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-The Nadi is a multi-generational social club in Dubai which is reshaping how older adults, retirees, and their families experience community
The Nadi is a multi-generational social club in Dubai which is reshaping how older adults, retirees, and their families experience community in the UAE.
Founded by Palestinian expat Shaden Abdellatif, who has lived in the UAE for over 35 years, The Nadi has been building momentum for the past year and a half. Operating across different locations in the country and offering pay-as-you-go experiences, it’s accessible, flexible and deeply human. There are no rigid memberships or labels, but just a curated calendar of classes, workshops, and shared experiences that welcome adults of all ages, with a particular focus on older adults who are often overlooked in the city’s lifestyle landscape.
Shaden’s long relationship with the UAE gives her a unique vantage point. She has watched Dubai evolve from a transient hub into a place where people are choosing to stay, buy homes, raising families, and planning their futures here. With that shift has come a new reality: parents are visiting for longer stretches, some moving permanently, others spending seasons in the city. Yet socially, many older adults still find themselves on the margins.
“Community here is often seasonal,” she explains. “People come and go. Belonging doesn’t happen automatically; you have to design for it.” For Shaden, The Nadi became a way to that sense of rootedness: places where people are expected, recognised, and connected beyond their immediate family or work circles. The idea became personal when Shaden began thinking about her mother, Alia, who has lived in Dubai for nearly four decades. Despite the city’s abundance of offerings, Shaden noticed how limited older adults’ routines often became—malls, restaurants, familiar faces, and the lingering sense that everything else was “for the younger crowd”.
She began by asking: What could we do together that felt genuinely fun, enriching, and social and is something designed for her, not something she was merely tagging along to? Alia didn’t just inspire The Nadi; she represents the generation it is built around.
Beyond senior spaces
What sets The Nadi apart is its refusal to silo people by age. Shaden was deliberate about making it multi-generational rather than a club exclusively for retirees. “Life isn’t lived in age brackets,” she says. “Our most meaningful relationships are intergenerational.” By designing experiences that bring different generations together, The Nadi restores older adults to the centre of social life. That philosophy came to life early on during one of the club’s first gardening workshops. Participants of different ages worked side by side, hands in soil, swapping stories about patience, history and growth. Conversations flowed. Laughter came easily. “It felt peaceful and energising at the same time,” Shaden recalls. “That’s when I knew—this is what The Nadi should be.”
The Nadi is built on four principles: curiosity, continuous learning, living well, and agelessness. These aren’t slogans—they shape the programming itself. Monthly calendars introduce fresh experiences, from cultural talks and creative workshops to walks and social evenings, alongside weekly anchors like pickleball and stretch classes that rhythm and routine.
“Wellbeing isn’t just physical,” Shaden explains. “There’s always a social or mental element too.” Activities are designed to be accessible but never dull, adaptable to different energy levels and abilities, without assuming a single “type” of older adult.
Changing perceptions of ageing
The Nadi quietly challenges the idea that ageing equals decline. Instead, it frames later life as a stage worthy of investment, creativity, and joy. When older and younger adults share the same space, stereotypes dissolve quickly. Stories surface. Perspectives shift. “Sixty isn’t old anymore,” Shaden notes. “In the coming decades, people living to 100 will outnumber children under five. Cities need to grow up alongside their populations.” The changes Shaden sees in members are subtle but powerful. People who arrive hesitant soon exchange numbers, make plans, and return with ease. There’s a lightness that emerges—a sense of being part of something. Movement helps physically, but what matters more is that people begin doing again: learning, trying, showing up.
A visitor once told Shaden she’d now come to Dubai more often because she could imagine a social life for herself while her daughter worked. Another parent shared it was the first time their adult child had organised something with them specifically in mind. Then there are the quiet victories: someone attending with their child once, then returning alone.
In the next three to five years, Shaden envisions The Nadi becoming the first name people think of when seeking meaningful, age-inclusive experiences in Dubai. Expansion will come through partnerships, deeper programming, and a strong membership model. Dream projects are taking shape: a month-long “Nadi Neighbourhood Residency” that transforms an area into a living community hub, and retreat-style programmes for parents and adult children—focused on shared learning, culture and conversation.
-The Nadi is a multi-generational social club in Dubai which is reshaping how older adults, retirees, and their families experience community
The Nadi is a multi-generational social club in Dubai which is reshaping how older adults, retirees, and their families experience community in the UAE.
Founded by Palestinian expat Shaden Abdellatif, who has lived in the UAE for over 35 years, The Nadi has been building momentum for the past year and a half. Operating across different locations in the country and offering pay-as-you-go experiences, it’s accessible, flexible and deeply human. There are no rigid memberships or labels, but just a curated calendar of classes, workshops, and shared experiences that welcome adults of all ages, with a particular focus on older adults who are often overlooked in the city’s lifestyle landscape.
Shaden’s long relationship with the UAE gives her a unique vantage point. She has watched Dubai evolve from a transient hub into a place where people are choosing to stay, buy homes, raising families, and planning their futures here. With that shift has come a new reality: parents are visiting for longer stretches, some moving permanently, others spending seasons in the city. Yet socially, many older adults still find themselves on the margins.
“Community here is often seasonal,” she explains. “People come and go. Belonging doesn’t happen automatically; you have to design for it.” For Shaden, The Nadi became a way to that sense of rootedness: places where people are expected, recognised, and connected beyond their immediate family or work circles. The idea became personal when Shaden began thinking about her mother, Alia, who has lived in Dubai for nearly four decades. Despite the city’s abundance of offerings, Shaden noticed how limited older adults’ routines often became—malls, restaurants, familiar faces, and the lingering sense that everything else was “for the younger crowd”.
She began by asking: What could we do together that felt genuinely fun, enriching, and social and is something designed for her, not something she was merely tagging along to? Alia didn’t just inspire The Nadi; she represents the generation it is built around.
Beyond senior spaces
What sets The Nadi apart is its refusal to silo people by age. Shaden was deliberate about making it multi-generational rather than a club exclusively for retirees. “Life isn’t lived in age brackets,” she says. “Our most meaningful relationships are intergenerational.” By designing experiences that bring different generations together, The Nadi restores older adults to the centre of social life. That philosophy came to life early on during one of the club’s first gardening workshops. Participants of different ages worked side by side, hands in soil, swapping stories about patience, history and growth. Conversations flowed. Laughter came easily. “It felt peaceful and energising at the same time,” Shaden recalls. “That’s when I knew—this is what The Nadi should be.”
The Nadi is built on four principles: curiosity, continuous learning, living well, and agelessness. These aren’t slogans—they shape the programming itself. Monthly calendars introduce fresh experiences, from cultural talks and creative workshops to walks and social evenings, alongside weekly anchors like pickleball and stretch classes that rhythm and routine.
“Wellbeing isn’t just physical,” Shaden explains. “There’s always a social or mental element too.” Activities are designed to be accessible but never dull, adaptable to different energy levels and abilities, without assuming a single “type” of older adult.
Changing perceptions of ageing
The Nadi quietly challenges the idea that ageing equals decline. Instead, it frames later life as a stage worthy of investment, creativity, and joy. When older and younger adults share the same space, stereotypes dissolve quickly. Stories surface. Perspectives shift. “Sixty isn’t old anymore,” Shaden notes. “In the coming decades, people living to 100 will outnumber children under five. Cities need to grow up alongside their populations.” The changes Shaden sees in members are subtle but powerful. People who arrive hesitant soon exchange numbers, make plans, and return with ease. There’s a lightness that emerges—a sense of being part of something. Movement helps physically, but what matters more is that people begin doing again: learning, trying, showing up.
A visitor once told Shaden she’d now come to Dubai more often because she could imagine a social life for herself while her daughter worked. Another parent shared it was the first time their adult child had organised something with them specifically in mind. Then there are the quiet victories: someone attending with their child once, then returning alone.
In the next three to five years, Shaden envisions The Nadi becoming the first name people think of when seeking meaningful, age-inclusive experiences in Dubai. Expansion will come through partnerships, deeper programming, and a strong membership model. Dream projects are taking shape: a month-long “Nadi Neighbourhood Residency” that transforms an area into a living community hub, and retreat-style programmes for parents and adult children—focused on shared learning, culture and conversation.
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