The number of both training participants and working colleagues at Global Platform

Jordan is increasing, but this unfortunately does not apply

to the size of our home. For a while, the GP Jordan villa

has been too small to fit all of us, and office spaces and

dorms have become one. Although this has not been a

huge problem, we are happy to say that we have finally

signed the contract for a new, much bigger villa.

There is a lot of work to be done before the new place

becomes the youth hub of our dreams, but we look

forward to having a house that looks just the way we want,

and we will make sure to get back with pictures.

Goodbye to the dog (a very, very fat cat), the garden, the street – and thanks to the

villa for having provided a great base for activism, training, inspiration, and a good

atmosphere for one and a half year.

February 2014

WE HAVE OUTGROWN OUR HOUSE

WHAT IS HAPPENING AT GLOBAL PLATFORM JORDAN?

2

February 2014

As reported in our last newsletter, Global Platform Jordan recently had a visit from 19

energetic and engaged youth activists from several places in the Arab Region. The

reason was a newly-designed two-week 'Training of Trainers' in Arabic to promote

youth mobilization and leadership. The training resulted in a workshop for students at

Al-Mashreq School created and conducted by the participants themselves. Leading up

to this workshop the participants were challenged to perform a flash mob in

Downtown Amman to push their limits and break the barrier of fear of acting in public.

During the 4-hour session at the high school the participants had an opportunity to

practically apply what they had learned into public presentations, and for several of

them this was a first-time experience. Sandy Naffa, age 24, said afterwards that in the

beginning of the session she felt that she was not in control of the situation but

eventually she started enjoying working with the students and the other trainers. ”After

the session I understood more what was the weak points, what exactly went wrong,

and what made things get better” Sandy said; ”I found that I'm passionate about

training others.”

According to Lana Almahayni, age 24, one of the most important outcomes of the

training was that all participants found confidence to speak in public and letting other

people speak as well. In particular, she enjoyed the sessions incorporating role-playing,

brainstorming, and the session about different types of coaches. She was really happy

about the chance to actually get to effect and influence young people in the high

school session but she was surprised by their evaluation: ”I did not expect so much

positive response!”

On the way home from the high school the atmosphere in the bus was oozing with

enthusiasm and team spirit. The preceding 2-weeks of training had equipped the

group with skills, knowledge and attitude through participatory training methods, and

the spirit in the bus appeared as if the participants had just had a successful

examination. After two nights of evaluation and celebration, the participants went

home to all parts of the Region, and the Platform said goodbye to a diverse unit of

FOLLOW-UP ON THE REGIONAL TRAINING OF TRAINERS

3

February 2014

skilled new trainers. ”We were working together all the time and discussing and getting

more ideas”, Lana said. ”I hope that one day we all meet again!”

On an ordinary Monday in late February, Global Platform

Jordan hosted a cultural event including dance, games,

dishes and good atmosphere both from the Arab World

and Scandinavia.

Seven young Danish global volunteers kick-started their

stay in Palestine with three weeks stay at the Platform in

Jordan. In between lessons in Arab culture, language, and

specific skills in training for change, the participants used

Amman for exploring

Middle Eastern culture.

The ‘Cultural Night’ was on one hand part of this

exploration and on the other it was an opportunity for

the volunteers to show and tell guests about Danish

culture. This way the evening ended up being a blend

of traditions from two very different parts of the world. The night included traditional

Arab music and dance, Danish games such as ‘Pakkeleg’ and ‘Katten af Tønden’, and

snacks from both the Danish and Arabian cuisine. Everyone was eager to learn about

the other culture, and the evening was filled with laughter and overall good ambience.

On the 5th of March the Danish Volunteers will leave for Palestine and Global Platform

wishes them a voluntary stay rich in experiences. Thanks for this time!

CULTURE NIGHT AT GLOBAL PLATFORM JORDAN

4

February 2014

On request from the Danish Jordanian University

Cooperation (DJUCO) Global Platform Jordan held a

training called ”Mobilization Communication and

Organization Building”. The purpose was to provide

core members of DJUCO Student Forum (DSF) with

capacity to

mobilize and recruit new members in order to

initiate and build DSF. The goal of the training was

multifaceted, and the DJUCO members were

among other things introduced to campaigning

methods, organizational planning, and

participatory learning. The trainers also assisted

DJUCO in defining their vision, mission, and

objectives. Emilie Nydam Andersen, age 25,

from DSF expressed afterwards that she thought

that the training had been motivating, intense

and inspiring. She was very satisfied ”to see

things move forward and see decisions being

made as the training progressed.” At GPJ we look forward to hearing how things

evolve after our training.

In a few months three youth groups from the ActionAid partner organizations in

Russeifa will carry out the Safe City Campaign. This campaign is an Activista

International campaign that encourages and leads youth to take a stand in their cities

and end violence. The hope of the Russeifa campaign is to target violence and

harassment against women and girls in the community. It will be a joint collaboration

with youth from Activista, youth groups in Zarqa, Irbid, and Russeifa.

COMMUNICATION AND ORGANIZATION WITH DJUCO

A THREE-STEP PLAN FOR MAKING CITIES SAFE

5

February 2014

In order to prepare the members of the youth groups for this campaign, Global

Platform Jordan offers a three track training plan, initially to build up their leadership

skills and subsequently to build up their campaigning skills. First part of the training

was called ”Foundational Leadership: Russeifa” and was held last weekend of February

and first weekend of March. Cooperation between the three groups is imperative to

carry out the Safe City Campaign, so this first training is primarily aimed at improving

the interrelationship between the youth groups.

In January the Platform held a similar training for youth groups from the AA partner

organizations in Russeifa that achieved outstanding results, meeting the aims to build

up an active youth group in Russeifa and also encouraging community leadership.

Sarah Sweilem from the Platform was in charge of conducting needs assessment

together with the organizations in order to make the training track, and she also

trained the first leadership seminar. She says that to begin with she experienced some

challenges in the cooperation. ”I was worried that the different groups did not have

one clear vision”, she says. However, after starting the trainings something changed,

and by the end of the course the participants told her that they felt like 'brothers and

sisters'. ”I am looking forward to seeing this again with the new participants, and I am

especially excited to get closer to kicking off the campaign”.

The participants are between the ages of 18-26 and they are usually university students

and also volunteers in their organizations. Sarah says that even if the youth groups are

really committed to making change and are reflective about issues of their community,

they need guidance and support, and this is why Global Platform Jordan steps in with

trainings in leadership and campaigning skills. These four days of training will be

focusing on providing the participants with skills in leadership and working on the

three different groups as one cohesive team.

Being the only platform in the Middle East, Global Platform Jordan has felt a bit lonely.

However, the Training4Change community is growing, and because of an increasing

interest in our trainings at GP Jordan, ActionAid Denmark is looking into launching two

PLATFORM NEIGHBORS IN THE WORKS

6

February 2014

new platforms in the Arab Region, currently assessing options in Palestine and Egypt

together with local partners.

In line with GP Jordan, the new platforms will hopefully provide a hub for young

activists to learn new skills, socialize, and be inspired to work for positive social change

in their society. We promise to get back with more details on our future neighbors

once things have settled.

Where we are – Where we plan to be

9.-20. March: Doctivist – Visual Storytelling

20. March: Doctivist Film Screening

Keep an eye on Facebook regarding what time of the day

27. March – 5. April: Video Campaigning

UPCOMING TRAININGS AND EVENTS

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February 2014

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

LET’S COOPERATE!