A journey together for Syria
Young Syrians have been forced from their homes by conflict, but that’s not stopping them from striving for peace.
They face many challenges, dealing with the trauma they experienced, making new friends, staying in touch with other Syrians and family who have been dispersed around the world, getting into education and employment, and learning new languages and cultures.
A global network for peace
Hundreds of young Syrians and people from their new communities have been working together to find out the challenges they face and solve them through community action projects. Follow the inspiring stories of these young activists who have joined the Aswat Faeela (Active Voices) network to make their voices heard locally and internationally and build a better future.
Hear our stories
How is the Aswat Faeela network working for peace?
The Aswat Faeela network brings together Syrian youth and young people from the Middle East and Europe, to work together to build peace and advocate for positive change. They are learning how to lead action research, advocacy campaigns and social action projects in their communities. Using their skills, these young activists are transforming the challenges they face into opportunities, creating their own solutions to help with peacebuilding, creating economic opportunities and social cohesion.
Meet Rahaf, a young Syrian building a new life in the Netherlands
Like many Syrians who travelled to Europe, Rahaf travelled by sea using the services of illegal smugglers. Finding her way alone in the Netherlands was hard, but she gradually found a way to build a new life. When she found the Aswat Faeela project, she met other young people like her, keen to find a way to build peace and support one another.
Syrian activist Menweer has found a way to raise his voice through music
“Music helps me in many ways to express what I am feeling deep inside,” says Menweer.
Kidnapped, sold and taking a stand for Syria, Tarek shares his story
Despite being kidnapped and sold during his journey from Syria, Tarek eventually found safety in Denmark. Here, with help of Aswat Faeela, Tarek is working with other Syrians and the local community to identify and help overcome the key obstacles around the integration of Syrians in their new community.
Young Syrians taking social action
For two days, young Syrian social activists living across Europe came together for a workshop in the Netherlands to address some of the challenges they face. Their task was to design social action projects to improve relationships between Syrian community members and their European host communities.
After the workshop, the participants will further develop their advocacy initiatives and connect with other young people from across the MENA region, so they can speak up about the issues their communities face and promote solutions together.
Aswat Faeela is a truly unique initiative, bringing together people from diverse backgrounds and countries in a physical space to share common experiences and learn from one another. The relationships and ideas that are formed through the project show how young people are able to develop answers to the toughest of challenges when they’re provided with the space to talk and work together.
