Shared Sports Facilities with the Local Community
United Arab Emirates University is made its sports infrastructure available for educational,
recreational and community-oriented activities. UAEU’s sports facilities include 50-metre
Olympic indoor swimming pools on the male and female campuses, fitness centres, indoor
and outdoor courts, multipurpose sports halls and exercise facilities. These facilities
support swimming, athletics, badminton, volleyball, tennis, basketball and other sporting
activities.
UAEU’s sports facilities are used not only for university activities but also for
programmes involving schools, external educational institutions and community participants.
The University has stated that its exercise facilities provide community members with
space for individual exercise, demonstrating its contribution to promoting physical
activity and healthy lifestyles beyond the student population.
UAEU also supports school and educational engagement through its Department of Physical
Education. The Department collaborates with the Ministry of Education, Abu Dhabi Education
Council/ADEK, sports clubs and other public institutions to advance health and physical
education in the UAE.
The Summer Community Activities 2025 programme, First Aid Course for Sports Injuries
and Hydrotherapy Workshop for Sports Rehabilitation was launched for the Al Ain community
and included sports and recreational activities designed to promote physical activity,
awareness, wellbeing and community participation.
Mental Health Support for Staff
UAEU supports staff mental health and wellbeing through professional counselling,
healthcare services, awareness programmes, and workplace wellness initiatives. The
University promotes a healthy and supportive working environment through the following
services and activities:
- Counselling and Wellbeing Services: Provides psychological assessments, counselling, psychotherapy, mental-health resources,
and wellbeing workshops for the university community.
- Employee Health Insurance: Offers enhanced medical-insurance coverage for employees and their families.
- Mental Health Awareness: Organises workshops on burnout prevention, emotional wellbeing, positive parenting,
and stress management.
- UAEU Fitness Challenge: Encourages employees to participate in walking challenges, fitness activities, and
wellness programmes, supported by a dedicated digital application.
- Active Family Challenge: Promotes physical activity, family engagement, and social wellbeing among employees,
faculty, and their families.
- Preventive Healthcare: Organises employee vaccination campaigns and health-awareness activities in collaboration
with healthcare providers such as SEHA.
Together, these initiatives demonstrate UAEU’s commitment to supporting staff mental
health, reducing workplace stress, promoting healthy lifestyles, and creating a positive
working environment, contributing to SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being).
Health Outreach Programmes
United Arab Emirates University delivers outreach programmes and community projects
that promote health and wellbeing through public-health education, nutrition awareness,
mental-health promotion, sports and exercise, women’s health and student volunteering.
In collaboration with the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, the University
organised the Maternal and Child Sector Sustainability Forum to promote knowledge
exchange and support the improvement of maternal and child health services. UAEU also
hosted the Inaugural Public Health Forum, bringing together experts to discuss approaches
to strengthening public health in the UAE. In addition, its partnership with the Family
Development Foundation supports healthy-ageing programmes for senior citizens, while
the Al Ain summer programme encourages community recreation and physical activity.
Together, these initiatives address maternal and child wellbeing, public health, nutrition,
exercise and healthy ageing.
UAEU’s College of Medicine and Health Sciences students participate in community outreach
programmes addressing public-health needs and community wellbeing. Recurring activities
include diabetes-prevention programmes, breast-cancer awareness talks, workplace-stress
and stress-management activities, and World Cancer Day events. The College also provides
community consultation in areas including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, infection,
public health and occupational health.
UAEU’s Institute of Public Health contributes to public-health lectures, health-promotion
webinars, workshops and awareness campaigns in collaboration with government and community
partners, including the Department of Health–Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre,
Dubai Health Authority, Ministry of Health and Prevention, Early Childhood Authority
and other health organisations.
The University also delivers nutrition and healthy-lifestyle outreach. UAEU’s Department
of Nutrition and Health provides services to UAEU and the wider community, including
community-based nutrition and health-promotion activities. UAEU nutrition specialists
provided the Al Ain community with guidance on food groups, healthy meal planning
and food label reading, together with body composition assessment, nutritional counselling
and educational materials.
Renewed Youth Initiative
In partnership with the Family Development Foundation, UAEU implemented the Renewed
Youth and Renewable Youth initiatives, which supported senior citizens through awareness
sessions, physical-activity programmes, nutrition education and healthy-living activities.
UAEU also organised a breast-cancer awareness campaign that included medical check-ups,
breast self-examination workshops and education on early detection. Collectively,
these initiatives demonstrate UAEU’s contribution to community health, wellbeing,
preventive healthcare and healthy ageing.
UAEU’s Mouza bint Suhail Center for Exceptional Children organised World Autism Awareness
Day campaign. The event brought together UAEU staff, medical professionals, parents,
specialists, rehabilitation centres and autism-focused community organisations. It
included an art exhibition by children of determination and three awareness and specialist
workshops addressing inclusion, educational support and therapeutic approaches for
children with autism. The Center also provides diagnostic, occupational-therapy, psychological
and behavioural support services.
