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Den 6 maj 2023 öppnade Al-Ayn Hikayati-centret, ett nytt center i Najaf, Irak. Centret är byggt för att hjälpa föräldralösa barn och unga att må bra, bli starka och få bättre framtidsmöjligheter. Det öppnades exakt 20 år efter krigets början i Irak och är ett löfte om hopp för barnen i ett land som har gått igenom många år av konflikter.
Hikayati, som betyder “Min berättelse”, är en barnfokuserad plats där föräldralösa barn och unga får använda de moderna rekreations- och utbildningsfaciliteterna. Samtidigt genomgår de ett noggrant utformat program som är särskilt utvecklat för att stärka deras motståndskraft, känslomässiga välmående och livskunskaper.
I linje med namnet “Hikayati” (Min berättelse) är centrets design och arkitektur inspirerade av barnböcker. Alla rum, inklusive biblioteket, teatern, simhallen, museerna och bönerummet, har utformats för att skapa en kreativ miljö där barnen kan lära sig, växa och använda sin fantasi.
Målet med Hikayati är att förse de föräldralösa barnen, mellan 8 och 14 år, med program för att förbättra deras fysiska mående, mentala hälsa och livsmöjligheter genom en kombination av:
Varje barn får ett program som är anpassat efter deras behov, med särskilt utformade workshops och långsiktig handledning. Varje barn tilldelas en mentor som stöttar dem under programmets gång och fortsätter att vara deras mentor på lång sikt. På så sätt har barnen alltid någon som de kan vända sig till och som de kan lita på.
Att uppmuntra föräldralösa barn och ungdomar att utveckla viktiga livsfärdigheter, motståndskraft och välmående.
Att ge föräldralösa barn och ungdomar långsiktigt mentorskap som ger känslomässigt stöd och underlättar skolåtergång.
Att tidigt upptäcka eventuella mentala eller fysiska hälsoproblem, familje- eller ekonomiska svårigheter, utbildningsproblem eller skyddsbehov, och hänvisa till rätt stödtjänster inom eller utanför Al-Ayn.
Hikayatis personal och medarbetar består av lärare, socialarbetare och ungdomsledare. Alla har även fått en utbildning inom terapeutiska och mentorskapstekniker för att hjälpa barnen på lång sikt. Eftersom många av barnen har upplevt svåra händelser, har all vår personal specifikt utbildats i trauma-medvetenhet och hur man hanterar dessa känsliga symptom när de uppstår. Hikayatis vision är att stärka utsatta föräldralösa barn så att de kan må bättre psykiskt, ta vara på sina potential och bli en aktiv del av samhället.
Hikayatis arbetssätt bygger på att barnen är i centrum för allt som görs, med deras bästa i fokus. Varje barns värdighet och individualitet respekteras, och de får en trygg plats där de kan uttrycka sina bekymmer och få den hjälp och uppmärksamhet de behöver. Vi tror starkt på varje barns potential, och personalen drivs av möjligheten att stötta barnen så att de kan blomstra, inte bara överleva. För barn som har upplevt tidiga svårigheter, fattigdom och förlust kan en känslomässigt tillgänglig och engagerad mentor som verkligen tror på deras potential vara livsförändrande.
På Hikayati centret har barnen möjlighet att växa, utveckla sin personlighet och bli den bästa individen den kan vara. Programmet främjar inkludering och vänder sig till barn i olika åldrar, förmågor, bakgrunder och kön. Ett positivt beteendestöd (PBS) används när man arbetar med barnen, uppmuntrar positiva beteenden och försöker förstå andra. Det är viktigt att barnen får positiva förebilder som de kan se upp till, och det är precis vad personalen på Hikayati är för dem.
Barn och unga blir hänvisade till Hikayati centret av deras lokala Al-Ayn kontor.
De deltar i ett första möte och besvarar ett frågeformulär för att kartlägga deras situation
Barnen fullföljer ett intensivt Hikayati program som består av 12 besök till centret. Under den tiden genomför de workshops, njuter centrets olika avdelningar och introduceras för sin mentor.
Efter varje besök blir barnen tillfrågade om deras feedback och förslag på förbättring
Mechanisms are in place to escalate/refer/provide additional support to any children where health/ mental health/ financial/ educational/ safeguarding concerns are detected
At the end of the programme, the screening process and questionnaires about the mental health and wellbeing are repeated
Children have a short graduation celebration
Children continue to have contact with their mentor on an at least monthly basis
The Hikayati programme was specially developed using evidence based approaches which are trauma sensitive and informed. The programme was curated and developed by Dr Amina Al-Yassin- the programmes manager at Hikayati, along with project support and coordination from Sarah Ladak based at the London offices of Al-Ayn.
The programme development included a research and development phase and visiting and learning from similar projects and programmes in the UK and elsewhere. Children from Al-Ayn were consulted as to what was important to them and what they would want to see in Hikayati.
The programme topics were informed by the curriculum of the Skills builders partnership, however the content was specially created for Hikayati. Once the programmes were developed they were peer reviewed by a network of over 40 specialists from bereavement, psychology, speech and language therapy, counselling and educational backgrounds.
All of the Hikayati programmes were reviewed by a senior scholar within Al-Ayn to ensure their cultural appropriateness and suitability. Prior to its launch, all of the Hikayati programmes were piloted in Iraq and in the UK where children’s opinions and feedback were gathered and taken into account.
The core programme at Hikayati includes a structured timetable of workshops, along with therapeutic and leisure activities. It works to develop the children’s emotional health, confidence and resilience, life skills, teamworking and collaboration, aspirations and their religious and cultural identity. Each workshop teaches the relevant skills through a holistic learning approach and allows the children to practice these learned skills with interactive and hands-on activities. The workshop topics in Hikayati include teamwork and collaboration, confidence and resilience, leadership skills, art based therapeutic activities, coping skills and emotional intelligence, communication and presentation skills, career aspirations and goal setting, school retention, problem solving skills and etiquette skills.
Since its launch, the Hikayati programmes have been accredited by the Children’s university. The children’s University is British charity that encourages and celebrates children’s participation in learning activities beyond the classroom. Children collect stamps in a passport for each activity they take part in, encouraging learning and participation in a a whole range of new and exciting activities in varied environments.
Children attend the Hikayati centre regularly where they complete the following workshops as well as benefitting from the resources and activities in the building:
After completing the programme, children then continue to be mentored and will have contact with their mentor at least once a month. Mentoring activities could include:
Regular check-ins including goal setting and review, revisiting and reviewing important life skills learnt during Hikayati and thinking about how to use these in daily life
Intensive case-working e.g. to re-register a child in school or to overcome the obstacles in their way to return to school
Referring children to other sources of support within Al-Ayn such as health, finance, education or housing
The Hikayati centre officially opened its doors on 6th May 2023, but the workshops and programme have been running in Iraq since December 2021 with nine cohorts of children completing the program so far. For those that have attended thus far, the staff, family members and children themselves have already started to witness the positive impact of the Hikayati programme on the children.
Of the school leavers who attended the school retention program, 85% have been re-registered in school and many have since passed their first set of examinations since being back. In one case, a widowed mother was so inspired by her daughter’s return to school that she decided to enroll in an adult education course to learn how to read and write!
A significant proportion of the children had emotional or behavioural difficulties detected before the start of the programme, and in 60% of cases there was an improvement in these scores by the end of the program (Warwick Edinburgh mental wellbeing scale and Me and my feelings questionnaires).
More than the numbers, Hikayati is full of stories about the children and their experiences during Hikayati. A girl who had up until the end of primary school been a high-achieving student, suddenly dropped out of secondary school. It was only with the gentle exploration of the Hikayati staff that it was discovered that this was due to her phobia of heights and the staircases at the school. Through gentle support and graded exposure therapy techniques, the Hikayati practitioner enabled her to overcome her fear and reconsider school again.
In another case, a child who had been exhibiting unusual thoughts and behaviour came to Hikayati. Through careful observation, symptoms of psychosis were uncovered by staff who arranged a referral to the Luminous stars centres (Al Ayn’s psychological rehabilitation centres). A careful assessment led to the diagnosis of Di George syndrome- a condition which causes not only psychological difficulties but cardiac ones too. He is now under careful follow up by multiple specialists there and any evolving cardiac difficulties will be detected and managed early.
“There is a change in her personality and a clear development in her skills, especially in the subject of helping others and teamwork”
“He benefited a lot from my story workshops where he didn’t like to go out or socialize with children and spend all his time inside the house and he didn’t have friends at school but now he says he has friends in my story and he loves them and he loves to communicate with them”
“Yes, my son had a lot of shyness, even the teachers at school were complaining about his shyness and lack of participation in class, but now I feel that he has improved a lot as he has the ability to speak in front of students in class and participate in school preparation”
I didn’t care about other people’s feelings, now I care. -Female age 12
I enjoyed it, you are very nice and treated me well. Now I can work better with other people. It changed my perspective and made me positive. It was perfect, I can’t imagine anything better! -Female age 15
Hikayati is like my family. I hope the smile lasts on your face like you made me smile. -Male age 13
A 9-year-old girl never liked to talk because she feels scared and if she talks to her she mumbles and no voice comes out of her, and it was noted that she has a beautiful personality and this personality has been developed and now the child has the ability to talk comfortably and clearly as well her relationship with her peers has improved and this contributed to the drawing of her personality again.
One of the children is very quiet to the point of inactivity but in the last 10 days he started playing and has a positive energy that fills the place and plays in a comfortable way.
One of the workshops had two children who thought they had no positive qualities, but after the end of the workshop they discovered that they had distinctive and real qualities and were very happy.
The Hikayati programme is a real testament to Al-Ayn’s commitment to improving the lives of orphaned children. Despite it being early days yet, the outcomes, results and stories that are coming out of Hikayati are very promising. The Hikayati, “My story”, centre will ensure that the children’s stories, which had a very difficult first few chapters, should have a much more positive and bright ending.