Ali Bin Ali Holding’s Monoprix Qatar organized an educational and interactive field trip for 15 children, aged 5-13, enrolled at Life Skills Hub. Life Skills Hub offers affordable special programs which are created to engage children with special needs. The site visit was conducted to encourage social and occupational growth, so that students are empowered to succeed in various aspects of life.
Monoprix Qatar recently introduced “sensory friendly hours” at its Al Waab location, the first of its kind initiative in Qatar. This provided the perfect background to carry out the vocational training program for sensory sensitive and special needs children in a non-overwhelming environment.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Sebastian, Regional General Manager, Monoprix Qatar, said, “We firmly advocate for an inclusive community and understand the role accessible education plays in leading a fulfilled and productive life. Children with special educational needs often face barriers in terms of learning and social opportunities. We recognize this, and today’s exercise is a step towards creating more harmonious communities.”
The educational tour began with a brief address from Mr. Khalid El Khatouri, Store Manager, Monoprix Qatar Al Waab 2022 followed by a special fun breakfast session where the group enjoyed refreshments. A guided supermarket tour then began at M Pizza, where children learnt how to make pizzas from scratch. The group then moved to the FMCG with Groceries section, followed by a visit to the dairy products and fresh fruit aisles. They also learned about the different types of fruits and vegetables available in the store. The tour ended with a visit to the checkout counter, where the children were able to practice scanning items and paying for their purchases.
Grocery shopping is one of the most basic activities carried out in day-to-day life. Ahead of the field trip, a mock supermarket was created in the Life Skills Hub classroom, where children selected items and paid for them as part of pretend play. Students were also shown visual storyboards and assigned to create a list of grocery items that they would like to purchase at Monoprix Qatar.
“Today was a very important learning lesson for our students. This workshop has provided them with an opportunity to practice a variety of skills such as finding store information, shopping from a list, navigating goods aisles and understanding the checkout process.” Said, Aderonke Dada, children’s instructor at Life Skills Hub.
At the end of the day, the excitement amongst the children was palpable as each child was given a special goody bag containing a soft toy and some healthy snacks – and obviously a new set of life skills!
The children and their parents were very grateful for the opportunity to participate in the field trip. They said that it was a great way to learn about different aspects of the supermarket and to have fun at the same time. Monoprix Qatar is committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all customers. The sensory friendly hours is initiative is just one way that the company is working to make its stores more accessible to people with special needs.