The Power of Leadership
A recent assessment by UNHCR[1]found that both Lebanese and Syrian children face educational barriers and overwhelmed school resources. Beqaa Valley was found to have the highest numbers of out-of-school children, with 70 per cent of the surveyed children aged 6-14 not attending school - increasing to 84 per cent for 15-17-year-olds. Both this study and a recent assessment conducted by ActionAid identified barriers to accessing education such as tensions between host and refugee communities, child labor, early marriage, insufficient school places, and transportation costs; and evidence of poor-quality education such as curriculum difficulties, double shifts, as the root causes of poor education access and quality, and dropouts. According to UNICEF, in 2013 68 per cent of the 600,000 Syrian refugee children (in all host countries) were not attending school due to social, legal or economic barriers; many are working in order to help their families survive.
Amro Kamel the trainer is the Regional Economic Empowerment Advisor at ActionAid Arab Region with extensive experience in trainings, “I designed and conducted 2 leadership TOTs one in Balebak and on in Jeb Jannine, the training of trainers training was conducted to youth aged between 20 and 29 coming from refugee community and host communities”, Amro says. They were trained on how to train school students on school leadership, the TOT covered topics like leadership skills, Negotiation skills, Active listening, Presentation skills and HRBA.
Amro says, ““I am so happy to see the trained youth are conducting trainings to school students on leadership”, 50 young men and women were trained on the training of trainers on leadership skills on the first phase of the project, the training build their capacities in the area of social integration and education, that aims to contribute in the creation of active generation of educated and capable young men and women, in order to support their society through positive participation in the development process, the trained young men and women will train students male and female from schools in Bekaa region on life skills and leadership.
The two years project will target 800 male and female students in order to promote life skills and leadership skills. The project also aims to promote community integration among the students, the Lebanese and the Syrians, which is being implemented through the holding of summer camps and activities in schools
