Family matters.
His Highness Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, has joined GEMS Education in the launch of a powerful new global social movement: Family First. The movement, the first of its kind anywhere in the world, will place family at the heart of education, and society, in the UAE – and globally.
The aim, and bigger picture, is to re-inspire a recognition of the centrifugal importance of the bonds of family, these increasingly threatened and destabilised by social changes, economic pressures and cultural impetuses which have seen families fragment, the model of the nuclear family questioned and grandparents, in particular, often side-lined. Some of the pressures on family too have been felt most strongly by expat parents who have relocated to the UAE – and again these are felt powerfully by children. Without the strength of family connections, and connectedness, it becomes ever more difficult to understand who we are and give meaning to our lives – and this is true for both children and adults.
As society has become ever more individualised, there is broad acceptance that we have all paid a high price with society, and the extended family unit that underpins it, becoming increasingly fragmented.
The solution? Education is today accepted by both conservatives (small c), and progressives, as the most important single lever we have to try and respond to these new pressures. GEMS Education, as one of the world’s largest and most respected education providers, is taking a pioneering role in seeking to find new ways of placing families once again at the heart of the lives of children and society – and to help to build new and powerful bridges between the generations.
The aim of Family First is to reinspire in all of us a recognition that families do and must play a pivotal role in society, our individual capacity to empathise and love – and in building a world in which values, and the hope that comes from these, remain collective, and shared. Human beings are not naturally isolated – we are social creatures. The best of us comes from sharing values together. Children develop and learn better with supportive families – and families they, in turn, can support. Grandparents play a vital role in the lives of children, and later, as children become adults, they themselves require support. The extended family is today increasingly fragmented – and too often our elderly find themselves alone in their later lives and end of days. This cannot be right.
All of GEMS Education’s 45 schools across the UAE and Qatar will, from today, now offer new, powerful and meaningful family-focused classroom projects and social enterprises to inspire and rebuild these links so that we can re-inspire in young people that sense of purpose and belonging that is increasingly being lost. As part of this, the new movement for change will place a top priority on caring for elderly relatives. The bigger picture is to bring to life, in the most powerful way, what a truly holistic education, one that looks to the whole child, can look like, at its absolute best, in truly outstanding schools.
As part of this, GEMS Education hopes, for example, to inspire young people to love and care for elderly relatives, who are a fundamental part of each family unit.
One of the drivers has been recognition of the wide-ranging impact of Covid on the mental health and wellbeing of young people, many of whom have had to confront issues around mortality and instability much earlier in their lives than anyone could have hoped. The new movement believes that this can in no small part be addressed through an appreciation of the traditional strength of families and the type of unconditional love, ἀγάπη (agápē) Agape, that is felt in families where each person does anything for another, without expecting anything in return.
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Pictured, Sunny Varkey, Founder of GEMS Education and Chairman of GEMS Group Global (Left), with Dr Saima Rana, Chief Executive Officer of GEMS World Academy – Dubai and Chief Education Officer at GEMS Education(Right)
Sunny Varkey, Founder of GEMS Education and Chairman of GEMS Group Global – who helped his teacher parents grow the organisation from a single school in the
early 1980s to become one of the world’s biggest and longest established private school groups – shared his own reflections on changing family dynamics:
”In all my travels, I have noticed that in developing economies there is a real family bond – of love and dependence. To me, this is the norm.
“However, in wealthier nations, I see people more isolated as they pursue their individual goals. It is good to dream but you mustn’t forget those that gave you the chance to dream in the first place – your families.”
Mr Varkey continued:
“Families that stand together – united – are always stronger. And for those that say our elders are merely dependents, I say this to you… Have you ever seen grandparents play with their grandchildren? You will see that our elders are the essential anchors of stability and guidance. They offer deep wisdom, important traditions, and a huge capacity for love.”
The education group aims to counteract this pattern by emphasising the importance of family connections and valuing elderly relatives in particular. Children from as young as three years old will benefit from these school-based social initiatives. These school activities will include a new focus on ethics with activities ranging from interviewing an elderly grandparent in a history lesson, to community initiatives involving the extended family.
“We believe that education is a bridge that connects all generations and Family First fully embodies this concept as we aim to connect our families as they learn and grow together.
“The Family First initiative actively seeks to strengthen family bonds, foster intergenerational learning, and combat issues such as loneliness, isolation, and depression.
“Family First will play a pivotal role in students’ wellbeing and success as they reap the benefits of deeper connections and an engaged and supportive community around them.
“Family First is a transformative movement that seeks to empower global change through love, care, and shared stories, with a focus on strengthening family and community bonds across generations.”
Powerful Support
The launch of the Family First Global Initiative to celebrate the centrifugal importance of family in society and the lives of children launched in February 2024 at GEMS World Academy in Dubai, powerfully supported by the leadership of GEMS Education and senior representatives of the Dubai Government and Civil Society.
The Family First global social movement, launched today at GEMS World Academy in Dubai, has garnered extraordinary and moving support from across society and political leadership.
Pictured: His Highness Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, a powerful supporter of GEMS Education’s global “Family First” movement to celebrate and inspire a love for, and recognition of, families as the foundations for building a society that works for all people, including its children, young people, parents and older generations.
His Highness Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan said:
“Family is the most important building block of a peaceful, tolerant, and prosperous society. Your work will help families promote values such as peace, tolerance, fraternity, non-violence, as well as personal and collective growth and achievement. These are values which are so important in our lives, our society, and our world today.”
Pictured: Her Excellency Hessa Bint Essa Buhumaid, Director-General of Dubai’s Community Development Authority who spoke passionately about family at the global launch of GEMS Education’s Family First Global Movement at GEMS World Academy in Dubai
Her Excellency Hessa Bint Essa Buhumaid, Director-General of Dubai’s Community Development Authority, addressed the audience of some 500 GEMS family members, including GEMS Education Founder Mr Sunny Varkey, students, parents, and grandparents at GEMS World Academy Dubai where the social movement launched today.
Change is coming
Plans for Family First will begin with the largest survey of its kind ever undertaken in schools to better understand the status, role and importance of family values in education.
Across the GEMS network of schools TED-style discussions and summits will take place monthly, each addressing different aspects of family life and support, each led by leading experts and proponents invited from around the world.
Each year GEMS Education will host a landmark end-of-year gala event to celebrate all those stories from our young people, and their families, which most inspirationally bring to life the ways that families, when placed at the very heart of education and society, have the extraordinary capacity to change our world for the better, and build a bridge to the future that has meaning – and hope.
Further information
Learn more about the Global Movement for Family First here.
Read our interview with Dr Saima Rana and the importance of Kindness here.
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