“We wanted to offer something to the community. I like the fact that people can come to CRP and learn for free, I don’t want people to have to pay like at other places.” — Saleem, Founding Member of the Barbershop
Members of the refugee community often to give back to Collateral Repair Project and help their fellow refugees. This often includes teaching courses and passing on skills that they have. This is exactly how Collateral Repair Project began Barbershop Classes.
Led by refugees themselves, each Barbershop course session lasts three months. Barbershop helps refugees fill their days while waiting for possible resettlement. Learning new skills allows the men to feel as though they are not wasting their time and could potentially lead to a source of income in their futures. For the most part, Jordanian law forbids refugees from working, and these new skills can help them access the informal market or barter their skills for other things or services they need. The Barbershop also provides a place for the men of the community to gather and bond.
At the end of each three-month session, Collateral Repair Project holds a graduation ceremony for the men. Some of the men stay to teach the next group of students. Barbershop allows the men to socialize while still learning, easing some of the stress from their lives.
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New Skillset Leads to New Sense of Purpose
Essam and and his son Maher fled Syria to Jordan and are learning to cut hair at CRP’s Barbershop program. Designed to increase refugees’ livelihood, the program also gives people back a sense of purpose. . .
Sa’eed and Saleem, Community Builders at CRP
The barbershop serves as more than just a teaching tool. It’s also a place men of the community can gather to have conversations and bond.
New Skills & Friendships at CRP’s Barbershop
Three years ago, CRP began offering professional crash courses in the barber trade. Because refugees are largely not allowed to work in Jordan, learning skills that they can barter or use in informal employment settings is important.