Page 20 - FDF PR REPORT - JUNE 2025 (ENGLISH)_Neat

Press report

H.E. Al Baloushi also reaffirmed that those forums stand as a vital platform for direct
communication with special community groups, ensuring a deeper understanding of their
challenges and aspirations. They offer an ideal stage for the exchange of ideas and proposals,
supporting evidence-based decision making. Such a participatory approach contributes to the
development of social policies and programs that shows the actual needs of the local
community and highlights FDF’s unwavering commitment to ensure innovation and
integration in offering its services.

In addition, H.E. Al Baloushi highlighted that FDF has employed the focus group method as
a structured tool for collecting qualitative data from participants. He explained that each
session included an introduction to the forum’s goals and pillars and division into smaller
groups led by specialised staff members to discuss specific questions leveraging a precise
scientific approach. The responses were recorded and assessed using the Mentimeter system,
which helped to exhibit results while also allowing a direct and transparent communication
with attendees and enhancing the forum’s overall result.

H.E. Al Baloushi said, “The Foundation has leveraged a comprehensive approach, merging
qualitative analysis to open-ended responses with data analysis tools to find percentages and
averages for closed-ended questions to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the results. The
series commenced with the first forum held at Al Mirfa Centre in February 2025, under the
theme ‘Assessing the Needs of Senior Citizens.’ The event convened 23 senior citizens and
their companions and ensured their active participation. During the session, attendees looked
into existing and proposed services and shared their perspectives and opinions transparently in
a dialogue-driven environment that promoted experience-sharing and encouraged new
initiatives.”

Muneera Majid Al Ali, Director of the Research and Studies Department at FDF, said,
“In line with our relentless efforts to reinforce social monitoring and gain a broader
understanding of societal changes, we have employed a comprehensive methodology that
blends both quantitative and qualitative sources. The dialogue forums are one of our key
qualitative tools, which played a pivotal role in collecting community insights and opinions on
priority socials issues.”

These sessions highlight an effective interactive approach to opening direct communication
channels with community members and key stakeholders. It enables more precise
understanding of social reality from different perspectives and contributing to the provision of
more responsive services in line with the requirements.

She added, “Apart from the forums, FDF also depends on a wide array of data sources, such
as official records, the Digital Social Observer platform, service performance outcomes, and
findings from field studies and social research, to develop a comprehensive and reliable
understanding of social dynamics.” The Foundation underscores that understanding the