With the new Ministry of Happiness aiming to create genuine happiness for the whole UAE society, the Student Life at Zayed University launched its Happiness Project to boost positivity among students, reduce stress and anxiety, and focus on how happiness can be sustained and increased.Reem AlKindi, Senior Student Leadership and Development Coordinator at Zayed University, said: “Happiness is a very crucial part in our lives. Some people have the tendency to cling to the negative things in our environment, while others can intentionally focus on the good parts of their daily lives. Therefore, this project was launched to significantly increase students’ happiness and protect them from stress, negativity and depression that might result from work load and other ”
“The project came in line with the UAE’s Government directives to develop a comprehensive, insightful measurement of happiness that will help decision makers and government leaders to make informed decisions in developing programs to make their people happy,” she added. The newly-launched project is a leadership project that focuses on emotional intelligence and its importance in our daily lives. It is divided into four phases and each one of them aims to increase happiness and self- satisfaction levels among Zayed University students in order to enable them to be more productive at Zayed University or their local community.The first phase focuses on understanding your brain, knowing your emotions, and accepting who you are.“The first phase includes interactive workshops, where students will get to understand the theory of emotional intelligence and better comprehend their emotions. The second phase is one to one interview that aims to fully understand student’s needs in order to tap on them. While inthe third phase, participants get the opportunity to release their negative emotions that might hold them back and affect their development. It also includes various exercises, open discussions and meditation methods to learn,” Reem highlighted.
Studies found that gratitude can significantly increase individuals’ happiness. Therefore, the fourth phase of Zayed University Happiness Project focuses on developing a regular gratitude practice to counter the brain’s negativity bias. “The fourth phase of our project mainly focuseson performing acts of kindness. Research found that happiness and altruism are closely linked. Therefore, in this phase, participants will learn how to give others and how to spend money on others’ needs to higher levels of happiness than spending it on oneself. Participants also learn how to count their blessings daily to have a measurable positive effect on their well-being and give a sense of purpose to their lives,” she said.Shamsa Al Taie, Director of Student Life at Zayed University, pointed out that the students efforts certainly contribute to national development initiatives. “Zayed University is always committed to build a positive environment, which is one of the greatest benefits of promoting social responsibility among young students. This can build a sense of community and teamwork spirit that brings everyone together and leads to happier, more productive students. The Student Life Department at Zayed University uses various effective methods to prepare students to be more responsible leaders by providing them with opportunities to get engaged in activities in their local community and provided support to less privileged communities.”
About Zayed University
Zayed University is today the premier national university in the United Arab Emirates and a regional leader in educational innovation and change. It has created and implemented a skills-rich, outcome-based general education program that systemically develops student skills, knowledge, and values associated with liberal learning and provided a solid foundation for pursuit of disciplinary majors and future careers. Zayed University welcomes national and international students, and provides them with a high quality education, offered by seasoned teaching scholars to prepare them to shape the future of the United Arab Emirates.Zayed University offers Undergraduate and Graduate degrees in the following Colleges: College of Arts & Creative Enterprises (recognized as substantially equivalent by NASAD), College of Business (Accredited by AACSB), College of Communication & Media Sciences (Accredited by ACEJMC), College of Education (Accredited by NCATE), College of Sustainability Sciences & Humanities, and College of Technological Innovation (Accredited by ABET). For more information, visit www.zu.ac.ae