Young People Take the Lead
As young Farah walks through the uneven narrow ruble alleyways in the impoverished community of Shalaleh in southern Stepping up her self-assertive pace to reach her destination, Farah’s black robe swings under the hot and scorching summer rays, but again she is stopped and this time by a little battered boy and his distraught mother : they want to know where to go for help and protection. For the past seven years, Farah, through the local Community Development Centre supported by UNICEF, has gained the knowledge and skills that have turned her into one of the community’s resources and pillars of information. Youth, women and children seek her guidance and skills in solving their problems, including domestic disputes, quarrelling siblings, and limited mobility for females. Shalaleh consists of 20,000 registered refugees who fled UNICEF, as part of its Palestinians in Farah’s strengths have been generated through the many lectures, training and open focus group discussions she has attended at the Community Centre. These opportunities were made possible through UNICEF’s programme intervention in this impoverished community. In 2002 the Community Development programme reached 800 youths. At the Community Centre, young boys and girls meet and openly discuss the challenges they face in their daily lives: smoking among children as young as seven-years-old, glue sniffing and Hashish addiction, child labour, and sexual abuse. All this and more is prevalent in this society. What is unique in these discussions is that boys and girls, who rarely sat down to talk to each other, now do so openly and on issues considered a taboo in this society. This little shantytown in the Aqaba Governorate is underserved, with open sewage systems. Only two pre-school facilities (one in the North and one in the South of Shalalah) exist. According to local authorities, Shalalah suffers from high rates of poverty and unemployment, early marriages, intermarriage, high birth rates with most women delivering at home. Adolescents try to find alternatives and solutions to the issues they face in their society: With too much free time they do not have many activities to occupy them. The Community Centre has become a refuge and a unique and magical place for these adolescents. Girls and boys, through UNICEF sponsored training, have developed into proactive young people who are not only eagerly absorbing knowledge, but are thinking critically with great enthusiasm. Young people have begun to listen to each other, work together within a team, and can communicate their thoughts and opinions to others especially their families. Young people such as Farah, have become leaders in their community. “One of the most important things that I have learnt is of the existence of counseling and referral services. I can now advise my friends on where to go for help,” says Farah. The Community Centre provides young people with a safe educational and recreational space. UNICEF’s interventions also aim at linking this Community Centre with strong networks and partnerships, local non-governmental organisations and government bodies. The objective is to strengthen and unify responses and to be able to work with local bodies to help themselves. Farah speaks of the different training sessions she has attended on rights and the importance of networking. “I consider myself very lucky to have been given these opportunities, and most important, to have been able to travel outside of my community,” said Farah.. The young girl has participated in national youth forums and is among the few females in this village that travels outside her community. She raises awareness and shares with other girls and boys the skills that she has learnt through her travels. Farah’s dream now is to start taking driving lessons. “My father was at first outraged, and said that I should start thinking of getting married. I want to learn how to drive, I want to be able to go and see other places, learn more, and come back and share what I learn,” says the ambitious girl with a grin.
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