SAES Education Outreach
Aramco’s SAES Education Outreach seeks to spark curiosity and passion, and deliver quality results
With a new name, a move to strengthen the vision of serving Aramco communities.
Saudi Aramco’s Community Education is getting a refresh.
On Dec. 22, Saudi Aramco Expatriate Schools (SAES) Community Education will announce its new name, SAES Education Outreach (SEO). The renaming of the organization is designed to strengthen its vision of serving the community in Dhahran, Ras Tanura, ‘Udhailiyah, and Abqaiq.
“With this new name, we believe we better capture the essence of the program, which is all about education and learning opportunities that will enrich the lives of many,” said Faisal A. Hajji, executive director of Human Resources.
SAES has offered its services to the company’s communities for 77 years with the goal of improving quality of life for eligible Aramcons. And the secret of success over those nearly eight decades is summarized in the mantra that inspired the organization – “curiosity + passion = maximum potential.”
Curiosity, passion, and quality results
By feeding curiosity with quality inputs, great passions are triggered, which, over time, have generated high quality outputs. In addition to this, everyone is welcomed into a friendly and supportive environment where learning sometimes comes through play or training is driven through fun.
Classes most commonly offered belong to these main categories:
- Academic (test preparation)
- Language
- Fitness and wellness
- Personal interest/development
- Computer applications
What’s coming up in 2022?
The 2022 catalog promises to be, as usual, robust and interesting. Some of the interesting courses that will be provided include: Creative Writing for English, Japanese, and German (the last two recently coming back); Line Dancing; Flamenco Dance; Capoeira; Saudi and Latin American Culture; Improvisation; Excel; and Microsoft Access.
Some of these disciplines are very niche, and having access to them is truly a privilege. Often, the multicultural diversity of the community creates unique opportunities.
Capoeira: An ancient Afro-Brazilian martial art, Capoeira was born in West Africa and brought to Brazil in the slave trade. The original form of Capoeira is inherited from African culture and dance and was developed in plantations as a meaning of mental release and self-defense by hiding fight within dance movements. Despite periods of bans in Brazil, Capoeira became more and more popular to eventually grow into a more modern one which is practiced nowadays.
Saudi Arabian Culture: The intent of the course is to assist expatriates to better integrate into Saudi culture in both public and business life. Cultural diversities in the kingdom, the regional geographic areas, and important successful social practices are highlighted.
Introduction to Latin American Culture: As far as the colorful joy and spontaneity of Latin America’s inhabitants attract the curiosity of many, the course will provide information about Latin American culture (artistic expressions, music, food, religious elements, and traditions).
Improvisation: This course revolves around teaching the fundamentals of improvisational comedy with an introduction to basic stage work and acting. At the same time, the teacher’s philosophy is a great way of approaching a healthy lifestyle where many of the skills and techniques taught are useful beyond performing arts and have benefits in people’s every day and personal lives.
Reaching out to others in the aftermath of COVID-19
SEO, in addition to carrying out coordination and planning activities of all the courses provided, is ready to welcome new proposals from prospective instructors.
SEO is an intersection between the passions to be shared by the teachers and those moved by the curiosity to learn them. “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn”. (Cit. B. Franklin)
SEO coordinator Theresa Ratcliff said she is always looking for potential recruits who want to involve others in their passion, and that in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, SEO seems more relevant than ever.
As factors such as social and physical isolation, as well as the weight of general uncertainty have hit our mental balance hard, individuals are looking for a way to make it easier to overcome the mental and physical stress that has spread as well.
Recently, Catherine Price, journalist and screen/life balance expert, in her “The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again,” said that our always-on, tech-addicted lifestyles have driven human beings to obsess over intangible concepts such as happiness while hiding the fact that real happiness rests in the experience of fun in our daily life. We say we don’t have time for fun, but on the contrary we spend hours each day for what Price calls Fake Fun—watching television obsessively, doom-scrolling the news, or posting photos to social media, all in the vain hope of filling the emptiness we feel inside.
Instead, Price points toward the concept of true fun – something that requires engagement, focus, connectivity, and for us to be completely present.
Noting that true fun “is absolutely essential for a well lived and joyful life,” she adds that “you will be more productive, less resentful, and less stressed. You will have more energy. You will find community and a sense of purpose. You will stop languishing and start flourishing. And best of all? You’ll enjoy the process.”
Jan. 2, 2022, is the date to save to seize your opportunity to enroll in the courses of the new winter fall and make a worthy investment on your “little world of fun” that can bring you back to life and which has the power to help you to rejuvenate.
View the winter session booklet by visiting https://online.fliphtml5.com/scxo/jbqo/#p=1.