A Sit-Down Interview with the Mastermind of the Holistic Health School

MOVE ’24 has redefined health and wellness events for schools in Qatar, bringing together students, parents, educators, and community leaders for a dynamic celebration of movement and well-being. Inspired by the success of DanceFest in Shanghai, China, this unique event integrates physical activity, mental health awareness, and social engagement, creating a vibrant platform that connects individuals across nine schools and a host of health-focused sponsors. From fitness workshops to parent-focused wellness sessions, MOVE ’24 offered a one-of-a-kind experience designed to inspire movement, foster connections, and promote holistic development for all ages.

The founder and MOVE ‘24 event co-ordinator (and movement teacher at NAISAK), Vicki Hughes, provides her insights on the event below.

Can you tell us more about the concept behind MOVE ’24? What inspired you to create a holistic health event similar to DanceFest?

The concept of MOVE ’24 was developed back in 2017 when a few movement teachers in Shanghai, China wanted a platform for their students to perform. At that time, there was nothing in place, so we created an event that originally served 60 students and, in over a year, grew to serve 300 students. In my final year (2019) teaching in China, the number of participating students expanded to over 400 students. The MOVE program continued to flourish and serve the entire Primary cohort in subsequent years at Dover Court International School in Singapore.

In Qatar, there was a need for a movement curriculum – which identified by various QPPSSA schools – capped by a culminating event to bring together primary students from different international schools. Through persistence, patience and coordination, 2024 marked the inaugural year to launch the MOVE ’24 initiative.

How does MOVE ’24 stand out from other holistic health events? What makes it a one-of-a-kind experience in Qatar?

MOVE stands out as a holistic health event because it encompasses all elements of movement. It’s important to get people moving and that's something that we really focused on within our community. Incorporating parents into this event week was powerful. For the first time, we hosted a coffee morning where parents competed in friendly games of badminton before their wellness workshop with Flourishing Minds Clinic. It felt like a year's worth of events trapped within one week.

In Qatar, MOVE ’24 is something unique, a one-of-a-kind health and wellness event involving nine Qatar schools and inviting an extensive list of sponsors and vendors related to health, fitness, sports and well-being. As a result, our students, parents, teachers and staff were able to create memories, network with each other, engage in workshops, and open themselves to new experiences.

Could you walk us through the process of curating activities and workshops for MOVE ’24? How did you get all external vendors, sponsors, and international schools to participate?

A few years ago, I started to learn ballet from Annable Lock (Sequences Ballet Qatar). My relationship with her sparked a chain of networking opportunities and built momentum with other like-minded movement artists and organizations. As a result, I leveraged the list of vendors, sponsors, and international schools to discuss the MOVE ’24 concept and evaluate the initial buy-in and queries from this groups.

How does the MOVE ’24 event connect to the academic and social emotional development values of the school?

In its essence, MOVE ’24 ties together analogous elements such as health, well-being, mental, physical, emotional and social development.

The parent coffee morning movement and mental well-being workshop with Flourishing Minds Clinic was the first collaboration of its kind in our school’s history. Academically, we were able to link various tasks with our Nord Anglia Education Global Campus platform, which provided the opportunity for students to engage in movement activities with their Nord Anglia Education peers around the world. From a core value perspective, our “Experience More, Achieve More” promise to our students was enhanced through different development strands such as physical development (students competing in fitness and move competitions as well as movement-based workshops), social development (inclusion focus for diverse interests and abilities; fostering friendships with peers from NAISAK and other schools in Qatar), educational impact on well-being (awareness campaigns and practical tips through workshops) and mental and emotional development (stress relief through physical activity; sense of achievement by completing challenges).

How did you measure the success of MOVE ’24? Were there specific outcomes or feedback that validated the impact of the event?

There is no one way to measure the “success” of this event, but I will focus on the facts and figures to provide perspective. On Day 1 and Day 5 of MOVE ’24, 600 – 700 students learned, practiced, and executed the Space Jam choreography taught by event co-ordinator, Vicki Hughes. In fact, this was the first time that all NAISAK Primary students, teachers, and staff were together at the same time since the World Cup in 2022. Additionally, Day 2 involved over 5,000 minutes of movement, 1,200+ students, 200+ staff members and 100+ workshops.

Events like MOVE ’24 involve a lot of logistical planning. What were some of the biggest challenges you faced, and how did you overcome them?

MOVE ’24 is an event that was four years in the making, but it took 6 months of logistical planning to execute at a high level. A team of 10 NAISAK teachers formed a MOVE Committee to discuss the event budget, review the event calendar, confirm space availability and constraints, fill-in gaps for teacher coverage and purchase a new stage for the performances with the school’s senior leadership team and operations department. Teacher and student volunteers teamed up to run workshops and event sponsors offered resources and expertise to enhance the overall event experience. 

Are there any special “thank yous” or shoutouts to people that have helped you create this event?

My big shout outs are to the MOVE ‘24 team, NAISAK’s marketing team, and teachers across Qatar that volunteered time to develop a dance routine for Day 4 and brought their school teams to Al Khor because they believed in the event from the beginning. Additionally, our senior leadership team gave me the green light for creative freedom to direct the event. Furthermore, a big shout out goes to our phenomenal performing arts department! Finally, I am thankful and appreciative of my family’s patience because we’ve been immersed in MOVE for the last six months. My husband Tom, also a NAISAK teacher, has been rock solid and a source of strength during the difficult moments of event planning. Overall, I’m just thankful for everyone believing in my vision. 

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