Project funded by the Government of Finland and titled “Promoting Freedom of Expression in Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia and Yemen”

Tech Tribes, with the support and direction of the UNESCO Amman Office and with a kind donation from the Government of Finland, joined forces to Launch the “Youth Information Center” at Al Rubaie’ Bint Al Mouawath Girls School in Mafraq. This project came to reinforced their commitment to help displaced Syrian youth as well as vulnerable Jordanian youth and to help strengthen community cohesion.

Following the unrest in Syria; Lebanon and Jordan witnessed a significant influx of Syrian families fleeing violence and seeking shelter and protection. Displaced Syrian youth in both countries (Lebanon and Jordan) are facing several types of challenges that lead to social exclusion and lack of minimum human social security. These include obstacles to self-expression, access to information and access to education. Moreover, low social status and livelihood, unemployment and the spread of violence and drugs among youth are also critical issues. In Jordan, most services are concentrated in the Zaatari Camp area, although few NGOs are providing scattered services across the country. Whether inside or outside the camp, services provided mainly concentrate on life-saving needs, such as food, accommodation, and basic education, however, not many projects are targeted towards providing Syrian youth with a platform for expression and an opportunity to access and transmit information.

In a school where resources are limited and the demand of new student registration never ceases to shorten due to constant Syrian refugee influx into Jordan, both teachers and the administration of al Rubaie’ Bint Al Mouawath Girls School in Mafraq find it difficult to cope with all pressure. Having to teach an average of 45 students in a classroom only gives little space for creativity. A group of teachers decided to stand together to shake the status quo and revolutionize teaching.

Within its implementation of the Youth Information Center (YIC) in Rubaie’ Bint Al Mouawath Girls School, Tech Tribes and UNESCO Amman Office reinforced their commitment to help displaced Syrian youth as well as vulnerable Jordanian youth through the establishment and revitalization of the spaces that make up the Youth Information Center at the School with the help of a number of local partners, The YIC consists of two computer clusters and a library; it aims to help strengthen community cohesion in a setting where Syrian refugees are hosted. The project equips children and their educators with the knowledge, personal and social skills to be part of a cooperative, rights- based, and understanding Tech Tribes started revitalizing the use of the two computer clusters to increase the capacity of the teachers and librarians in the field of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for Education.

Early in 2016, Tech Tribes forces with a group of 25 teachers to activate the recently-launched Youth Information Center (YIC). This effort came in the form of a teachers’ training program that aimed to expose teachers to recent technologies in order to use ICT skills in the attainment of curriculum learning objectives and to promote research and innovation in both teaching and learning.

Ms. Bardees Awaidat, an arts teacher with a mission to revolutionize her classroom with new interactive learning techniques, embraced this opportunity to develop her skills in what the World Wide Web has to offer. She says “ My journey was both fun and fruitful. As an arts teacher, I experimented with joy some of the different applications and websites through which I can make use of online resources to enrich the classroom environment. I am still learning {giggles} but I can proudly say that I am not the old-fashioned arts teacher that uses scissors and coloring pens.”

Khaled Hijab, the Executive Director of Tech Tribes and the lead trainer commented “Our efforts to shed light on how ICT can be successfully utilized to enhance learning and foster collaboration inside the classroom were paralleled by a group of teachers who enthusiastically embraced the idea. Had it not been to this eagerness to learn, we would not have been able to fully achieve the objectives of the training. Digitizing education comes from a great idea but more importantly a teacher who is determined to develop one’s capacity.”

The Youth Information Center (YIC) project consists of two computer clusters and a renovated interactive library; it aims to help strengthen community cohesion in a setting where Syrian Refugees are hosted. The project equips students and their educators with the knowledge, personal and social skills to be part of a cooperative, rights- based, and understanding medium.

Tech Tribes started revitalizing the use of the two computer clusters to increase the capacity of the teachers and librarians in the field of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for Education. The library draws special attention to creating a unique learning space that caters to school and community-based needs like cohesion, dialogue and non-formal education.

By drawing on experiences from a number of local and international partners, the project aims to turn the school learning environment into a one that fosters collaboration and mutual understanding between students and between students and teachers alike. It also aims to expand on the usage of existing spaces to develop the capacity of teachers and librarians in taking bigger roles and bringing the different non formal education methodologies to the learning experience.

“ My journey was both fun and fruitful. As an arts teacher, I experimented with joy some of the different applications and websites through which I can make use of online resources to enrich the classroom environment. I am still learning {giggles} but I can proudly say that I am not the old-fashioned arts teacher that uses scissors and coloring pens.” Ms. Awaidat expressed.