- The redeveloped Entrepreneurship curriculum places heightened focus on design thinking and project-based learning.
- The curriculum taps into Citizens School’s large parent entrepreneur community to support student learning.
- Industry experts from GHD’s community of clients and stakeholders will also bring their experience to bridge the gap between academics and future industry demands.
GHD, a global professional services company, has partnered with Citizens School in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to redevelop its Entrepreneurship curriculum for learners (students) in years 1-8, launching in the upcoming academic year.
Leveraging design thinking and project-based learning as core teaching methodologies, the redeveloped curriculum immerses learners into real world challenges, preparing the future generation for a world that values entrepreneurial skills and future-ready mindsets. Key topics covered in the curriculum closely tie to emerging global issues that have a significant impact on future generations. Prominent among these are Sustainability and Digital and AI Literacy, alongside other essential themes such as Growth Mindset, Global Citizenship, and Health and Wellbeing.
Parental involvement in the learning journey forms a unique aspect of the curriculum. By tapping into the rich venture experience within Citizens School’s parent community, where around 13% of the parents are entrepreneurs themselves, they will be engaged as mentors. Parents will be introduced to the curriculum and supported in delivering their own entrepreneurship modules in the classroom. Additionally, industry experts from GHD’s community of clients and stakeholders will bring their experience to bridge the gap between academics and future industry demands.
The project builds on the ongoing partnership between GHD and Citizens School, which will see the development of a groundbreaking Learning Lab as part of a new Collaboration Hub dedicated to transforming the learning curriculum and empowering learners and mentors in the UAE. The programme aims to continuously enhance all aspects of school operations, including design challenges, innovation coaching, and collaborative facilitation assignments to create a culture of empathy and innovative mindsets
Hind El Aoufi, D-Lab Practice Director at GHD said:
“GHD’s innovation practice focused on purpose-led innovation and transformation for a sustainable future, while Citizens School’s purpose is to reimagine education, by creating learning experiences for kids to be future-ready.
“We are excited to iterate on the co-creation of the Entrepreneurship curriculum for Citizens School as part of our ongoing collaboration on the Learning Labs. This forward-thinking curriculum will focus on co-designing an engaging and playful student experience tapping into entrepreneurship’s growth mindset by solving real world complex challenges. While bridging the gap between education and future industries, we will focus on collaborating with the parent community of entrepreneurs, and industry leaders. We share Citizens School’s ethos of reimagining education, and strongly believe the entrepreneurship curriculum will empower mentors, parents and community by focusing on the cultural shift, mindsets and skills required to tackle complex challenges and drive change for a rapidly changing future.”
Quote from Dr. Adil Alzarooni, Founder, Citizens School
“Citizens School is diverging from traditional educational models by pioneering a future-focused curriculum, Citizens Future Framework, which incorporates Entrepreneurship as a core element.
“We believe that learning should be dynamic, adaptable, and oriented towards preparing children for a constantly evolving world, emphasising essential life skills and nurturing ambitious mindsets.
“Our goal is to empower learners to become the architects of their own success. So, we’re excited to continue our collaboration with GHD, confident that this partnership will supercharge our Entrepreneurship programme by incorporating design thinking, calculated risk-taking, and strategic decision-making, with its impact resonating far beyond the classroom.
“Our unique approach transcends traditional textbooks as it offers hands-on learning experiences that bring vital skills to life and creates opportunities for parents to actively engage in their children’s education.”
For more information about the curriculum, please visit www.citizens.me.
