Jusoor Syria High School Study Abroad Program

With the crisis in Syria stretching into its sixth year, Jusoor will continue to implement the High School Study Abroad Program to support Syrian youth who have demonstrated academic excellence, leadership, and a strong sense of civic responsibility. This program is implemented by Jusoor with support from the UWC Syrian National Committee (UWC-Syria), and leverages existing mechanisms of both organizations to rescue and enable future global leaders.

The Syrian crisis has claimed over 400,000 lives, and the number of those forced to flee their homes has exceeded a staggering 10 million. As aid organizations struggle to provide Syrians with access to food, clean water, shelter, and healthcare, another basic need, education, remains largely unaddressed yet is vital to the long-term viability of post-conflict Syrian society.

Even when education is salvaged, international development agencies and governments mostly focus on basic education for younger children; some institutions and universities provide scholarships for higher education, yet education for adolescents often remains unattended to. Students in this age group face great challenges as they move to different educational systems, are required to learn a new language to enter public school, or need to work to support their families. Even when they manage to earn high school diplomas.

In their homeland where there is war, educational institutes are often managing a high influx of internally displaced students themselves, and the brightest and most promising students end up without the education they deserve to fulfill their potential and become the future leaders who will help their community towards peace and prosperity.

Before going to Woodstock School, Nawara lived and went to school in Damascus where she studied French and English alongside her native Arabic. She has a passion for painting and dancing, but also enjoys swimming, running, and hiking — although she had some difficulty finding suitable places for it in Syria. After losing her home in rural Damascus due to the outbreak of the war, she has made it her goal to “be an effective part in building a world where money is not a handicap in getting good education.” She wants to use her education with Woodstock to help change the culture of violence across Syria by increasing people’s respect for diversity of race, gender, and religion. “Education and enlightenment is the only way we can reach and sustain peace.”

Prior to starting at Woodstock School, Khaled was a student in Damascus where he was a distinguished chess player and an avid fan of mathematics. He studied English, French, and even began teaching himself Japanese. Khaled was also elected as a class leader and volunteered with the CircassiantheCircassian Charity Association, an organization providing help for those in need and organizing cultural events. He wants to use his education to help fight ignorance in Syrian society, by promoting understanding and peace. “Learning at Woodstock has definitely been a different experience. It’s very interactive, we do labs and write lab reports as if they were real scientific papers, we are required to do presentations, and teachers and the curriculum encourage critical thinking,” he shared with us.

Lea spent much of her life living between rural and urban Damascus, where she studied English, French, and German in addition to her native Arabic. As a member of Sawaed Al-Mahaba, Lea would often go hiking and camping, when she wasn’t singing with Al-Farah Choir. Lea is excited to use her education to advocate for gender equality across Syria, and is a firm believer that “empowering women should be the talk of every humanitarian organization.” Coming from a place where mortar bombs, bullets and explosions were the norm for nearly five years, she believes that obtaining an international education will help her pursue her passion for medicine, and improve the reputation of the Middle East across the world. She is currently studying at Woodstock School.

Before starting at Riverstone International in Idaho, Aya grew up in Salamieh, Syria. She is a musician, playing guitar, piano, and violin, and has been involved in various youth leadership programmes, like MOSAIC 2016. Aya has been doing karate since she was 10 and volunteering with Red Crescent for the past year. Since coming to her new high school in October 2017, Aya has been able to resume her music lessons and enjoy outdoor activities like rock climbing and hiking again. She wants to pursue a degree in dentistry post high school and plans to use her experience to fight for increased educational opportunities and to expand medical care.