Loading ...Catching Dreams and Building Hope in Syria's Schools
In April 2015, the Karam Foundation, a Chicago-based nonprofit organization, launched its fifth Innovative Education mission for displaced Syrian children and youth. Karam’s team of more than 40 international mentors worked with upward of 400 Syrian students from four schools in grades 1–12, leading workshops that included entrepreneurship, arts, language arts, sports, yoga and full dental/vision clinics and screenings.
*This series of posts about our mission, in the words of the mentors, offers a glimpse of what it is like to work on the Syrian border, shares personal stories of extraordinarily talented and resilient kids and reminds us that the Syrian children are more than the world knows, more than the world lets them be. They are #NotInvisible.*
The Syrian conflict has created the worst humanitarian crisis of our lifetime. Yet in the midst of despair and destruction there is hope for a brighter future. This series is dedicated to our unwavering hope in the next generation of Syrian kids. We hope the stories will inspire you to action.
When I decided to participate in the Zeitouna program after following Karam’s work from my home in Australia, I knew I had to create a very special project for the children. I worked with Karam’s director of education Kinda Hibrawi for weeks via email and Skype developing my curriculum. I envisioned an art project that a child could pass on and teach to another: a project that was suitable for all different ages; something that was bright, colorful and fun; an object that was simple in execution but also meaningful in its communication. But, most of all, it had to be a project that would be beneficial to the mental health of the children, as this particular Zeitouna mission was focused on holistic healing. I decided to teach the Syrian children to make dreamcatchers.
Source: www.syriadeeply.org