Outreach in the MENA region: challenges and opportunities
Political turnulences are currently affecting the education sector in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. While the formal education system remains the main source of intellectual prosperity and development, more and more children are facing challenges to attain their rightful education. In this context, science centres and museums are required more than ever to step out of their buildings and deliver educational messages to a diverse audience of learners.
Speakers will share their experience in engaging communities around Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, reaching out to children and families in refugee camps and hospitals. They will also share lessons learnt from such unique interfaces between science and society, art and science; while at the same time reflecting on the contextual socio-political challenges each country is living under, and how potential collaborative work between educational institutions may overcome such challenges.
Facilitator
Ramallah
Palestinian Territory
Session speakers
The Children's Museum Jordan
Deputy Director at the Children's Museum Jordan and part of the management team that set up the children's Museum beyond Museum Walls Project that reaches hospitals and refugee camps.
Ramallah
Palestinian Territory
Assistant Researcher at the Science Studio - A.M. Qattan Foundation. My contribution to this session will mainly focus on how Palestinian children and families interact and learn science from the science festival activities and exhibitions that our Science Studio lead in the community and the challenges faced during such public events. I also hope during the outset of the conference to introduce a new approach that we followed in empowering our new exhibit development team.
Education Researcher and Co-Founder of Sonbola NGO
Sonbola Group For Education & Development NGO (Sonbola)
Co-Founder & Chair of NGO Sonbola Group For Education & Development (Sonbola), an NGO that provides education support for Syrian refugee children in Lebanon with special focus on quality and innovation. Massa is also the Education consultant at ESCWA's National Agenda for the Future of Syria (NAFS) Project, is a public speaker about Syria's Education crisis and has recently spoken at UK Donor's Conference for Syria (2015), at the UN General Assembly meetings in Sept 2016 and most recently presented Sonbola's STEM For Refugees Program which was recognized as one of top eleven programs at the UN Solutions Summit (Sept 2017).
