Generations for Peace Summer Sport Camps Support Vulnerable Youth in Jordan
August 11, 2023
Global peace-building NGO, Generations for Peace (GFP), is running 20 Summer Sport Camps for public students across Jordan this month for a second year alongside the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Jordan School Sport Federation (JSSF). The camps are part of the "Riadati Programme" in partnership with the Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF) to support displaced youth and host communities.
The camps offer a safe and fun space for 2,000 students of different nationalities to learn and interact with each other, while promoting trust and inclusion through basketball, volleyball and other sport-based activities. The Riadati Programme, a three-year partnership between GFP and ORF which launched in 2019, engages local Jordanian youth and refugees from host communities in Amman, Irbid, Mafraq and Zarqa. Through the partnership, GFP implements Sport for Protection-based activities to enhance the mental health and psychosocial well-being of young people affected by displacement across the Kingdom.
According to ORF, Jordan currently hosts a large number of Syrian refugees who are facing barriers to employment, housing, water and access to essential basic services. Syrian children also grapple with mental health and well-being obstacles due to trauma, violence and instability due to displacement. Around 1,600 Syrian school-aged children dropped out of school because of bullying during the 2015-2016 academic school year.
ORF is committed to supporting the protection, development and thriving of displaced young people through sport. It believes that sport for peace, life skills and social cohesion are key to helping young refugees feel protected and finding a sense of belonging, all while helping local Jordanians connect with their new neighbors. The Foundation intends to provide access to safe sport for one million young people affected by displacement by 2024. Currently, up to 200,000 young people already benefit from the sports initiatives.
These summer camps are led by 40 volunteer Physical Education (PE) teachers who have successfully completed intensive GFP training sessions in advance to build their Sport for Protection knowledge and skills. GFP President, Dr Mohanned Arabiat, noted that the 2022 camps had a remarkably positive impact on the teachers who acquired new professional skills, and on the displaced students who found a way to overcome barriers of fear, expression and inclusion. The program also looks to benefit around 216 teachers and 156 youth center workers who receive the training and mentoring sessions.
The program works within the frameworks of GFP’s existing Nashatati (“My Activities”) and Maharati (“My Skills”) programs and increases equal access to sport-based activities for refugee youth in 108 schools and 76 youth centres. However, the summer camps are one only aspect of the program. It also includes a grant to help engage at-risk men and women refugees through weekly GFP Club activities, as well as the integration of the Sport for Protection component developed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Terre des Hommes. Additionally, efforts have been taken to maximize the inclusion of hard-to-reach youth, such as those with disabilities.
Generations for Peace was a 2019 Beyond Sport Global Award Shortlister.
Photos: Olympic Refuge Foundation & Generations for Peace