Limited economic opportunities
High unemployment and few suitable job opportunities create a sense of economic exclusion and push some into unstable or temporary work.
Act Two
Theory of Change
Where we start from, and how we make a difference: the challenges young people face in the areas where we work, and the solutions Al-Huras offers.
1
Theory of Change
Al-Huras’s theory of change will be added soon. Until then, this chapter presents the challenges and solutions as set out in the Al-Huras profile.
2
The problem
Young people in underserved areas in general, and in Palestinian refugee areas in Jordan in particular, face a complex set of overlapping challenges rooted in accumulated social, economic and political conditions.
Weak access to quality education
Although basic education is available, many young people face challenges completing higher education or getting technical and vocational training that matches labour-market needs.
Lack of safe, supportive spaces
Many camps lack spaces dedicated to informal learning, personal development, and cultural and artistic activities, which limits the growth of personal skills.
Social and political exclusion
Relative marginalization in community decision-making and in political and development initiatives reduces young people’s ability to influence their local environment.
Social stigma and psychological challenges
A negative view, or at times discrimination, based on place of residence, alongside psychological pressure from difficult living conditions.
Few initiatives that take their specific context into account
Most development programs do not take the specific context of the camps into account, which limits their effectiveness and makes them unattractive or unsuitable.
3
How we make a difference
Al-Huras contributes innovative solutions through an approach that combines theoretical knowledge with practice, grounded in a leaders-preparation methodology developed locally over years of fieldwork inside the camps and marginalized communities.
Non-traditional learning methods
Learning by experience, by practice and observation, and social and self-directed learning, so young people can build their life and community skills in a practical, proactive way.
Designing new patterns of community work
Community models that respond directly to real needs and fit the culture and authentic values of Arab society, so solutions have local roots and tangible impact.
Empowerment from within
Communities hold the seeds of solving their own problems; so Al-Huras activates local energies — especially young people’s — strengthening self-reliance and letting solutions grow out of everyday experience.
Combining scientific research with popular insight
Bringing together systematic research tools and listening to people’s voices, to produce more balanced and effective decisions and solutions in economic, social and educational empowerment.
Recycling experience
A sustainable learning environment built on exchanging experience between young people and civil society organizations, so a successful experience moves from one area to another and improves over time.
A participatory model of leadership
Enabling young people to lead projects themselves within collective teams, producing initiatives with a real leadership dimension that carry on across generations.
Strategic partnerships and a flexible volunteer model
A community funding model and partnerships with supporting institutions free Al-Huras from reliance on traditional support and allow bolder, more innovative projects.