arabia has allowed me to become a part of the festivals organizing committee,” he said.

Read More

RIYADH: Scholarships to the UK have been stopped due to students learning an unsatisfactory level of English, said Dr. Mohammad Al-Hizan, spokesman for the Ministry of Higher Education.

Al-Hizan said that another reason for putting a stop on scholarships to Britain is the overcrowding of students in British universities, which can affect the level and quality of education they receive.

“When a Saudi student is in a class where there are many other Saudis, the real benefit is at stake here as they will form groups and will not rely on using the language as they should,” Al-Hizan explained.

Read More

RIYADH – Schools and universities across the Kingdom are to hold an “architectural heritage day” next year to revive interest in the regions traditional styles of building design.

Chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) Prince Sultan Bin Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, announced the move at the inauguration Saturday of the “Bait Abi” (My Fathers House) exhibition held by the British Council and the National Museum in Riyadh. “The Tourism Commission focuses on local tourists as the prime target of our programs,” Prince Sultan said.

The SCTA will organize events with the ministries of Education and Higher Education, he said, adding that the date for the national occasion had yet to be set.

Read More

JEDDAH – The British Council in collaboration with the Municipality of Jeddah organized a “Look and find” architectural heritage photographic competition in the historic Balad district Wednesday. The competition is part of the ongoing photography exhibition “My Fathers House” which features the architecture of cultural heritage with the aim of opening the window of the past to the younger generation.

“Look and find” is a photography competition that encourages people to discover their everyday environment and learn about their own architectural heritage which has been transferred from generation to generation and help them identify their cultural values,” said Manar El-Husseini the project coordinator. “Through this photography competition, participants are exposed to art, culture, and knowledge and they also have a lot of fun,” he added.

Read More

JEDDAH – The British Council in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Information organized a group of traditional Hijazi folk dancers who paraded from Beit Nassif to Beit Al-Bont in Balad on Wednesday night. The event was part of the photography exhibition “My Fathers House” highlighting the architecture of cultural heritage which has been on display at the Bait Al-Bont heritage center since Sept. 24.

“This folk dance parade is part of the activities of the “My Fathers House” heritage and cultural exhibition brought to the Kingdom by the British Council with the cooperation of the Saudi Commission of Tourism and Antiquities, the National Museum in Riyadh and the Jeddah Municipality,” said Amani Fairak, the assistant director of creative projects, British Council Jeddah .

Read More

JEDDAH: The Arab News will be sponsoring four of 15 women students taking a Ramadan-long English course organized by the British Council in Jeddah. The 15 students were given the opportunity to undertake the language course as a charitable gesture by the council at the beginning of Ramadan.

The four successful candidates will now be offered the chance to take a monthlong continuation course to develop further and reinforce their newly acquired learning.

Read More

JEDDAH: The British Council in Jeddah has donated 16 forty-hour English language-learning courses to underprivileged women and girls in Jeddah. The candidates, selected by a local women's care society, come from distressed and financially underprivileged circumstances. Many of the candidates are orphans who are cared for by the government.

This is the first time we have done something like this, said Helen Glenn. We wanted to do something significant for Ramadan and put something back into the community that sustains us. The gift of a second language and perhaps equipping the students with tools they could use to get ahead in their lives seemed very appropriate.

Read More