Hello there. You don't know me, but I can assure you I like you already regardless. Picture this with me: one day, a very grumpy and tense lady visits me for a training course on human resources. At reception, she notices an ad for a violin workshop. She starts by ridiculing me for allowing people of all ages to join, assuring me that only children are able to learn instruments. A few days later, I find her at my premises again, this time with a violin on her back entering the above-mentioned workshop but still as tense and grumpy as ever. When the class was over, it seemed as if her soul had been replaced: she walked out of the room smiling, almost skipping steps, with much less tension on her face and completely relaxed. After attending several classes, she told me that I was making her dreams come true. That's what I do. My name is “The Workshops” but I am perhaps more like a concept. Founder Rasha Hassan and I believe that Egyptians have become depressed and frustrated lately, because the true and non-material value of the arts has been forgotten in our society. We believe we can change that by bringing mentors and passionate people of all ages together. Let me be honest: I am still quite young. Nevertheless, I have managed to get some very prominent people to hold workshops under my umbrella, like, for instance, prominent director Samir Seif. In just a year-and-a-half, I have hosted over 75 workshops in fields like photography, cinema, playing instruments, learning languages, painting, screen-writing, calligraphy, and so on — things that are often barely offered in Egypt. How do I know what people want? It's simple: I ask them. And then I tailor the workshops to their requests. My goal is not just to provide the space for cultural exchange, but also to form a community that is engaged and keen on spreading the importance of the arts in our lives to the rest of the country. So why do I also offer help and training for entrepreneurs? Because I want to infuse them with the passion they need to get their start-ups going, especially in the field of social entrepreneurship concerning job creation or art. I introduce positive energy, and this leads to higher productivity and, most importantly, a happier spirit. I also welcome all age groups – because youth is not a matter of age. Those who did not have the chance to do what they loved when they were young have the right to pursue their passion when they are older. If they do so, they will also bring up their own children in a way that is closer to art. The writer is a freelance journalist
