A conversation with Sarah, Amala Global Secondary Diploma alumna, on advocacy, her journey into work and what sets Amala apart
Sarah is a 22-year old Amala alumna who, since graduating from the Amala High School Diploma in Jordan in May 2022, has already interned with both UNICEF and World Vision. Sarah shared with us how her journey at Amala helped her at the start of her career and impacted her personal growth.
She was drawn to the Amala High School Diploma because of the innovative English curriculum. When applying, Sarah knew that she wanted to read and write in English, the language that she loves the most, and that learning at Amala would be a great opportunity to develop her skills. She speaks about how, by moving away from a traditional curriculum, Amala students become receptive and broaden their minds. “It’s the simplicity, the use of the English language and the information in the Amala curriculum that helps us to be more open minded”.
Sarah had previously been at a mainstream high school, and emphasises that she struggled with the stress and pressure there to perform well in exams. It was a refreshing change for Sarah to come to Amala and find a curriculum that combines complexity with simplicity; where students don’t need to memorise information for exams, but rather have to think for themselves.
Her favourite course was Powerful Narratives which she describes as “really fun”. Sarah tells of how she learnt about how to approach writing a good story, and heard from course leaders who were also storytellers. Everyone contributed, and everyone’s story brought something to the table. “Nobody was wrong”, says Sarah, in contrast to the more teacher-led nature of traditional classroom education.
“At Amala we had really deep discussions and questions which made us think hard. I remember sometimes we had to think about just one question for a whole hour. At the end, I said what I thought and what I got from it. That’s what I like about Amala. You say what you think, and what you learnt. It’s not like at a normal high school where you say what’s written in the book that’s given to you.
It’s different.”
Sarah with her classmates and facilitators
Hailing from Iraq, Sarah describes Amala as “the first time that I’d met such a diverse community. There were people from Sudan, Syria, Iraq. I met some people from cultures in Iraq that I didn’t even know existed”, she says. “It’s a way of sharing.” Working with people from across the Middle East put Sarah in good stead for her path after graduation: an internship with UNICEF in Partnership and Resource Mobilisation. She was among the first of our alumni to access such a pathway, a proud moment for Amala. Sarah worked with a team on things like interviewing with refugee women and girls in refugee camps in and around Amman, and drawing attention to their experiences.
“The majority of women in the camp are young”, Sarah says.
“They get married at a young age, even though they have a high school certificate. There is no further education for most of these girls: they get married, and have a family. Boys can work outside the camp, and have shops inside the camp, and have other options.” The conditions for girls are harder, Sarah says. “But it doesn’t have to be like that.” Speaking about the gender inequality present in the camps, Sarah’s passion for refugee advocacy shines through.
She spoke to the women and girls in the camps about their challenges and issues, and tried to portray their experiences in the most realistic way. One example of this is Sarah’s reflections on an inspiring interview with Fatima, a young Syrian refugee in Azraq camp. This was part of her work as a Youth on the Move Fellow, collaborating with No Lost Generation (NLG). NLG is an initiative which ran from 2013-2023, focused on responding to the crisis left by the wars in Syria and Iraq.
A decade later, the team that Sarah works with at UNICEF are trying something new: an advocacy youth group. Sarah led the group, giving training about how young people can advocate, tell their stories and deliver them to people. Through the youth group, they amplify the voices of young people who are from all over the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region: mainly Syria, but also from Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey and Egypt. The group convened online, and Sarah coordinated learning materials and group sharing of ideas, all the while advocating for their inclusion in decision-making processes.
Sarah was meant to be an intern for three months, but UNICEF invited her to stay for a year, through which she gained valuable experience and connections. Now, just over a year later Sarah is moving on to her next role as an Advocacy and Communications Intern with World Vision. When asked about what she learnt at Amala has helped her in her professional life, Sarah replies, “lots of things. How to behave and handle people. I was really shy before.”
“At Amala, each one of us had almost the same goal: to continue our education, to have a job, and a sustainable future. Even though we’re so different in our backgrounds, traditions and culture, we sit around a common goal. When we discuss, you can feel that there’s no judgement.”
Sarah giving a presentation on her Personal Interest Project (PIP)
In the office at UNICEF, Sarah sometimes has to do presentations, a skill that she honed at Amala. Before, Sarah says, “I didn’t even know how to present. Amala helped me to present and show myself, and I continued to improve”. She also learnt “report writing, different strategies of how to look for resources, find trustworthy information, and apply it in my work”.
For now, Sarah is focused on gaining experience across different organisations and professional environments. She is considering applying for a scholarship or continuing into higher education. Her passion is social work; in the field, rather than sitting behind a computer. Ideally, she says, she would combine this with her love for art “in all its forms”. Specialising in art and applying it to the social space would allow her to work with and to help people. Art helped Sarah with her mental health, and that has translated into a passion for how art can be healing for those who have been displaced.
“More people will need Amala in the future”, says Sarah. “I really want Amala to be more widespread: more students and more facilitators to guide it forward”. Amala gives students a safe space, and she hopes to see Amala move to a bigger place in Amman in future to be able to continue to build a learning space which caters to all student needs. Ideally, she outlines, this space would include a large square to play tennis and football. “Sport is a big part of young peoples’ lives”.
Sarah speaks fondly of her memories from Amala. “Everyone was so understanding”, she says. “Nobody judged people who were over eighteen but had no achievements to show. We were all on the same page. We had familiar and common issues. We were all refugees. We came from conflict, war torn countries and vulnerable, displaced communities. It helped bond us, because even if we didn’t understand the whole experience in relation to our own stories, we could relate to each other.”
Sarah (centre) with her classmates and facilitators
For Sarah, it was this environment of likeminded people with similar experiences that set Amala apart. “When people spoke about legal stuff, in regards to the host country, documentation, right of movement, even just having human rights - we all had this in common”. She described the small, tight-knit cohort that she was in as “special”, with the facilitators holding up rules to create a safe space and a “non-judgmental, kind and comfortable environment”. This meant that people felt empowered to open up and share their experiences.
“What I love about Amala is that we showed our vulnerability. We didn’t get scared or embarrassed or shy to share the most sensitive or vulnerable stuff. Some people are really vulnerable, but some of us could observe and listen. Sometimes all you have to do is listen.”