MENA NEWLETTER

With the thought that the summer is going to an end, The MENA programme activities were put on high fire. Trainings took a variety of forms, performing arts, graphic facilitation, leadership development, all with the aim of promoting youth civic engagement. In addition, Beqaa youth in Lebanon had encounters with local authorities and had worked on some change for the wellbeing of their communities.. Many other news and upcoming events are to follow in the text so enjoy the reading.

You can also read this in your web browser »

New Inspiration has come to Palestine

New inputs have come to Palestinian partner organisations. Ane, Camilla and Amy are ActionAid Denmark's new Inspirators in the West Bank. 

By Signe Hare, Communication Assistant, Hebron

Three talented women have come to Palestine to share their skills with local organisations working with youth issues. Ane Sommer Knudsen (26), Camilla Holm-Jensen (30) and Amy Elizabeth Ward (29) all arrived in Palestine between July and September, but are already well into their work as Inspirators for ActionAid Denmark.

It is not only their job title and commitment to development issues that these three women have in common. In spite of their young ages, the three of them already hold significant experience in their respective fields. And with so different backgrounds as political science, development studies and law, the three of them have all gathered their expertise and brought it to the West Bank. Here they are providing local organisations with inputs on capacity building.

The Inspirator is part of ActionAid Denmark’s goals to create direct contacts of solidarity to inspire people to act themselves. So, who are the Inspirators? An Inspirator has previous experience from developing or newly industrialized country, experience that will be used to inspire, provide capacity building input and give an outside perspective to the local partner organization they are placed to work with.

Translation of experiences
“It is incredibly fulfilling using my skills this way”, Amy Ward says, about her work with the organization, the Students' Forum Institute in Bethlehem, who are implementing projects all over the West Bank. She has been a lawyer for seven years working in the private sector, before she decided to transfer her skills and knowledge to development issues. “I believe my skills provide a fresh perspective to the organisation”, she explains, “You might want to call it a translation of experiences“.

And it is exactly this outside perspective and transfer of new ideas that is essential for the Inspirator program. Ane, Camilla and Amy are working with different organisations, that all share ActionAid's overall vision of youth participation as an important mechanism for social change. The Inspirators are placed to boost the organisations and help them focus, re-think or simply being better at implementing specific activities through shared learning and critical reflection.

Ane is working with Sharek Youth Forum and PCPD (Palestinian Center for Peace and Democracy) to increase the youth's voices in decision-making through local councils. Camilla is placed with the initiative Madrasati to booster the creative ework of a  needs-driven educational programs in public schools.

ActionAid Denmark’s Inspirator programme was launched in 2008 as a part of the People for Change Strategy, which aims to provide cross-national solidarity and capacity building in new and creative ways. One of these is by supplying traditional development workers with more diversified and innovative personnel categories.

If  you are interested in getting inspired while inspiring people with your work, please apply online at http://ims.actionaid.dk

BACKGROUND
The Inspirators are volunteer placements that are cross national and last between 3 to 9 months. The programme offers an excellent opportunity to learn and share experiences across national borders and cultures, to get international work experience and to grow as a human being. ActionAid Denmark is currently looking for inspirators with a strong Monitoring & Evaluation and/or Women’s Rights profile. Read more about the Inspirator programme right here: http://www.actionaid.dk/sw141416.asp

Supporting Social Change with Patience

Three new Danish volunteers have recently arrived in Beirut as a part of ActionAid’s global exchange program for volunteers. The volunteers; Sara, Mette and Casper, will, for three months be living, working and studying in the Shatila camp in southern Beirut, one of Lebanon’s 12 refugee camps housing approximately 8.500 registered Palestinian refugees.

By Maj Vestergaard Navntoft, Former ActionAid volunteer in Shatila

Through the local partner organization, Ajial, the volunteers have been affiliated with Shatila’s Children and Youth Center where they are meant to assist the staff in their daily work with extra curricula training and active learning programs for children. Additionally, the volunteers are trying to initiate alternative workshops and projects in both Shatila and other Palestinian refugee camps around Lebanon. Currently a sewing workshop and a youth-to-youth newspaper are being organized, as well as a newly established yoga workshop for teenage girls and young women in the camp are having great success.

Being a volunteer however, is not just about working without getting paid. The unique experience of living among local people, working with local people and thus seeing the world from a local perspective is considered a specifically valuable experience for the three volunteers.

“Being a volunteer is a really nice way to get closer to and understand a new and different culture, and to get to know more about the Middle East in general. There were so many things I thought I knew about the region and the Palestinian cause before I got here, but now I realize how little I knew and how much more there is to learn,” Casper says. He is 20 years old and one of the three Danish volunteers in the camp.

There is no doubt however, that being a volunteer in the Palestinian camps in Lebanon is challenging. The will to make a difference is strong, but the encounter with disillusion, hopelessness and inefficiency is tiring, and the complex situation of the Palestinian refugees is indeed having a noticeable effect on the volunteers.

“You go a bit crazy with what seems like low efficiency and lack of initiative, but then again, the Palestinian refugees have been here for more than sixty years, so who are you to expect a visible change within three months?” says 21-year-old Mette.

In spite of this hard struggle for visible progress and a structured daily work, the three volunteers still believe that participating in a volunteering program like the one in Lebanon and thus facing the daily struggles of disempowered Palestinian refugees is a highly recommendable experience, as long as you as a volunteer remember to aim at achievable objectives:

“People talk a lot about sustainability, and from the very beginning we’ve been thinking that whatever we do should be carried on after we leave. We know now, however, that this thought can be limiting, and we have realized that the little things and the one-time experience also make part of a bigger social change,” Mette concludes.

Go tor http://actionaid.dk/sw129902.asp to read more about global volunteering or visit the Global Contact website for more information http://www.globalcontact.dk. <-- in Danish

Youth Engagement through Performing Arts

By Lone Palmus Jensen, Communication Assistant in Amman

The two first weeks of October was a time of theater and performance for youth civic engagement in Amman. Development workers, youth activists, actors, clowns and other artists from the region were gathered to discuss and explore the possibilities of engaging youth through performing arts. 

And it does not go down quietly when 20 young people, all with a passion for performing, are brought together under one roof to explore just that: The possibilities of using performing arts to promote youth civic engagement. The training was facilitated by two Danish trainers from ActionAid and had participants from Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and Egypt.

One of these is Mutaz, an actor from Hebron in Palestine. He keeps busy with youth work and divides his time between three organizations in the West Bank. ”We do a lot of performances with children, where we discuss issues and concerns related to the society we live in,” Mutaz shares about his work at PSD-center, Partners for Sustainable Development. ”I have written a lot of scenarios and also performed some of them. Common for all of them is that they are all about change and other community related issues.”

The two-weeks training includes sessions on facilitation, debriefing and storytelling. It especially focuses on how to take advantage of an audience and get them to participate in discussing a major life issue. Two times during the workshop the participants have engaged others in a so-called forum theater, where the audience is involved to change the course of the play and find solutions for different challenges...

Read the rest online at http://actionaid.dk/sw201871.asp

Computer Games Enable Self-Expression among Palestinian Girls

Palestinian girls should be able to express themselves and the stories of their daily lives in the Occupied Palestinian Territories through new technology. This is the aim for Andrea Hasselager and Nevin Eronde, two Danish women who are currently doing fieldwork in the West Bank in preparation for a project supported by ActionAid Denmark’s DEMENA Pool. They want young girls to learn how to transfer stories from their daily lives into the virtual world through computer games.

By Signe Hare, Communication Assistant, Hebron

“The most important thing is to give the young girls the opportunity to experiment with technology. Women are atypical within the IT-business, so this is an obvious target group”, says Andrea Hasselager who is a game designer in Denmark. The two women got the idea for the project after attending a conference about the emerging Arabic IT-market. The idea was developed into a pilot workshop on a Danish-Arabic school in Copenhagen, where young girls transferred everyday dilemmas into the world of technology.

This evolved into the story of the trashed barbie doll 'Darbie' and her hassle finding her way home from the garbage dump and the game about a girl's struggles to finish her daily duties, so that she can make it to the cinema with the school's handsomest guy in time. So Andrea Hasselager and Nevin Eronde are excited about which stories will develop from the workshops with the Palestinian girls.

“Research has shown that girls gain skills very different from boys. Where boys often try to copy a game they have played themselves, the girls are more concerned about developing the story itself”, explains Nevin Eronde, who is an audio designer.

This makes computer games an excellent tool for young girls to express themselves in a parallel universe, where they do not have to be concerned about social expectations and norms, but are free to express their own distinct perception of the everyday life in the occupied Territories.

But it is not only the idea development which Andrea Hasselager and Nevin Eronde is emphasizing in their project. Computer games are also a combination of skills like math, language and creativity and a game is composed of different elements such as programming, sound and animation. It is a genre where every girl can find her distinct talent. This makes Andrea Hasselager and Nevin Eronde hope that the workshops will motivate the Palestinian girls to investigate the opportunities for the use of IT in their future careers in a blossoming Arabic IT-market.   

A pilot workshop was held in Tulkarem on October 12th. The final workshops will take place in cooperation with trainers from local organisations in the West Bank in June 2012.

ABOUT THE DEMENA POOL
ActionAid Denmark administrates the DEMENA Youth Pool, which supports cooperation between Danish NGOs and NGOs in the Middle East and North Africa for projects that promote youth participation in democratic reform processes and intercultural understanding. The overall goal with the pool is to enhance youth participation in democratic reform processes and intercultural understanding. Next deadline for applications is the 2nd of January 2012. Read more about DEMENA Youth Pool at the website: http://www.actionaid.dk/sw75213.asp

Activista is Going Green

Where does the fight against environmental change start? On what level should the pressing issues be addressed, and who should take the lead in promoting sound environmentally friendly measures?

By Maia Juel Giorgio, Programme Assistant, Amman

When question marks and hesitations accumulate in the same speed as necessity increases, a feeling of powerlessness can easily paralyze efforts to improve or change. The risk of surrendering before getting starting is the risk you take when facing the not always optimistic reality of environmental degradation.

The newly established Activista group in Jordan has deliberately chosen another strategy to avoid any fatalism. The project has been named Greenize’it.

The initiative
During the month of Ramadan, ActionAid in Jordan invited local youth to a number of “Awareness Evenings” at the Regional Office in Amman. Many topics were discussed during these evenings, and one of them was “Green Change”. 

Jordan’s water scarcity, the threatening desertification and waste management are topics that were enthusiastically discussed during the evening, but, more importantly, the participants involved in finding an answer to how to improve the situation in Jordan.  The enthusiasm of the group made the prospects for change seemed surprisingly close, and it became clear that their green initiative coincided with the main goal of Activista, namely to empower young people to actively participate in changing the problems that they are facing, both nationally and internationally.

Now, two months later, this Activista group, supported by ActionAid and the local NGO Green Earth, is composed by youth with varied backgrounds who work dedicatedly for the green cause.

Working for change
The Greenize’it project is based upon the idea that environmental change starts with awareness from the bottom, and that this awareness can spread upwards with the domino effect as a positive wave over the Jordanian desert. The Activista group is preparing workshops for pupils in schools in Zarqa and Amman that will stretch over a period of two months. The workshops will be participatory and focus upon how the children can implement easy and cost-efficient methods to reduce water and consumption, to recycle waste in creative ways, and to relate critically to where their groceries come from.  

The event and the future
The expectations of the Greenize’it projects are high, more than implementing the changes in their daily life, the youth might involve in similar action in the future and themselves become a new generation of ambassadors for positive change. In fact, the hope is that youth will spread their newly gained practices to their friends and families.
Moreover, a green event is planned in the end of the workshops, where youth, representatives for civil society, media and of course the families will be invited to celebrate and raise their voices for increasing green action in the future.

ABOUT ACTIVISTA
Activista is ActionAid’s international youth network. In 27 countries around the world they mobilize to create a better world. Activista works with global campaigning and political events to fight global hunger, poverty and inequality. They also train youth to create mobilizing campaigns for and with the worlds poor. Read more on MyActivista http://www.myactivista.org and visit the Jordanian activists on Facebook https://facebook.com/ActivistaJordan

A New Batch of Trainers arrive in Amman

At a first glance the Global Platform in Amman looks like its old self. But a lot of things are happening in these months, including the arrival of six new trainers, who will be working to train young people from all over the region.

By Lone Palmus Jensen, Communication Assistant in Amman

One of the new faces is Nadia Norvang Christiansen. When asked what she sees as a challenge in her new job, she is quick to reply.  ‘Let me just say from the beginning I like plans and calendars’, she laughs. ‘I am very structured and that doesn’t always go hand in hand with working in the Middle East.’ But on a more serious note, she also reflects on the team’s prospect of starting a training program in Egypt. ‘Starting in a new country, building on the new ActionAid programme there and tightening the whole network of partner organizations and youth groups, that is a huge challenge - but also incredibly interesting, she adds confidently. She is excited to start developing the programme and to be part of a group that can make a difference in the region.

Nadia has her share of experience with working in the region. She has lived in Amman from 2008-2010, working with the Danish Embassy and was part of the group who planned the first Middle East Expedition. Nadia has a Masters in Middle Eastern studies from Denmark and she is no stranger to ActionAid either. Her first encounter was an International Leader Training Seminar (ILTS) in Jarash, Jordan in 2008, where she was an observer.

“Let’s talk about it!”
Now she is on the other side of the fence and must build on the years of experience of the previous trainers. But she seems prepared to take over. ‘I think the most important thing is to be aware of all the things that can come into play. For example the issue of gender roles,’ she says... 

Read the rest online at http://actionaid.dk/sw201291.asp

Towards Youth Friendly Municipal Councils in Bekaa

By Heyam Fakeh, Field Coordination, Masar Association

In the frame of the ongoing work of Masar Association in the area of Ras Baalbeck in Bekaa, a group of young active people from high schools and universities held a series of meetings with the municipal council members. They were held in the municipal hall in the village with the aim to discuss overall living conditions in the area, including those that affect youth. They all brainstormed together on possible solutions.

Young participants, who have attended several capacity development workshops, suggested clear and realistic ideas that focused on the environment and desertification. This has become a global phenomenon and Ras Baalbeck is directly affected given its desert like climate. 

Some suggested that the staff at the municipality should collect the remaining unused water in the water tanks on the buildings rooftops to irrigate trees in the field. The young people behind the idea explained that this initiative is both doable and achievable. The residents are in favor of the idea and will replace their water tanks with new ones.

On another level, and to foster the coordination with the municipal council, young people in Ras Baalbeck took the initiative and invited the members in the municipal council to the cedars reserve in the Barouk areas in Mount Lebanon in October. The trip was educational and explorative and allowed both the youth and municipal council members to see a successful model of natural reserves.

The joint trip has inspired them to start a long-term environmental preservation project. It has been launched by a small campaign in the village, where the youth and municipal council members planted seedlings that are compatible with the climate of Ras Baalbeck. As a sign of recognition, each seedling holds the name of the person who planted it.

Through this, young people cooperated with the municipality as equal partners and contributed positively and meaningfully to the development of their village. In other words they took social responsibility for the environment and have started to promote it in the village as a good practice.

Youth Innovative participation in Civic Engagement

By Dareeb Abu Lail, Regional Office in Amman

Very exciting days for groups of young people in Zarqa. After settling the preparations for the "Youth Innovative participation in Civic Engagement" project in partnership with Community Development Committee in Zarqa, and proceeding with forming 5 groups with a total of 125 participants in this project representing many young people organizations; such as Khawla Bint Al Azwar society in Zarqa, Private Zarqa University, Hashemite University and many other civil society organizations.

The groups will be following the evidence based research criteria to dig deep in the community issues and concerns, each group will have the chance to build its capacity in baseline assessment via developing and using questionnaires, discovering three main dialogues; young people and their development, young people and their community; authority and policies, rights and duties in civic engagement. It is to the interest of these young people who will gain this knowledge and these skills by practicing research methods in the field. These youth will form a platform for advocacy, civic engagement, social accountability, dialogue, leadership.

Rapolitics Bokra

RAPOLITICS is a Danish association that works with urban musical expressions, appreciative communication and democratic awareness among young people in Denmark and the Middle East.

The organization, which started in 2009, travelled around in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan in the spring of 2011 to find potential partners and artists for their project in the region. Now, they have arrived in Amman and are planning their first workshop, which will take place in the end of October, at the Global Platform at ActionAid Denmark’s office in Amman.

The project in the Middle East is called BOKRA and is among the long list of initiatives started by RAPOLITICS. It is an empowerment project that will involve youth in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon & Palestine. It aims for young people to be able to express their views, hopes and..

Read the rest online at http://actionaid.dk/sw200202.asp

Graphic Facilitation Course in Amman

The 6th-8th of October ActionAid had a workshop on Grapic Facilition, focusing on using visuals to facilitate processes and knowledge and on visualizing flows and mindscapes for training purposes.  

The course was facilitated by ActionAid’s trainer Christian and took place at the ID Center, close to the ActionAid regional office.

Future workshops on Graphic Facilitation will be posted at:
http://www.training4change.org/jordan

Updates and Events

New Programme Manager in Egypt
ActionAid Denmark is welcoming the newest member to the MENA team, Nahla Gamal Osman. She is the Programme Manager in the newly started country programme in Egypt.

Nahla has just earned her MSc in Development Administration and Planning with four years’ practical experience in project management from the UK after 4 years of work in Egypt with GIZ. We are very exited to have her as an addition to our team in MENA.

Regional Voluntary Trainers Meeting

Two days over the weekend of October 21st and 22nd ActionAid invited voluntary trainers from the whole region to attend a meeting in Amman. During these two days they discussed how to work together as a regional team and also ideas for future trainings.

The attendants were former participants of Training of Trainers (ToT) and International Leadership Training Seminar (ILTS) and had a lot of good inputs as they are the ones working in the organizations and the needs on the ground.

The aim is to have a structured group of voluntary trainers that can help when training and workshops are being held in the various countries in the region. Beyond building the regional team, they also focused on establishing national teams of trainers that can work together when they return back home.

Immediately after the meeting, the  volunteers and trainers also participated in a three-day Appreciative Inquiry workshop, also  held at the Global Platform in Amman.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Civic Engagement and Social Change through Youth Particpation

1- 2 November in Hebron, Palestine. ActionAid has invited civil society partners for a discussion on youth engagement.

UNICEF Conference in Amman

ActionAid is participating in a conference on sports and youth participation in Jordan in Nov 2-3.

Trainings in Egypt

By mid November a training of 40 youth volunteers working with The Arab Forum in Fayoum, Egypt will follow a 5 day leadership training.

By end November, 40 University of Cairo students will be trained on campaigning for 5 days in Cairo.