“I Can” Achieve My Goals!
Prior to arriving in Jordan, Abdullah was a computer engineering student at Damascus University but had to let go of his dream when he was forced to leave his home in Syria and begin a new life in Jordan. When Abdullah arrived in Jordan, he worked many temporary jobs to get by: first as a cashier, then a chef and even as a wood-engraver. Finally, while working as a quality technician in a large electronics company, Abdullah was let go, due to labour law and policy in Jordan.
When he heard about the Norwegian Refugee Council’s (NRC) Youth Programme in Irbid, Abdullah found an opportunity to learn, improve his skills and stand-out in a crowded labour market.
Abdullah joined two courses: the Social Initiatives Course and the Facilitation Skills Pathway.
The NRC’s Youth Programme, in collaboration with ROTA, was running the Social Initiatives Course through its partner, Tahfeez, a Community Based Organisation (CBO). This course aimed to facilitate community engagement amongst the youth, by enabling them to identify and address community needs. In addition to giving back and learning, the positive interactions raised the profile of Abdullah and other youth within the eyes of the community.
At 13-years-old, Abdullah had faced learning difficulties, that he felt could have been avoided if he had had the opportunity to address them growing up. Dealing with, and overcoming these challenges, motivated him to enrol in February 2019 and inspired the idea for his social initiative.
Abdullah gathered a team, and successfully pitched and launched “I Can”, an educational-environmental initiative that focused on capacity building.
In one of the projects, participants learned to set up sensors in water-tanks to measure water ratios to help conserve water.
Motivated by this experience, Abdullah continued with the programme and enrolled in the Facilitation Skills Pathway in April 2019. This course aimed to empower youth and build confidence by working on presentation and life skills.
Reflecting on his experiences, Abdullah said, “I have learned how to listen to people, not only to hear them. Teamwork became the core value of the “I Can” initiative to build positive relationships with the team, beneficiaries, and sponsors. I’ve become a very positive speaker and the kind of teacher that I needed, but never had”.
Abdullah added, “When achieving goals, there is nothing difficult. It is only that some goals need more attempts, and others might simply not be meant to be ours.”.
