When one person learns, everyone learns: Ibrahim's story
Ibrahim’s journey at Amala began with a search for new opportunities.
First taking part in two Changemaker courses, Peacebuilding in Your Community and Arts and Cultural Expression, Ibrahim went on to become part of the first ever cohort of the Amala Global Secondary Diploma in 2020. Fast forward five years, and Ibrahim is in his final year of studies to become a dental assistant in Germany.
”Amala was interesting because it was something different and new in Jordan. At Amala we had real discussions, between people who are from countries which are at war. You’re always thinking, your mind is always active.
Through the Amala Global Secondary Diploma I opened my mind. During the course, as we all got to know each other more, I got more of an idea of what I wanted in the future. As a refugee and a non-Jordanian person, it was difficult to know what to do. Amala helped us by finding pathways that we could apply to, like University of the People, online courses that we didn’t know about, giving us information and a place to start from.
After Amala, I applied to a private university in Berlin called Bard College, which accepted me with my Amala certificate, but it didn’t work out financially because I couldn’t get a scholarship. My MTC (Mastery Transcript Consortium) transcript helped a lot and it was a good sign that the university had tried to understand it and verify it.
I went back to Jordan and applied everywhere, but I wasn’t getting any answers. I applied to train to become a dental assistant in Germany with my Amala Diploma as well as another diploma that I’d got in Jordan. I had three months to get to the necessary level of German. I managed it, but then my visa was rejected. I applied again, this time successfully, and finally started the course in 2022.
Ibrahim with his classmates from the first cohort of the GSD in Amman, 2020.
Being in the first cohort of the Global Secondary Diploma, we had a real connection with each other at Amala and I had an advisor who helped me a lot. He even couriered books to me so that I could sit the test for dental school. Through the visa process he made the time to guide me and kept me motivated. After graduating, I kept in contact with everyone from my cohort, even though everyone’s in different countries now, like Canada, the USA and Jordan. And Amala is when I started looking ahead to the next four years, not just three months.
Amala was a step change for me. It was a place to call mine. It was somewhere I could have discussions with my friends with no judgement, knowing they are listening, because at Amala we learnt how to listen. Even politicians can’t listen to one another.
It seems simple, but it’s actually quite hard. We did a course on ethical leadership - how to be a community leader, and help people without resources. These communication skills and how to understand yourself is what we learnt at Amala and you don’t learn in other places.
The Global Secondary Diploma was one and a half years of fun, of thinking, of knowing, of different emotions and ideas. It’s an experience I honestly wish could happen again. If Amala were a person, it would be someone to give you a hand, help you find out what you can do, that you’re not alone. You don’t need a nationality to study. It’s not important if your family is rich or not, if you’re a refugee or not. Nobody is interested in your background. At Amala we were all studying, and we felt equal.
In Jordan, there are lots of stories about gender inequality at universities, and some families only send their boys to university. At Amala it’s not like that at all. There’s gender equality. For the women in our group, Amala helped them to build trust.
Ibrahim at graduation with Amala Co-founder Mia and Lamis and Fatima from the Jordan Team
In one and a half years at Amala, I never heard one racist word. Sadly this is something that affects us as refugees. It’s already happened at least twenty times to me in Germany. Amala is a place where you feel free, that’s always open: it’s a place where you feel safe. Amala is like a community within a community which shares with each other when they need help. A friend of mine was feeling unsafe on the streets. He couldn’t even go to the supermarket. But he could drive to Amala every day and feel safe.
“Amala is not a normal learning institution. At Amala, when one person learns, everyone learns.”
And Amala didn’t limit us - instead we were asked what we wanted and about our ideas, then Amala helped us and supported us to get there. Working in groups and listening you don’t always feel like you’re learning directly, but over time you see the learning process. And then you start finding yourself, and discovering your personal values.”
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