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Paving the way towards more peaceful communities in East Amman - The Story of Abdallah

“Growing up in East Amman, I saw my fair share of refugees arriving from Syria. We made sure to welcome them into our community and there was a sense of respect that we had for them as they were coming from a war. They were desperate for jobs and to start over. Some employers took advantage of that, offering the refugees much lower wages and the least desirable jobs.”
“After seeing refugees suffering in my own community, I had the urge to work at a humanitarian Non-Governmental Organization and was able to make a real change in my community. I want to demonstrate that refugees are a benefit and not a burden to the economy. I want to focus on increasing social cohesion in host communities, helping to connect refugees with valuable opportunities to contribute to society.”
Through Abdallah’s engagement with the UNESCO-UNOCT project on Youth Peacebuilding, he took part in a training workshop that focused on preventing violence and promoting peace through civic engagement and youth resilience. As part of the workshop, he organized an extracurricular activity at the University of Jordan that aimed to promote youth civic engagement for peace building processes.
“I am studying social work at the University of Jordan. I am a member of the student union and I liaise with students still in high school to help them pave an active and productive path towards more peaceful communities, notably by including refugees. I really want youth in Jordan to realize that they can change their societies for the better, building a more peaceful world.”
- Abdallah Nashwan