Knowledge Lovers

Serving as a stunning showcase for talents from across the Kingdom and around the globe, the educational program — formerly the Saudi Aramco Cultural Program — is one of the most successful outreach initiatives in the company’s history. The month-long Riyadh edition (ended August 29, 2014) was the fourth Ithra Knowledge outreach program designed and produced by Saudi Aramco’s King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture in the last ten months. Highly-successful runs in Dhahran (late 2013), Jeddah and al-Hasa also offered inimitable learning experiences for thousands of visiting school children.
Ithra Knowledge is one of the most successful outreach initiatives in Saudi Aramco’s history. More than ten million people across the Kingdom are expected to be impacted by the year 2020 as part of the company’s national strategy for a transition to a knowledge-based society. The educational program combines the Kingdom’s deep cultural and historical legacy with the modern world of creativity and technology within a framework carefully designed to suit all members of the society and enrich the country and future generations. Six main events anchor each program: The Energy Efficiency Pavilion, Traffic Safety Village, 1001 Inventions, The Divine Names of Allah and the popular Children’s Art Contest. In 2013, a visiting “Pure Colors” exhibition produced in cooperation with France’s Centre Pompidou brought the first Picasso to Saudi Arabia.
Perhaps one of the biggest legacies of the program is training and practical, real-world experience for more than 500 male and female volunteers at each venue, who bring more than 100,000 volunteer hours to each program. Said Saudi Aramco, Essam Z. Tawfiq, general manager with Saudi Aramco: “This is part of Saudi Aramco’s Corporate Social Responsibility strategy to create more social and economic opportunities for, and to effectively contribute to the development of youth by building their character on the solid bases of knowledge, discipline, organization and cooperation.” Ithra Knowledge Program news and updates can be accessed through social media channels (Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook) via a single identifier - @ ithraknowledge. Visit www.ithraknowledge.com for more details and program offerings.

The Center:
http://en.kingabdulazizcenter.com

 

 

 

Ithra Knowledge Program

iThra Knowledge is distinguished by its inclusiveness and diversity,
offering a balanced mix of edutainment, science and arts, as well as a host of events unique to Riyadh audiences.

YouTube Studio: A short course that teaches video production and direction for the media channel “YouTube” utilizes new media technologies to in a short course in cooperation with YouTube on producing and directing short films, with rich content on social-awareness topics. The Studio aims to encourage the production of digital Arabic content, and to boost the making of meaningful films using creative methods.
Art Café: Talented artists demonstrate plastic arts, Arabic calligraphy and folklore crafts and host a group of workshops that aim to provide an inter-generational platform for arts. The Café provides a creative environment that a group of workshops, headed by professional artists and craftsmen, that teach fine arts, calligraphy, and traditional handcrafts. A family-friendly zone encourages children to express themselves in a creative way.
Traffic Safety Village: This exhilarating experience for children nine years of age and older, teaches them acquire safe driving skills at this age and implement it later on in life. Children learn the theoretical rules of driving safely, and practice what they learned in the Traffic Safety Village in order to obtain their “license.”
1001 Inventions: An international award-winning exhibition that aims at shed light on 1001 inventions that have shaped the life we live in, this exhibit helps youth connect with their inventive side by introducing them to some of the greatest minds in the Islamic Golden Age Era, through educational programs and actors.
Energy Efficiency Pavilion: Designed in cooperation with the Saudi Center for Energy Efficiency to raise awareness about Saudi Arabia’s biggest challenge - the rising use of energy in Saudi Arabia – this timely exhibit demonstrates methods of saving energy and its positive effect.
The Beautiful Names of Allah: A spiritual journey that ignites the voyagers’ mind about the beauty and meaning of Allah’s names and how to implement them in their daily lives, this exhibition employs a multitude of audio and visual media to teach visitors about the secrets and magnificence of Allah’s names.
Children’s Art Contest: The popular art contest has been sponsored by Saudi Aramco ever since its start 32 years ago. This year’s theme is “Watanona Amanah” where children will learn about national values, and express these values through drawing and painting.
Tinker Studio: The studio is a series of workshops where children will try out different scientific experiments and inventions. The Tinker Studio is aiming to build the inventive confidence in young minds via live experiments of scientific inventions; and sparking a passion for practical science.