Newsletter April 2014 - The Global platform jordan

WHAT IS HAPPENING AT GLOBAL PLATFORM JORDAN? April 2014

GPJ Hosting Danish Jordanian University Cooperation After having moved to the new house, Global Platform Jordan has lots and lots of space. We now have three kitchens, four dormitories, four training rooms, five offices, a lounge and a gigantic roof top terrace. Even if we love having lots of space, we are less

than

members

twenty and

staff

something

had to be done in order to avoid feeling lonely.

Consequently, the Platform has started hosting other organizations ways.

As

in

different

mentioned

in

another article in this newsletter, Bidna Capoeira is currently using one of our office rooms as a base for their activities. Another example is the organization DJUCO (Danish Jordanian University Cooperation) who was staying with us during their recently held Tour de Jordan 2014. Master students from the Middle Eastern department of the University of Southern Denmark went on a 10 day trip for the purpose of giving them a first-hand experience with a Middle Eastern country.

Focus was Middle Eastern culture and history, especially in relation to political and educational issues. The students participated in a conference discussing

April 2014

the most recent studies of the role of civil society, political parties, and organizations in a post-”Arab Spring” context. Additionally the students were given the opportunity to present a paper of their own at the Young Scholars Conference, and they arranged two workshops at Jordanian universities. ”The idea was to exchange experiences and

opinions regarding quality of education and student democracy in Jordan and Denmark respectively”, Emilie Nydam Andersen, intern at DJUCO, says. During their stay in Amman, the Danish students were accommodated at the Platform, taking up some of all of our space, and bringing life to the house. We hope to get the chance to host them again during Tour de Jordan 2015.

Video Campaigning In Arabic In March, Global Platform Jordan hosted a course conducted by the Danish group

Doctivist. The group works to teach skills in documentary film making to activists working for more social justice, and the training proved a great success.

During two weekends of April, two Platform trainers took up the challenge of carrying out their own documentary course in Arabic. The aim of the Video Campaigning training was to provide the attendants with tools to execute an advocacy campaign. In order to maximize the effect of their campaigns, the participants went through multiple complex aspects of making an optimal video campaign. This meant achieving knowledge within the mechanisms and planning phases of campaigning, how to

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April 2014

optimize the use of social media, and not least learning the technical aspects of both using a camera and editing video material. However, according to trainer, Samia Fitouri, it was just as crucial to incite the young activists to become passionate and devoted campaigners with a clear vision and a convincing action plan.

To participant Sandy Naffaa, the training proved to be energetic and motivating, providing her with basic practical skills and encouraging her to start to make videos herself. ”The most useful thing was the practical application, it gave me confidence in

myself and made me believe that I can actually make a good video.”

The final outcome of the training was the production of a two-minute video, showcasing an example of elements that a campaigning process should contain.

Visit By Three Global Nurses During Easter, the Platform hosted one Danish and two Norwegian students from the Metropol nurse education in Denmark. The reason for this was the nursing students' upcoming 9-weeks internship in Qalqilya in Palestine, where they are now living and working at a hospital.

”The nursing students have all chosen to take this trip as part of their education from Denmark”, Julie Franck, intern at the Platform, says and elaborates: ”They believe that working under

conditions that are very different from what they experience in Denmark, will give them broader perspectives in the world of healthcare, and add to their overall careers.”

The one-week Global Intern Orientation at Global Platform Jordan included a general introduction to the Middle East and Arabic lessons, classes in Arab culture and history, and an introduction to ActionAid's work in the Region. However, it was vital to the nursing students' learning outcome that the course

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April 2014

was customized to their needs, and therefore the course contained sessions in topics that can be applied directly to their work at the hospital in Palestine, such as Conflict

Management and Appreciative Inquiry. In addition, the nursing students visited a local hospital in Amman and joined a lecture at the Faculty of Nursing at Jordan University.

Besides lectures and sessions, the Platform

took

the

opportunity

to

organize a couple of social events, including

a

movie

night

and

a

barbeque on the big rooftop – and of course we visited a local restaurant to get the nursing students to try the traditional Jordanian dish, Mansaf.

We hope they will enjoy their time in Palestine and get the most out of their stay at the hospital!

A Big House Leaves Room For New Ideas To work with refugees is a complex process and there are many different approaches that can be put into use. We at the Platform have got the chance to get closer to an organization that has been using an interesting

alternative

approach

in

their work since 2007, helping over 10,000 vulnerable in Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, and Jordan: they work with people, who are traumatized by war, through capoeira. Capoeira is a martial art developed by Afro-Brazilian slaves in the course of the 16th Century in Brazil. It is an invigorating social activity containing elements of dance, music, and acrobatics, and the slaves used capoeira as a playful physical dialogue to empower themselves towards their struggle to freedom.

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April 2014

Tarek Alsaleh is founder and programme director of Bidna Capoeira, and in his opinion capoeira has great benefits when engaging in psychosocial support with people who are victims and witnesses of war. ”Both the historical and narrative context of capoeira

resonates to the struggle of vulnerable communities, in particular refugees, and it therefore offers a unique approach towards community empowerment” he says. Even though capoeira in its playful nature may appear as a game, one of its most important features is that it is non-competitive.

There are no losers and everyone can participate regardless of age, social

status,

gender,

race

and

physical abilities. Tarek emphasizes, that capoeira invites everyone to contribute and this way gives them a sense of belonging. At the same time it allows for distressed and traumatized children to express and release their frustrations in a positive way.

The worsening of the situation in Syria caused Tarek Alsaleh and his organization to close and move their base in Syria, and this is how they ended up at Global Platform Jordan. ”The Platform and Bidna Capoeira is an ideal match to empower youth and to

create community support structures for those who wish to take positive action”, Tarek Alsaleh says. ”I can see a lot of overlapping goals especially in creating a vibrant space

and for knowledge exchange. I am sure that our partnership will go a long way.”

From their base at the Platform, they will work with the increasing number of Syrian refugees within the Jordanian borders and develop their

overall

project. exchange

We

programme look

ideas

and

forward and

to

share

experiences with our new found partners.

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April 2014

New Intern At The Platform In April, Global Platform Jordan welcomed Diba Mirzaei, our new Event and Research Intern! Diba was born in Iran but has lived in Germany for most of her life.

She holds a Bachelor Degree in European Studies and is currently doing a Master’s in International Relations and International Organizations at the University of Groningen.

Diba is fascinated by the Middle East. Yet, she believes that there is still a lot that needs to be done to make it an even more prosperous region.

Therefore, she views an internship at the Global Platform Jordan as a great opportunity to satisfy her curiosity and drive to achieve more in order to make the world a better place where everybody’s voice is heard.

Mobilization Training For Youth Groups In Russeifa During two weekends of April, Platform trainers visited the Jordanian city Russeifa.

Here they proceeded with second part of a three-track training plan that will ultimately lead up to a final initiative in the area. The training participants

came

from

two

different local organizations, and they have all previously attended a leadership

seminar.

This

training

was in Mobilization and among other things the participants were introduced to the concept of community, planning, SWOT analysis and needs assessments.

”The participants were really invested because it finally means that they are closer to putting together a community project and create some change” Sarah Sweilem, HRBA

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April 2014

and Governance trainer, says. ”Having a community

that is mobilized and focused on improving the conditions means that there will be a positive atmosphere

in

the

future,

and

leaving

the

community is not the only way to seek a better life.”

Participant

Ahmad

Matoor,

characterizes

the

training as funny, interesting and useful. ”Overall, I

think that everyone who was there cared very much about doing something in the community” he says, emphasizing the importance of the group. ”The

best experience for me was getting to know some of the other youth in my organization and also being exposed to new people in general. It gave me the ability to work with people I didn’t really know.”

In order to understand what the needs of the community representatives were, the participants

conducted

field

visits

in

their

respective

neighbourhoods on the final training day. They used this experience as background for reflection on how to put together an optimal local initiative.

Sarah Sweilem was very satisfied with the training, especially with the enthusiasm of the attendants: ”Having participants

who are motivated helps to maintain a positive training atmosphere and makes measuring your impact much easier.”

The final step in the three-track training plan is a Campaigning

and Strategizing workshop that will help the participants with finalizing their initiative and prepare to carry out their project.

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April 2014

UPCOMING TRAININGS AND EVENTS

3rd - 8th of May

Activista Strategy and Network Building

6th of May

Hosting Danish Arab Partnership Programme meeting

10th - 11th of May

Hosting HRBA conference with ARI

12th - 13th of May

Strategic seminar on the future of the ARI Youth Programme

15th - 23rd of May

Hosting Roskilde University Center & Sanaa University Cooperation

16th - 31st of May

Regional Training of Trainers

LET’S COOPERATE! Global Platform Jordan is one of ActionAid’s training hubs for empowerment and activism. We provide innovative and empowering trainings for young individuals, organisations and youth groups who wish to take positive actions in their societies.

You are always welcome to contact us; email: globalplatformjordan@ms.dk

www.globalplatforms.org/jordan www.facebook.com/globalplatformmyanmar www.youtube.com/globalplatforms

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