THE CONCEPT
There is a global narrative regarding refugees as being hungry, helpless, dependant, no longer belonging etc that needs to change to ensure it does not become a self-fulling prophecy. The structure of international protection provided by some NGO's and development agencies can unfortunately further enable encampment if protracted refugees find they have no agency or action of their own, existing in a state of forced reliance.
Empowerment has the potential to be far more effective, in more intrinsic ways than monetary aid can ever provide. Although cash transfers to families encourage them to keep their children in school rather than relying on their help to work, research evidence shows these benefits do not transfer to the older age group.
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UNESCO has added education as the fourth pillar of humanitarian response (food, shelter, health, education), however as little as 3% is directed toward higher education. In Za'tari, the thought of any higher education is inconceivable when the adolescents in such a liminal state lack access to formal education in their current setting, see no future in this direction, disengage, and are at risk of becoming targets for military recruiting, criminal gangs, and the sex industry as a 'way out'.
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Access to the Internet can be viewed as a double-edged sword. In one respect disconnection removes a threat, a pathway for refugees to be recruited as fighters for jhadist groups, with the potential of spreading terror networks around the world. More significantly, failure to provide access denies refugees of all ages the fourth pillar of humanitarian response, as their education is severely disrupted thereby affecting the role they can play either within the Jordanian community or in a post conflict Syria.
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Fortunately, some progress has been made in the last two years to at least recognise the role Syrian refugees can have in future development. For example:
A pilot program was initiated by Oxfam in 2015 to turn waste management into an opportunity to address pressing social, environmental and economic needs. It has been expanded in 2017 to collecting, sorting and processing waste across the whole camp, providing an income for the 'Cash for Work' volunteers.
The Jordanian Compact, a scheme agreed to by the Government and the International community is a holistic approach to dealing with the refugee crisis. It will allow for more work permits applications for Syrian refugees, remove some of the restrictions preventing small economic activities within the camps, and increase tertiary and higher educational opportunities to all vulnerable youth. The government will implement this in proportion to the resources the International community can provide to meet the costs, helping to turn the refugee crisis into a development opportunity. For example, electrical training opportunities for camp members became available so each district would then have qualified electricians for particular jobs.
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In the meantime, aYouth Futures Space and a Life Work Centre become informal and collaborative learning spaces for those young people in the 12-17 year age group.
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Planning needs to engage youth refugees in the process, ask them what they want and need, and also ask what the adults in the community can offer themselves with regard to their skills, expertise and interests. Many refugee camp members have shown they are highly innovative group, who want to be part of improving their own circumstances. This resource must be tapped into while formal education is not always accessible for the youth. The adults do not have to be trained educators to be able to contribute to the learning of the youth outside a formal classroom setting. If members of the local community are trained professionals then their input should be encouraged. It is essential that the group, collaborative and co-operative learning space is incorporated, both inside and outside the four walls of the caravans, forming 'communities of practice' and a sense of unity within the statelessness setting.
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Promoting autonomy and ownership in a safe environment will encourage protracted youth refugees to consider their own taxonomies while they work collaboratively and co-operatively within a community of practice as an essential resource. Co-operative practices play a significant role in the environments of the 21st century; relationship building and interpersonal skills are supported. The connections to the personal learning space are a vital component of planning within a Youth Futures Space and Life Work Centre, equipping the youth with essential life skills and strategies to problem solve for rebuilding and assimilation, and empowering them to achieve sustainability, self-esteem and self-reliance as they tackle the transformation process.
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The Youth Futures Space will provide opportunity and activities in the areas of the arts, entertainment and physical health and well being, whereas the Life Work Centre will expand on projects of a vocational nature in the areas of construction, agriculture and community service.
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Some activities will be able to be engaged in immediately, others will be on the agenda for the future as Za'atari waits for Internet connectivity to be prioritised within the camp.