Name of the organization:
Tech Tribes
Description of Organization:
A Jordan-based non-profit organization that equips youth and youth-led organizations with the skills and technical know-how needed to play an active role in fostering local governance, shaping youth engagement policies and contributing to Positive Youth Development research and programming through interactive tools and online technologies. The organization helps young people to develop agency for personal and professional growth, better respond to community issues, improve local governance and launch scalable social innovations and local businesses.
Context:
With the protracted Syrian crisis extending into its ninth year, the conflict continues to force millions of Syrians to seek refuge in the neighboring countries of Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, and Turkey. Since 2011, approximately 1.3 million Syrians have crossed the border into Jordan, putting an immense strain on already scarce resources, and intensifying competition for basic services. The vast majority of these refugees does not reside in camps but in Jordan’s host communities, where limited opportunities, a lack of resources, and inadequate living space presents a challenge to social cohesion and community resilience. The tension has been a source of violence, bullying, and growing friction among children and youth who mirror the larger community dynamics demonstrated by their families and community leaders.
Proposed Project and Expected Results:
Tech Tribes will work with local youth leaders to reduce such tensions and tackle head-on the relational challenges between youth of Jordanian and Syrian backgrounds. They will design and produce a digital toolkit entitled “Learning to Live Together” to provide activists, community advocates, and educators with the tools and gamified models to build safe spaces and engage the community to foster collaboration, dialogue, and connection between refugee and host communities.
A core group of 30 youth will be trained and engaged as the ambassadors for the use of the toolkit. Ten youth organizations will be identified to pilot the toolkit in their respective communities. The toolkit will be in Arabic, accessible to all young people and youth organizations across the Middle East and North Africa.
Project Coordinator: Khaled Hijab
Contact Information: khaled@techtribes.org
Website: https://techtribes.org/