What My Trip to Jordan Taught Me About My Voice

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the 41 Youth advocates representing their countries and traditions during the intercultural night in Jordan.

On the 14th of December, 2015 I left my home in Syria to start a special journey on Global Citizenship Education (GCED) and peacebuilding.

However, because I have a Syrian passport, I had to go through many difficulties and interrogations before arriving in Jordan. Still, it was worth it.

Back in the days, we didn’t need any security clearance nor a visa to enter our neighboring country. However, today, things are different.

Finally, I arrived there. I entered the room and there I found 41 powerful advocates from 23 different countries. I stood there for a moment and my heart was pumping. The amount of energy in that room was extraordinary. I took a look at everybody. I saw the power in their looks and I sensed the will in their words.

Every thought in my head vanished. I was speechless, regardless of the million words I had planned to say. And suddenly I remembered, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has”.

I wasn’t so sure what I was supposed to do there and how all this started but I was certain that this will be the beginning of a greater purpose and an honorable goal.

Here are some things that I learned:

1. Being a youth advocate and a global citizen gives me the privilege of having a voice. My voice is the superpower I obtain to say something and raise issues not just locally, but also globally.

2. To be heard, you must have a voice with a clear message. It is not just having something to say but also to have a purpose and a structured plan for what you are saying and the change you want to see. And just by the time you start using this voice, you must know that you are being affected by a cause.

3. It is not just about what you are allowed to do and say. Your voice must be present not only in the governmental spaces but also in civil spaces.

After being in the same place with these 41 advocates, community leaders and superheroes, I was not the same person anymore. I realized how we limit ourselves to the viewpoint of our communities and other political, social and economic barriers.

Every activist in this world holds a part of my soul and passion and I know I save parts of them inside my heart. Because we are all meant to keep the globe spinning with positive energy, love and peace.

This GCED workshop wasn’t just a workshop and my trip to Jordan was more than a journey. It was the reunion of a family that I never met but always thought of, imagined, loved and aspired to see. I will always keep in mind the crazy moments, the sweet talks, the lovely ideas, and the kind attitudes.

You nourished my motivation to grow my initiatives. You also gave me love to spread in my country and peace to advocate for the poor and the voiceless. I learned how to find deeper passion in what I do and determination to keep going even when everything is obviously asking me to stop. You provided me with loads of power to stand stronger for a cause and with ethics to make a brilliant leader. Lastly, you equipped me with tools to continue what we all started the first day we met.

To end this quote, I want to leave you with a quote from my warm and charming roommate Sara Haidar, while I was in Jordan: “Never stop believing in your work and the message you hold, because if you don’t passionately believe in it, no one will.”

Read more about the workshop here:http://www.globaleducationfirst.org/5721.htm

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