On January 11, we hosted 16 high school students from Australia, who were visiting Jordan on a study tour of the Middle East organized by United Nations Youth Australia. CRP occasionally hosts groups interested in the issue of forced displacement and the work we are doing to help refugees in Jordan. This is an invaluable way of building awareness about the issues and concerns of refugees in Amman with a larger community on both a local and international level.
UN Youth Australia, a non-for-
profit organization run by volunteers under the age of 25, runs educational workshops and programming for high school and college students with the aim of building student confidence and increasing their knowledge about both domestic and international issues. The 16 students visited CRP as part of a two-week tour of Jordan and Israel during which they met with institutions, government representatives, NGOs and media organizations to learn about the biggest challenges facing the Middle East, and to learn about the work of individuals who grapple with these challenges on a daily basis. The trip was focused on the history, cultures, and conflicts of the region, and the effect of conflict on those embroiled in it.
During their visit to CRP, we talked with them about the invaluable work we do to support refugees and people of all nationalities, from our emergency assistance efforts to our programming and activities, such as yoga and English classes. Some of our volunteers, who came themselves to Jordan as refugees, shared their stories with the youth and discussed the hardships they have experienced both in their home countries and since arriving in Jordan. They also talked about their work at CRP and the community they have helped create here.
We hope the students will in turn share what they learned and the work that CRP does with their friends and families back home, particularly that the conflicts in the region do not exist in the abstract, but have very real, personal impacts on the lives of individuals and families. Thanks to UN Youth Australia for arranging this visit! We hope to see you again soon.