* Any views expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Just a few months ago, I was privileged to have donned the robe and mortarboard as a graduate from the University of Toronto, known as one of the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Contemplating over my time in Canada, I finally felt that it was time to make something of myself and to become an active global citizen serving society. Years of watching the Syrian struggle on television led me to seek to return to the country where I was born and originally immigrated from to Canada 14 years ago. So a day after my convocation, I was on a 12 hour plane back to Jordan.
Working with Terre des hommes in the Emirati Jordanian Camp (EJC) in Azraq has been an absolute pleasure and an eye opening and rewarding experience for me, to say the least. On my first day, I was surprised to see the lifeless scene of thousands of white caravans in tidy rows on the hot desert sand, surrounded by barbed wire and tight security. The 4000 Syrians residing there have all fled the fighting in Syria looking for safety and security in Jordan. However, once inside the camp, most found themselves staying for longer than they had initially hoped, with little promise of a return to their homes back in Syria or a building of a secure future in Jordan.
My job as a Support Group Facilitator is to design and implement a support program for individuals and their families so that they may express themselves and find relief from distress they face as a result of witnessing violence and enduring present difficulties at the camp. Some of the difficulties they face today are a result from over crowdedness in the caravans, terrible weather and living conditions, as well as a feeling of a loss of time and experiencing dull routines with little purpose on an everyday basis.
The support groups, coined "Connection Circles", are a way for young people and adults alike to express themselves through a combination of group games and expressive art activities, cooperative discussions, and informal education on the effects of stress, anger and other social pressures. Through the discussions, I aim at guiding individuals to explore their inner strengths and motivations to continue to have hope for a brighter future. In fact, many of the children I work with at EJC aspire to become doctors, engineers or skilled craftsmen and women and other times, they talk about having happily functioning families of their own. Some have been in EJC for just a few weeks, while others have been living inside the camp for almost two years.
When I leave work at the end of the day, I drive along the perimeter fence of the camp and feel sadness when I am reminded that these children cannot leave with me. It troubles me to think that some may never return back to Syria the same way they remember it. I am afraid that they may experience many more years of isolation from society in the camp before peace returns to the region. I also worry about some young girls who might be forced due to cultural pressures or financial need, to marry off early and never get the opportunity to develop as free women and for the young males who may fall into drug abuse and other harmful addictions as a result of feeling down or stressed. But as for myself, I worry about not having a lasting effect on these children's lives and not being able to provide enough for them to sustain their future.
The next day, though, I am reminded of the importance of our presence at the camp when the families of the kids I work with tell me they feel that I have made a difference in their lives. They tell me their connections to one another have developed and deepened and that the circles have provided them with relief that no other place has. Some of the youth I see day by day as a result of attending the circles continue to shine and show off their potential to become leaders and independent adults. This kind of feedback motivates me to continue to be there for these families and I am humbled and grateful as a result.
We are learning from them, too. The resilience and steadfastness of the Syrian refugee children gives me a push to overcome problems I may face and they seem so miniscule in comparison. It is tough to see what these children have been through and to imagine what lies ahead, but what pushes me to carry on is feeling that maybe I can touch their lives, however small, and instil true hope and therefore make a lasting difference.
