Imagine trying to concentrate on your education ?

I want to start this post by asking you to watch the video below 'Clouds over Sidra' and access the link to read 'What's in my bag? '

Have you finished ? It would be hard to concentrate on school wouldn't it ?

I believe ( and many others- A 2015 fundraising conference where 'Clouds Over Sidra' was shown ended up raising $3.8 billion, over 70 percent more than projected ) that both 'Clouds over Sidra ' and 'What's in my bag? ' highlight the immense loss suffered by refugees . Highlighting the physical losses only seem to bring home the inevitable and harrowing emotional losses more poignantly ? 12 year old Sidra's deep desire for normalcy is represented as she laments over the kite she has left at home.

....She wants it back.

It is no surprise in 'Clouds over Sidra ' that Sidra explains that 'some' of the children do want to go to school .They want wait to get home first before going back to school . I feel it would be very difficult to feel motivated and see school as important in such circumstances . For the child agreeing to apply oneself even if they physically attend , it might feel like cementing the current circumstances as real and ongoing , not simply a long nightmare they will wake up from ?

'Some day the clouds and I are going to go back home ' ( Clouds Over Sidra )

So how does education help refugees who are living in a limbo of uncertainty ( UNHCR )

Nicolai & Triplehorn, 2003 explain that

'for children whose lives are affected by war, violence, displacement and the general disruption of normal life, education plays an important role in providing protection. This protection may be in the form of physical protection in a safe learning space away from dangers of the surrounding areas; it may be psychosocial protection in the form of interaction with peers and trusted adults with opportunities to be creative and to share concerns and ideas in different ways '

What were the educational needs you identified ? I feel they were the following :

• Educational Resources and trained teachers with professional support

• Methods to allow girls access to computers also

• Additional physical fitness opportunities in a safe environment . Jordan allows football which Sidra's school in Syria does not and she is very happy about this.

• They need an emotionally safe place as Sidra mentions where they put up their hands to ensure they are not picked (even though she is a good student and is personally prepared)

• They need access to enough food so they can concentrate in school

• Relevant learning content that both allows them to retain a sense of their identity but also assumes they may be there for many years and need knowledge of the new area they reside in.

• A safe learning space - In some circumstances going to school may even put children – and especially girls – at risk. (International Rescue Committee)

'Computers give the boys something to do . They say they are playing games but I don't know what they are doing because they wont let girls play on the computers .'

What would generally be important considerations in terms of the learning spaces and the educational needs ?

• Safe learning spaces which includes protection from bullying, accessibility to classrooms without dangerous distances or at dangerous times of day for girls in particular

• Physical bathroom areas for teenage girls to encourage continued schooling.

• Children and youth may need very specific lessons in order to ensure their own survival and well-being and that of their families

• Life kills education, including reproductive health and HIV/AIDS may also provide vital protection to students, and especially girls whose vulnerability to early pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS is often high.

• Content which allows them a sense of the national identity, culture and religion which they will feel training or professional development to guide them in their work; for the most part they rely on their own experiences of being in school to inform their pedagogy.

• How to encourage students and families of the value of education for future power to change their circumstances.

`Girls are allowed to play football here , unlike at home in Syria . That makes us happy'

What's in my bag?

https://medium.com/@theIRC/what-s-in-my-bag-758d435f6e6

The conflict in Syria has transformed nearly 4 million men, women and children into refugees. As the civil war continues, individuals and families flee the country in droves. Many find a purgatorial safety within the refugee camps of Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan.

'Clouds Over Sidra'