Hirfati
Youth
Programme
Where through the act of play, the art of craft is learned….
Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, the Founder.
“By encouraging children to unleash their capabilities and achieve their aspirations, we will be giving innovators, leaders and scientists to the world.”
Hirfati, Arabic for ‘My Craft.’
Where through the act of play, the art of craft is learned….
Using a bundle of colourful threads, a handful of dried-up soft palm fronds, and a dash of focus and a flare for following patterns, a child enrolled at Hirfati Youth Programme can become the next master of crafts.
Using recycled and sustainable threads, children get a chance to learn traditional crafts like ‘Sayr Yaay’ (back and forth) Talli design, one of the basic weaves where one single silver thread is woven among cotton threads to create a special pattern.
Truly, one is never too young to learn something new.
Imprinting
on young
minds.
To preserve and encourage the new generation, Hirfati Youth Programme was founded in 2018 to introduce the younger generations to skills and creations often associated with much older generations. Through innovative workshops of play, patterns and braiding, com-bining digital platforms and competitions founded on traditional and contemporary crafts, children as young as 6 up to the age of 18, are familiarised and encouraged to engage with the crafts.
Documenting this kind of knowledge, and nurturing the love and understanding of tradition-al Emirati crafts helps keep it alive for the current and future generation of potential craft-ers.