Yesterday Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan made an official visit to Millennium Park to attend a carnival organised by the Madrasati Initiative. Her Majesty launched the Initiative in 2008 to improve learning environments in Jordanian public schools and at the carnival she joined 300 students from across Jordan as they celebrated the achievements of the Initiative’s Masahati student club program.
Her Majesty was given a tour of the carnival by Madrasati Director, Tala Sweis, who explained the ways Masahati has created emotionally, physically and socially safe learning environments for young people across Jordan. The Queen took the opportunity to visit a number of the carnival’s recreational stations, including the Challenge Space, the Talent Space and the Thinking Space, learning more about the different ways students are encouraged to tap into the skills they develop within Masahati’s clubs.
The student clubs which compose Masahati focus on developing young people’s intellectual and technical skills, empowering them to become responsible citizens. It also encourages students to manage their own spaces by promoting solidarity and provides a crucial link between schools and communities through collaborative initiatives between Jordan’s youths and their wider communities.
The five distinct student clubs within Masahati are hosted at 50 schools across 10 of Jordan’s governorates and 15,642 young people have taken part in the program over the past two years, including more than 3,000 Syrian youth. Masahati offers activities tailored to the individual needs of students with each school hosting four to six activities. These students experienced the positive impact of being encouraged to innovate and express themselves and were provided the opportunity to develop their interest and creativity. This, in turn, has helped them to become proactive members of their communities.
The program also reinforces the role teachers play in fostering students’ growth, providing training for 1,000 teachers and counsellors so that the program can be executed as a long-term project at a large number of schools.
