More about IRC Healing Classrooms in Lebanon

International Rescue Committee

August 31, 2016

In partnership with the Bezos Family Foundation, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has committed to serving displaced youth through our Healing Classrooms program in Iraq and Lebanon. Additionally, funds support work to enhance social and emotional learning components within the existing Healing Classrooms curriculum to improve children’s ability to survive conflict and succeed later in life.

Continuous mentoring and monitoring is provided for teachers to ensure teaching is supporting improved learning and social-emotional outcomes for children. Teachers work to improve social-emotional learning (SEL) skills, such as interpersonal skills, emotional and cognitive skills, emotional regulation and management, and empathy for others. These skills are framed around the core SEL competency areas of brain building, emotional regulation, perseverance, positive social skills, and conflict resolution. The program also supports the training of Parents Committees in supporting the education of the Syrian children through the provision of a variety of training including parenting skills for the PTA members and parents from the community.

IRC Community Mobilizers work to identify community members who can act as tutors and positive role models (volunteered and not paid) for groups of formal school students in their communities. These peer tutors are trained to support students through locally-led and home-based learning groups. They also support students academically by providing homework support. IRC Education teams in North Bekaa are utilizing the Syrian university students that got a scholarship from DAFI to do the tutoring for these help groups.

When it comes to involving parents in their children education, a group of Tal Abbass parents had taken that to a new level. Those parents took the initiative and decided to make bookshelves for the IRC School on their own so that the students and the teacher can put their materials on. This comes from the continuous support that the Parents & Teachers Support Officer provides for the Parents Committee as well as the surrounding community.

Hamza and Mouawiya (above) revealed the true goal behind IRC healing classrooms provision as a safe space for learning. Since IRC school started in khiara, both students got enrolled and were excited about their new school showing real perseverance and commitment towards success. The two brothers are big fans of drawing. They hold an amazing talent that able them to imagine, draw and pay attention to simple details in each drawing.

Laith is 9 years old in Grade 3 at Ahmad Jamil IRC School in Bekaa. At the beginning, he was not able to adapt to the school environment, due to his home environment. However, and because of his teacher and the teacher trainer, he overcame his aggressiveness and started to become along with the others. Now, Laith is one of the very special students; he started to show significant improvements in his behavior. He helps younger kids and supports his friends. In addition, his behavioral improvement is reflected in the academic progress achieved so far. Now he can read, write and participate in all the activities during the regular classes and PSS sessions.