JEDDAH, 10 August 2007 — Saudi boys gave a demonstration of various skills that they acquired during the summer program at its concluding ceremony held at the Vocational Industrial Institute here on Wednesday night.
Two of them demonstrated the ease with which they dealt with simple mechanical problems in car maintenance.
Two others demonstrated their first aid skills when a passerby “collapsed” short of breath. There were similar demonstrations given by the boys in dealing with simple electrical problems and fire safety.
The ceremony was hosted by Al-Baik Food Systems Ltd. as part of its summer program activities. It organized a four-week program each for boys and girls titled “With Al-Baik You Are the House Hero,” in collaboration with the Vocational Industrial Institute, Al Faisaliah Women’s Welfare Society, the Saudi Red crescent and the Saudi Civil Defense. The girls’ program ended recently.
More than 300 boys and girls took part in the program, which was aimed at imparting new skills and experiences to them with a view to developing their talents and allowing them to help out their families in household activities.
“I was immensely pleased to see my son performing such simple tasks, which he acquired at the summer program,” Waleed Alghamdi, a businessman and father of Muhammad told Arab News.
The program was directed toward students of ages from 12 to 18 and it comprises five specialized courses — introduction to workshop basics, car maintenance, electrical basics and safety, plumbing basics, first aid procedures and fire safety and prevention, in addition to instruction in house maintenance and painting.
“We are very proud of the amazing results that were achieved by the summer program for this year. This is clearly evident from the positive feedback from parents,” Abu Ghazaleh, CEO, Al Baik Food Systems Ltd., said. “The program has achieved its purpose of supporting the youth and encouraging them to lead a bright and promising future.”
Over the past six years, more than 1,500 girls and boys have participated in this annual program.
