High school students from Sharakah partner schools in Sharjah, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain participated in the Sharakah Sports Festival 2014 held on February 22, 2014 at American University of Sharjah (AUS). This event is an AUS community outreach program that promotes health and fitness among Sharakah schools students from grades 10 to 12.

Over 500 students from 15 schools competed to win the Sharakah Cups for football, volleyball and basketball. The male students from Sharakah schools competed in a football tournament, while both boys and girls participated in the volleyball and basketball tournaments.

As part of the university's community engagement strategic initiative, AUS introduced the Sharakah program to partner with select schools in the UAE to create a platform for cooperation between the university and the partner schools in various academic and non-academic areas. To facilitate the transition of high school students to university life, AUS engages school teachers and students by organizing training sessions and workshops, and cultural, social and sporting activities. The university also provides partial scholarships to deserving students from varied socio-cultural and economic backgrounds nominated by their respective schools.

"We are pleased to see this large number of students compete at AUS. The event was launched three years ago with a single competition in football. Today we have five main events in football, volleyball, and basketball both for boys and girls. We are confident that this sports festival and the other diverse Sharakah activities provide opportunities to senior high school students in our partner schools to challenge themselves and test their capabilities, not only in academic-related areas, put also in sports. We are proud of the level of cooperation reached with our partner schools and their firm commitment to the success of Sharakah programs and event," said Ali Shuhaimy, AUS Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management, while inaugurating the event.

The participating schools were Al Najah Private School, International Community School, Al Nahda National School, Al Rawafed Private School, Madar International School, Al Mawakeb School-Barasha Campus, Al Mawakeb School-Gharhoud Campus, International School of Arts and Sciences, Al Ma'arifa International Private School, Al Shoula Private School, Sharjah American International School-Sharjah Campus, Sharjah American International School-Dubai Campus, Liwa International School, Dubai International Schools-Al Barsha Campus, and Dubai International School-Al Gharhoud Campus.

The Sharakah Sports Festival was supported by OSN Live, a CSR program recently launched to raise awareness about the importance of a well-balanced lifestyle and how simple day-to-day changes can make a big difference.

According to Hamad Malik, Chief Marketing Officer, OSN, "The AUS Sharakah Sports Festival perfectly complements OSN's CSR initiative to raise awareness on the adverse effects of sedentary living and encourage people to adopt healthier and more active lifestyles. We are thankful to AUS and are happy to support the event to get our message across to a wider and impressionable audience."

The day was also open to the participants' families and the AUS community at large, with outdoor fun activities, competitions and prizes for all the attendees.