Established in 2000, Right To Play is an international non-governmental organization committed to improving the lives of children and youth affected by conflict, disease, and poverty. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Right To Play is active in 15 countries across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, and has fundraising offices in six European and north American countries. Pioneering its innovative child-centered, play-based learning methodology, Right To Play works across the five key outcome areas of quality education, peaceful communities, health and well-being, gender equality, and child protection.
Right To Play has been active in the education and sports for development sectors in Jordan since 2006, training teachers in UNRWA and Ministry of Education schools as well as coaches in local communities to provide engaging interactive sessions that utilize games and sports for development methodology. Vulnerable Jordanian, Palestinian, and Syrian children who take part in Right To Play play days and tournaments are more engaged in school and have vastly improved life skills. In turn, the youth with whom Right To Play works achieve higher grades, experience greater levels of cooperation and cohesion, and are empowered to overcome trauma, adversity, and cultural stigmas to fulfil their dreams.
All RTP projects are gender-responsive, placing particular emphasis on female empowerment. They are also usually supported by a sustainable rehabilitation component whereby school classrooms and play spaces are renovated, football pitches are constructed within underserved communities, or students lead maintenance initiatives within their schools. In 2019 RTP reached a total of 102848 Jordanian, Palestinian, and Syrian children and youth in schools across Amman, Irbid, Zarqa, Mafraq, and Aqaba. In addition, the organization currently has 2904 active teachers and coaches, having trained 766 this year.
Reforming Education to Assist Disadvantaged Youth
RTP's latest project named "Reforming Education to Assist Disadvantaged Youth (READY), which is funded by the Latter Day Saints, aims to improve access to quality education in safe, positive learning environments for 2400 Palestinian refugee children in Marka’s Hitten Camp while increasing their enthusiasm for, and commitment to, learning. RTP will work in eight UNRWA schools with the highest dropout rates in Hitten Camp, training 30 to 40 teachers and eight headteachers in its play-based learning methodology and conducting trainings of trainers to enable further dissemination of the RTP approach. Four teachers will deliver remedial maths and Arabic classes after school for underperforming students, while RTP trains 120 youth leaders to organize youth-led initiatives encouraging students to remain active in school life. Community engagement sessions will be held to cultivate support for the education of children at high risk of dropout among 200 parents and community members, and a parallel component will be undertaken in at least two schools whereby solar panels will be installed, with money saved on electricity reinvested in school maintenance and/or infrastructural repairs. The ultimate objective of this project is for Palestinian refugee children to achieve better in school and have improved attendance.
All project activities will fall under one outcome. To foster children’s learning and enthusiasm for school, RTP will conduct play-based learning teacher trainings, trainings of teachers, play days and sports tournaments for students, and remedial maths and Arabic classes for regularly absent and/or underperforming students. To cultivate support for these students, RTP will also hold community awareness sessions, and to encourage them to remain active within, and to cultivate a greater sense of ownership of, their schools, and thereby to foster improved attendance, RTP will also support these students to undertake youth-led initiatives. At the same time, RTP will install solar panels in selected schools, the money saved on electricity in the ensuing years being put towards school maintenance and infrastructure improvement.
RTP is looking for a consultant to conduct a baseline study for the READY project. To read the full RFP visit: https://darpe.me/darpe-entries/reforming-education-to-assist-disadvantaged-youth-ready-baseline-study/
Deadline: 28 February 2021