MENA NEWSLETTER

The MENA programme has showed concrete results in terms of young people's capacity and civic engagement. In Palestine, they are campaigning together across organizations and geography, on the theme of the quality of education. In Jordan, they have succeeded in changing the status quo of a local park, standing up against a factory and working together with the municipality. On a regional level the MENA programme is joining forces with a number of initiatives, including the regional Hakaya, Story Telling project, the regional meeting about the Arab Spring and Youth Mental Health, and the Scandinavian festival Crossing Cultures. 

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Training of Jordanian Working Children

In April ActionAid Denmark’s training unit conducted a training of 30 working children in Jordan. The training took place in cooperation with the ‘Social Support Centre’ that is providing education for children in the labour market. Two Global Platform trainers prepared a programme focusing on self-awareness, gender related issues, communication and critical thinking, and described the outcome as very successful.

Abdul Rahman al Baroodi (abood), trainer at the Global Platform, Amman

Our objective was to provide the participants with specific and practical tools that they would be able to use to enhance their daily life, and to motivate them to think critically and positively about their situations. Our hope before the training was that the students would get the skills to make small changes that would later have huge impacts on their lives.
 
The adolescents connected to the Social Support Centre are in a very marginalized position. Many of them are living in poor and remote areas, are working to provide their families with an extra income, and have never received education before they came to the centre. Most of the kids therefor have great troubles reading and writing and we therefor had to consider the context very closely before training the participants - rethinking the way we normally train groups.

We decided to use more visual presentations such as pictures, drawings and other non-verbal presentations - we for example decided to include sports and performing arts instead of writing. In this way we introduced many of our usual tools but adjusted them so that the adolescent participants could still follow and not feel bad about their situation.

The training turned out to be very easy since the participants were more than motivated to learn. It was a new way for them to receive education and they were eager to get more knowledge. The difference from other learning was that they were now being showed how to use the skills in real life situations – in the family, work place and in the centre. We among other themes focused on conflict management, self-expression, communication, self-awareness and realistic goal setting.

Through a participatory approach the participants for example learned about conflict management in order to promote a non-violent culture. Part of this was done by playing games in order to illustrate different ways of addressing critical situations similar to the participant’s lives– this was done through concrete examples and by showing different narratives to the dominant story.

We tried to involve the students as much as possible in the process of training. We gave them small tasks and responsibilities such as being in charge of gathering participants after breaks, doing energizers, handling the flip charts etc. The small gestures made them feel as part of the process and gave them a sense of responsibility. 

In addition to the alternative training methods, we had to be very aware of the way we presented ourselves in front of the young participants. In all matters, we had to be coaches and role models since the adolescents learned from the smallest situations that would occur in the classroom and in interactions. We gave them a free space to approach all the experiences that arose in the training, which gave them a feeling of ownership over the process.

The result of the training showed itself early in the process – illustrated by the way the participants began to deal with each other, with us and the other gender. The Social Support Centre also considered it to be a success and hopes that we will get the opportunity to train more children at the centre. Our next step is to come back and follow up with the initial participants with the wish to include the adolescents more in the training – according to their own requests and wishes.

Read more about the Global Platform trainings here

Danish Nurses coming to Palestine

For two intensive weeks, 8 Danish nursing- and therapist students from Metropol University College visited the Middle East as part of their studies. Arranged by ActionAid Denmark’s project Global Contact the young students visited hospitals in the occupied Palestinian territories in order to learn about the health care system in an international context.

Anna Friis Pedersen, nursing student at Metropol, Denmark.

Arriving to the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt) for the first time, the group was exited to see what was waiting for us. Our knowledge about the region was scarce and limited to what we had heard in the media about conflict and war. What we quickly realised was that the area contains so great contrasts, cultures and diverse peoples that it can be almost impossible to comprehend.

Prior to our visit we had received education about global health with a specific focus on human rights. As an extension to the classes, we visited various hospitals in the occupied Palestinian territories in order to get a practical view upon health care in a different context than the Danish.

It was the first time that a class from Metropol got the opportunity to visit the oPt, which meant that we had a lot to say in shaping the programme. Other students went to China and Ghana, but going to the Middle East we got the unique opportunity to experience a health care system in a highly tense political situation.

We were lucky to be offered the possibility to follow the staff in the hospitals closely – watching surgeries, seeing how patients are being handled and in general how the daily rounds in the hospitals are working. We quickly realised that there are differences between what we came from and what was facing us in the Palestinian hospitals but also that the treatment being offered was highly professional.

A visible difference in the hospitals related to the gender division among nurses. In Denmark the nurses are mainly female, whereas in oPt, this occupation is highly dominated by men. Other differences related to hygiene principals, how to handle the medicine and in general what you focus on as a nurse. At the same time it was also interesting to notice the greater presence of relatives in the hospitals compared to the Danish context.

It was an interesting experience to visit the hospitals in the area, and the group agreed that it had been a learning experience – but what made an even bigger impact on me was to see how people live and struggle in the area. I was affected by the stories told by people in the oPt who had experienced attacks on their cities and to see how marked they were by the tense situation.

Meeting both Israelis and Palestinians, I became amazed over how close to one another the two peoples live and just how little they know about each other. The sharp divisions between the different groups in for example Jerusalem was striking and we quickly realized that not all topics are easily approached. It was difficult to keep track of the different opinions and we felt very exhausted when hitting the beds at night.

Read more about what Global Contact does here

Sharing Stories - Hakaya

In April, a four-day meeting took place in Alexandria, Egypt titled ‘Tales of the Arab Spring: Who Writes People’s Histories’. The Forum attracted artists, storytellers, activists and scholars from the Arab region all interested in art and stories related to the Arab revolutions. A representative from ActionAid participated in the meeting leaving the country with renewed inspiration for the work with youth. 

Nana Sulger Büel, Communication Assistant, Jordan

As I was driving through the streets of Alexandria, I became amazed by the extent of street art and graffiti covering the walls and houses. I was told that most of the writings are related to the recent revolutions and that much of it has already been painted over - art has overtly been a way for protesters to express the dissatisfaction and anger felt toward the previous regime in Egypt.

The street art is part of a flourishing creative environment seen  in countries affected by the Arab Spring. This can be seen as a reaction to the heavy censorship and laws against freedom of expression that most countries in the region have been facing. During the uprisings, various art forms and political writings have contributed to the fight against oppression and many artists have risked their lives in the process.

I was attending the four-day meeting in Alexandria, arranged by the Arab Education Forum, Hakaya in the end of April. The meeting was focussing on how art and storytelling can play an important part in political and social change - addressing questions of the role of the artist in revolutions, how events are captured and remembered, and which role new media has played in the Arab Spring. The forum was a place for people to tell their personal stories and experiences with art during and after the revolutions and a place to discuss future initiatives.

As a westerner who has only observed the revolutions from a distance, I felt humble hearing the stories shared by the participants. Many of the artists and activists have risked a great deal in the uprisings and the theme was clearly very personal. From different backgrounds and countries the participants found common ground in their experiences and were given a forum to freely discuss their struggles, hopes and fears.

The participants agreed that the region needs to rebuild a tradition of storytelling and free artistic expression. Several themes were discussed such as how the educational system has failed to teach youth creative self-expression, that we should put greater emphasis on the sharing of our stories, and how to support the use of art, theatre and storytelling in changing the political climate.

Several fears were also expressed at the meeting where not all participants were hopeful regarding the situation in the Arab world. Several of the Egyptian participants told me that they fear for the future of the country and do not expect any real change. Being activists, during the uprisings, either on the streets, making public art or writing on social media they had envisioned a different development. But they also expressed a will to keep pushing for a better society, using art and storytelling to freely express their opinions. 

Despite the many difficult experiences during the Arab revolutions shared at the meeting, I left Egypt with a feeling of renewed inspiration for the work in ActionAid. As an organization working with art, theatre and storytelling to promote youth civic engagement, I feel that the organisation can learn from the many tough but also positive stories told at Hakaya.

See more about the Hakaya forum here

Youth Councils Demand Education for Life

The 18 Sharek Youth Local Councils from across the West Bank have decided to join forces and launch their first joint national campaign. With the campaign ‘Education for Life’ the councils call for a stronger focus on the quality of higher education.

Ane Sommer, Inspirator in Palestine

The members of the 18 Youth Councils are worried about the quality of higher education in Palestine. They find that there is a current gap between what they learn during their university education and the skills they need in their life after graduating. In particular they feel that they lack the skills needed to enter the labor market and overcome the overwhelming risk of youth unemployment.

Through the campaign ‘Education for Life’ they call on the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, and the Boards of the Universities to live up to their promises and work to overcome these challenges.

Hard working councilors
For a start, the youth have three very specific demands. They want to push the Ministry and the Boards to integrate critical thinking courses, practical workshops, and internships in the curricula of all university specialties.

It has taken a while however to agree on such a specific focus. Since January the youth have been through a heap of discussions to agree on a theme, define specific goals, put up a strategy for achieving them and develop a strong action plan. A group of council members has furthermore been working on developing a campaign mobilization plan coached by the ActionAid Global Platform from Amman.

Community debates and national coalition building
The 32 members of the Campaign Coordination Group have thus been working hard. Now they are finally ready to launch their first activities. During May, they will begin mobilizing their communities, students and other fellow youth to take active part in the campaign - starting out by having debates about the quality of education in their communities.

Parallel to this the Youth Councils are working on establishing a coalition of supportive local and national decision-makers, organizations and movements. By convincing as many actors as possible to back up their campaign goals they hope to increase the pressure on a national decision-making level for specific policy changes and the realization of their demands.

The campaign will run until November 2012. During the summer the Youth Council’s will implement a number of local and national activities in addition to the ones mentioned above.  Among other things they plan on integrating the theme Education for Life in their community summer camps. 

The AADK Inspirator currently working with Sharek Youth Forum has coached the development of the campaign.

Youth Fight Environmental Degradation

The project ‘Youth Innovative Participation in Civic Engagement’ has been successful in activating youth in civil society issues and in making impacts in their local communities. One of the project’s five groups has succeeded in fighting environmental issues in Al Russaifa, which has led to the reopening of Al-Russaifa Park.

Nana Sulger Büel, Communication Intern, Amman

The Al Russaifa forest park has finally been reopened after prolonged pollution that has left the park impossible to use. The project group has approached the municipality demanding for them to take responsibility in the matter and has stood up against the factory that is dumping industrial waste in the park. The project has resulted in a signed agreement binding the factory to end the environmental destruction of the park.

The group has been working on the issue for months after having received training in campaigning and advocacy by the organization CDC in Zarqa, who is supported by ActionAid. They have put their new skills to a test in the environmental project and are considering the result to be a success. The youth express a new found confidence that they can make a change in their societies and want to keep working for a better environment.

The young men and women did not start out with a certainty that the project would work out. Many groups and individuals have advocated for change before them with a negative result and the group had to think of new ways to address the issue. The youth see their success grounded in careful planning and structuring of the project - using many of the skills they have learned in the training. They have been advocating in the municipality as well as motivating big groups of people through campaigns. 

The group started out by arranging a festival in Al Russaifa in order to spread awareness about the environmental problems facing the area. The people and CSO’s in the area turned out to be very supportive due to many years of living with unhealthy surroundings. The support was a valuable asset - putting pressure on the municipality and the factory as well as helping in cleaning up of the park.

The young men and women feel that the project has helped them to develop as individuals and as a group. They have heightened their sense of team spirit, have become more interested in social work, and have learned not to fear failure or to address difficult issues.

ActionAid considers the project a success since it has promoted youth civic engagement and they are very happy to hear that the group is already thinking about future projects - wishing to keep working for a cleaner and healthier society.

On Friday the 25. of May the group held an event for the opening of the park. The group did a lot of arts performances and gathered people from the surrounding areas.

Volunteerism in Jerusalem

The initiative Madrasati is strengthening voluntarism in Palestine with the support of an ‘Inspirator’ from ActionAid Denmark (AADK). After 7 months, the project is showing great progress in terms of involving volunteers in the work to strengthen public social responsibility towards the educational system in East Jerusalem.

Camilla Holm-Jensen, Inspirator in oPt

Volunteerism is at the heart of Madrasati’s programme activities in Palestine, and one of the central points in the programme’s outreach component is the concept of the shared social responsibility towards the educational system. The Volunteer Program is considered one of the ways to nurture this concept through providing different platforms for the volunteers to give back to their communities. In compliance with the regional program objectives of working with and strengthening the local youth, AADK is supporting Madrasati in setting up the volunteer program.

It all started when the Jordanian initiative Madrasati, decided to set up a branch in Jerusalem in April 2010. Since then, Madrasati Palestine have been active in Jerusalem implementing initiatives and programs with the aim to enhance the learning environments in 20 Awqaf schools in East Jerusalem. Since August 2011, Camilla Holm-Jensen has been placed as an Inspirator with Madrasati Palestine, mainly focusing on creating the settings for a sustainable volunteer program in the organisation.

The work has so far resulted in a pilot project, based on Madrasati’s plan to expand the program in the coming school year.  During 2011, Madrasati Palestine has established school committees at the different schools who meet regularly. These committees have identified areas that they want to improve and tackle in their schools through an after-school program. The aim of this is to create opportunities to initiate and run constructive activities in their schools.

By providing volunteers who are equipped with the needed skills and knowledge, Madrasati Palestine aims to help and support the schools to design and implement different activities. Cooperation between students at the local university and the volunteer program has therefore been established. The Volunteers have been trained in leadership skills to be prepared for the challenges they are facing as volunteers at the schools. This further includes training in project and session planning, appreciative inquiry, group dynamics and conflict management, as well as working on general attitude and behavior when working with youth.

To support and follow up with the volunteers, they are guided with continuous mentoring sessions, evaluations, providing of feedback and most importantly giving the volunteers new skills which they can use and implement in the following volunteer sessions.

See more about the work Madrasati is doing in Palestine here

Training of Volunteers

During the weekends of May, ActionAid Denmark conducted a leadership-training seminar at Working Women's Association (WWA) based in Al-Russaifa, Jordan. The participants were young volunteers at WWA who had a specific wish to gain more skills within communication, facilitation and debating.

Inge Sidenius, Global Platform Trainer

The training was conducted in an area influenced by poverty, unemployment and social challenges, which gave the trainers certain considerations to take in mind.  The training was designed to match the specific issues and needs that young people in Russaifa are encountering  - combining the usual training approaches and context specific materials. 

The participants were despite of their situation very committed young people, and the trainers were glad to meet a group of active youth working on many different issues within the organization. The trainers got inspired by the participants that have a lot of resources and potential ready to build on - they only need the apropriate tools and skills to develop further as active and engaged citizens.

Apart from the usual content of a leadership training, this seminar also focused on values, graphic facilitation, storytelling and forum theatre. The trainers explained how stories can be used as a way to motivate and engage volunteers, and how forum theatre can be a useful tool to discuss and solve conflicts. The new approaches were received well by the participants who seemed very enthusiastic to learn about new and creative methods.

The youth have been very motivated to acquire new skills and tools and are eager to join more trainings within ActionAid. The trainers are looking forward to keep in touch with the participants and give them opportunities to join other trainings in the future, hopefully for the benefit of WWA and the local community in Al-Russaifa.

News Feeds

Active Youth
For two months, around 25 young people in the age group 15-18 has been trained in theatre and stand-up comedy in ActionAid’s partner organisation ‘Working Women’s Association’. The objective is not to produce professional actors, but to teach the youth basic life-skills through performing arts and how to use these skills to express their issues and how to find solutions for them. The trainers are active youth who have experience within performing arts and have been giving workshops 4 times a month and will finish the training in the end of June. The training is so far considered a success by the trainers and engaged participants.

Activista 
The activista network is in its initiating phase in Jordan. Three core groups have been established to conduct three campaigns on society issues. The first group has decided on the theme communication and dialogue as a method to solve social problems such as racism, shame culture and inequality. The second issue is about awareness raising and training for refugees and their rights. The third group will do campaigning on harassment against women. The overall vision is to become the leading youth campaigning network and youth base for social change.

Joint campaign
In continuation of the new approach that is focusing on joint campaigning, ActionAid met with Lebanese NGO’s last month to agree on a common campaign theme in the Beqaa region. The main objectives with this meeting were to narrow down several numbers of themes to just one; assure that the selected theme is realistic for a campaign; and create a framework for the coming steps in the campaign process. The meeting was another success and the local CSO’s, along with AADK decided on campaigning about Social and Economical Rights of Youth in Bekaa.  A working group has been put together of the organizations: Lebanese Organization for Studies and Training, Union of Democratic Lebanese Youth, Creadel and AADK. The working group is in the process of producing a concept note and after this is finished, the campaign strategy will be developed.

Mobilization and Motivation
The mobilization and Motivation course in Palestine has finished its two first tracks with up to 42 young people participating from the organizations PCPD, PYALARA and Sharek. The participants have been chosen by their organizations based on their participation in on-going projects conducted in cooperation between ActionAid and the partners.

The initial objective was to provide young active people with some concrete tools to engage their fellow youth. The feedback from the participants was very positive and they found the content useful. They are currently working on a mobilisation plan based on what they have learned in the training. The third and final track will be in July and will focus on the progress, challenges and successes, consisting of field trips and discussions with the participants and the partner organisations.

Marajel 

The Marajel project continues to grow up! Focussing on gender equity and equality, Marajel is developing a one year training for youth groups and active CSOs. Through training, coaching, and monitoring, the youth groups and CSOs will expand a network to work together in adressing gender issues and include more equity in their actions and activities. The next Marajel presentation will be the 9th of June in the ActionAid office.

If you want to receive more information about the project, please contact marajel.mena@gmail.com or join our Facebook MARAJEL.

Upcoming Events

Campaigning for change – Jordan
June 24 – July 19, 2012, Amman, Jordan
ActionAid Denmark’s Global Platform in Amman is preparing a 4 weeks intensive course in Jordan giving youth and volunteers the skills needed to design and plan campaign strategies and become future activists and change-makers in their local communities. The course will among other things focus on campaign strategies and models, different phases of campaigning, implementation of campaign activities and planning of workshops. The course is open for Arab and international participants that are involved in civil society work, activists and volunteers who like to learn more about campaigning.

See more about the coming training here

Connecting Cultures 2012
June 2 -3, 2012, Al Balad Theatre, Amman, Jordan
In the beginning of June the festival Connecting Cultures will take place in Amman. The festival aims at building on shared values and on existing connections and cooperation between the Scandinavian countries and Jordan. The festival presents a diverse spectrum of creative platforms such as film, literature, design, music and food. Different partners are invited to take part in the activities that focuses on youth, intercultural meetings, human rights, gender equality and sustainable development. ActionAid will take part in the activities by inviting talented youth within performing arts and music to perform at the festival.

See more about the festival here

ActionAid Trainings in Lebanon
The ActionAid DK (AADK) Lebanon team are pleased to announce two very exiting training courses to be held in Beqaa, Lebanon.

June 15 - 20, Beqaa, Lebanon
The first training is the International Leadership Training Seminar (ILTS). With the training, ActionAid seeks to give Youth an opportunity to enhance their qualifications within leadership in volunteer youth groups and gain skills on how to inspire others and push for social change in their communities.

June 23 - 27, Beqaa, Lebanon.
The second training is a campaign course that seeks to give youth and volunteers the skills needed to design and plan campaigns and become change-makers in their local communities.

Deadline for both training courses is June 1. For further information please contact: ms-lebanon@ms.dk.

Regional Workshop on “The Arab Spring and Youth Mental Health”
June 1 – 3, Amman, Jordan.
ActionAid Denmark’s longstanding Beirut-based partner Arab Resource Collective (ARC) is having a workshop on “The Arab Spring and Youth Mental Health” in the light of the new situation facing youth of the Arab Spring. With an integrated, inclusive, and inquiry-based approach, the Mental Health Programme of ARC has been following the latest youth led developments in the region with the aim of analyzing the interrelationship between psychological and political processes. The aim is to initiate a new networking process with youth activists, youth organisations and mental health experts from around the region, including Yemen, Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia and Libya. The workshop seeks to analyse the pre-conditions, determinants, and events related to the Arab Spring and promote a sphere of youth rights, youth equity, better opportunities, access to resources, and political participation. 

Fore more info, please contact sna@ms.dk 

Training in campaign and advocacy in Palestine
June 7 – 14, occupied Palestinian territories

The training is aiming at supporting youth groups in developing strong rights-based campaigning and advocacy skills with a special focus on integrating social media. The training focuses on campaigning and advocacy processes as important tools in adressing the root-causes of community issues and rights-violations.

See more about the work ActionAid is doing in MENA here