LEBANON
Community Music Worker
I See You
About 1.5 million refugees live in Lebanon – a third of the population, many in camps in the Bekaa Valley near the Syrian border. Children live in difficult conditions, have poor access to education, are often employed to work for starvation wages, suffer from psychological problems. It's hard to be a kid in those circumstances.
The situation had gotten even worse in 2021 (no petrol, almost no electricity, skyrocketing inflation, exodus of young people, corruption…).
In July 2019, Crea Thera organized a pilot week for Lebanese youth workers of the ngo LOYAC Lebanon. Musical methods were taught that are applicable in working with refugee children.
Together with LOYAC, CREA THERA started a basic training 'Community Music Worker' for youth workers to teach children to experience joy in life and self-direction again. Due to Corona, the political instability, the big explosion in Beirut and the strict lock down, the start was postponed to January 2022. From then till July 2023 4 trainings will be given to several local ngo's. After the training days participants will do several visits to children to gain experience.
A whole generation of young people in Lebanon - including many Syrian refugees - is growing up in difficult circumstances and are particularly vulnerable.
Like all young people, they need attention and respect, recognition and validation. They want to be seen. Being seen with the heart promotes healthy interactions with others and enables problemsolving, connection and support.
Refugee children often face harmful disability: they are ignored, misunderstood or treated unequally.Often there is also traumatic disability. This leads to a threat to their psychological integrity and to confusion about their own inner reliability and credibility.
Twice a year music and theatre workshops with 15 young people based on their own experiences with seeing and being seen. Once in January and once in July. At the end of the week there is a showmoment and in July also a performance for the local community.
The piece will also be played by this group elsewhere in Lebanon and hopefully ignite other groups. . In a film document, the process and the result will be available via social media and hopefully inspire others to get started with this piece.There will be a continuation of I SEE YOU in 2024-2025
