Applause and cheers erupted as the screen faded to black. The fanfare was well deserved: over the past four weeks, 20 young refugees produced four films each with a different storyline—but with the same powerful message of strength. Inside Zaatari, a caravan was transformed into a cinema for the debut of their films and a celebration of their hard work, talent, and their bravery to use their voices to break down walls and build hope.
"Everything is from their hands, and from their hearts," said Mohsin, founder of the Me/We initiative, during the event. "This project is about opening up spaces of communications within the youth, and giving them agency to exercise their skills as a means to tell the world their message—on their own, and in their own words."
In addition to the event held in Zaatari, the Young Eyes Art Center in Amman, Jordan, hosted a weeklong exhibition during which the films were shared with visitors. Thanks to Mohsin, this project will continue in Zaatari. All of the equipment used during the workshops was donated to Questscope, and the youth and case managers were trained to use it to capture their messages, and be the voices for their own stories.
There is laughter and joy inside of Zaatari, because of these incredible young Syrians. See it for yourself in this behind the scenes video of our celebration:
Mohsin talks about his experience, and Me/We initiative in a recent article for the Huffington Post.
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Me/We is a communications and arts initiative founded by Mohsin Mohi Ud Din, funded by the German government and supported by the UN Alliance of Civilizations.
Youth who participated in the Me/We project are from Questscope's mentoring and education programs in Zaatari, funded by the EU and coordinated by UNESCO.
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