Wednesday 25

Food and Farming in the UAE – panel discussion
Shelter Dubai hosts a panel discussion on food and farming in the UAE, with input from expert restaurateurs and distributors, including Baker and Spice, NKD Pizza and Organic Foods and Café.
Free. From 7pm. Warehouse 30, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz (04 380 9040).

Step Eleven of Twelve: Recognition
The Compassionate Living, Reading & Discussion Group meets to contemplate the notion of ‘recognition’ in the penultimate session of the course.
Free. From 7.30pm. The Pavilion, Downtown Dubai, Emaar Boulevard, www.meetup.com/compassionate-living-reading-discussion-group (no number).

Thursday 26

Community drumming
Head down to Marina Mall every Thursday to take part in family community drum circles and fire dancing. All ages and abilities are welcome to join in, from beginners to experts, and drums are provided.
Free. Thu 6.30pm-9pm. Ongoing. Ground floor, Dubai Marina Mall (050 659 2874).

Monthly Mingle
The Dubai Funny Gangs group meets for its monthly get-together. At the moment, a location is yet to be determined, but sign up to have your say and expand your network of friends in the city.
Price TBC. From 9pm. Location TBC. www.meetup.com/dubai-funny-gangs (no number).

Friday 27

Donate unwanted trainers to Soles for Souls
If you have old sneakers kicking around the house, Soles for Soles is taking donations of trainers to give to the UAE’s labourers. Just make sure they’re clean.
Ongoing. Drop-off point: Sun-Thu 9am-6pm, Fortune Promoseven, Office 449, Emarat Atrium, Sheikh Zayed Road. Call Arun (050 457 6873).

Feast with The Tiffin Club
Foodie group The Tiffin Club meets to feast on another of Dubai’s hidden culinary gems – and once again the venue is to be decided by a group vote. This week, they’re choosing between Chinese, Egyptian and Ethiopian cuisine. Sign up to make a suggestion and take part in the night out.
Free (meals must be paid for). From 7pm. Location TBC. www.meetup.com/thetiffinclub (no number).

Saturday 28

Dubai Poetry Club’s first meeting
New meet-up group Dubai Poetry Club will gather for its first discussion today. The new group is looking for poetry enthusiasts of all ages and nationalities to join and share their passion for the written (and not necessarily rhyming) word.
Free. From 5pm. 811 Bahwan Towers, next to Citymax Hotel Al Barsha, www.meetup.com/dubai-poetry-club (no number).

Post-wedding ceremony photography
Members of the Emirates Photography Club are invited to document the finale of a Muslim wedding ceremony at the Raffles hotel. It’s a private event, and customs and dress codes should be respected. Sharing pictures of the event with by the host, Amreen, would also be appreciated. Advance confirmation of attendance essential. Join the group to confirm if you’d like to photograph the event.
Free. From 9pm. Raffles Dubai, Oud Metha, www.meetup.com/emiratesphotoclub (no number).

Take your recyclables to Emirates Environmental Group’s family day
Every Saturday, EEG encourages families to visit its headquarters on Jumeirah Beach Road to drop off any recyclable household waste, including plastic, tetra packs (that’s juice boxes, to the uninitiated) aluminium cans, paper and glass.
Free. Open 8.30am-5.30pm. Villa JMR 68 117A, Jumeirah Beach Road, Jumeirah 1 (between Dubai Zoo and Beach Centre), www.eeg-uae.org (04 344 8622).

The Dubai Superwoman’s Therapy Group
This is the first meet-up of this new group therapy set, open to women only. Today’s session will be an introduction and explanation session, and is entirely free. To take part, you’ll need to join the group via the Meetup website, and RSVP to confirm your place.
Free. From 7pm. Location TBC. www.meetup.com/the-dubai-superwomans-healing-group (no number).

Sunday 29

Become a ‘Wish Maker’
Whether you’re an individual, group, school or corporate organisation looking to give back, donate some of your time or money and help fulfil the wish of a child with a terminal illness and turn their dream into reality. Ongoing.
Make-A-Wish Foundation UAE, Humanitarian City, www.makeawish.ae (04 368 0217).

Monday 30

African djembe and Arabic tabla classes
Drop in to these popular community drumming classes and learn to play the African djembe drum, which the organisers claim is a great way to de-stress. Alternatively, participants can also learn to play the tabla. Djembe Dhs50 per session, Tabla Dhs60 per session, drums provided. Djembe beginners 7.20pm-8.20pm, regulars 7.40pm-8.40pm, Tabla 8.45pm-9.45pm. Ongoing. Ductac, Mall of the Emirates (056 744 2129).

Tuesday 1

Do something worthwhile with Friends of Cancer
Patients This local charity raises money, organises campaigns and supports people battling cancer, as well as their families. The group welcomes volunteers.
Free. Ongoing. Corniche Road, Sharjah, info@focp.ae (06 506 5542).