Al Hayat community programme concludes

AMMAN — Canadian officials, represented by Chargé d'Affaires Christopher Hull, joined Jordanian officials for the closing ceremony of Al Hayat’s programme promoting partnerships between civil society organisations and the education system with the aim of community cohesion in Jordan, at the Geneva Hotel in Amman on Wednesday.

The event celebrated the success of the programme in working with community-based organisations on engaging parents, teachers, counsellors, Jordan’s Ministry of Education and students in critical thinking, online awareness, digital literacy and media literacy skills, according to a statement from the Embassy of Canada.

The programme reached over 700 youth and more than 2,800 beneficiaries in Jordan since 2017, the statement said.

With support from the Government of Canada, Al Hayat’s initiative took an innovative approach to foster community cohesion through unconventional educational tools such as participatory theatre and school debates to engage students in discussions that are not otherwise held in their homes or schools, according to the statement.

 “Al Hayat has provided the tools for kids to safely navigate the online world. As parents, we cannot always be present in every chat, in every click, and in every online interaction. This is why Canada supports programmes like Al Hayat where best practices on Digital Literacy and Media Information Literacy can be shared,” Chargé d'Affaires Christopher Hull was quoted in the statement as saying.

Amer Bani Amer, general director of Al Hayat, shared his appreciation for the support of the project partners, including the Ministry of Education.

“During this initiative, the project partners showed a high level of support for the project purpose, as they all agreed on the importance of the activities, and having similar activities covering all public and private schools in Jordan. The Ministry of Education showed their support on many levels, starting with senior-staff who facilitated the communication and led the coordination with teachers, counsellors, and parents,” Bani Amer said in the statement.