"B" is a 16-year old girl who belongs to an internally displaced family coming from Hajar Aswad area and currently living in Al- Qadam area. Her family consists of her father who does not have a stable job, her mother (a house wife), her elder sister (a 19- year old) and her special needs brother.

The girl used to be fearful of the idea of being part of social activities and communicating with others. The team attached to the Syrian Society for Social Development (SSSD) successfully convinced the girl to come back to Dahab Community Center and join the informal educational program (IFE). The girl showed repeated aggressive behavior and seemed introverted.

Her reactions were nervous and violent; she used to be short-tempered and often left the activity she was involved in.
During the ice- breaking activities in the first session of the IFE, the girl said that she hated school and teachers.

Teachers had made fun of her capabilities, which adversely affected her self-esteem and doubled her hate for mathematics, which later became her dilemma subject.
The intervention plan prepared by SSSD team included two main aspects.

The first aspect revolved educational activities covering diversified topics, namely, no to sarcasm, accept me the way I am, Myself vs. difficulties, seeking education secures the future, my trust is the source of my happiness, studying the interactive book of numbers, and studying the mental calculation series (addition, subtraction, multiplication).
The second aspect revolved referring her to the psychosocial support program, at which she received support about anger management techniques and ways of handling short-temper, and learned how to replace them with positive behavioral reactions that suit the situation. The topics the tailored program covered were: non-violent communication, dialogue, proper expression of feelings. Further, the child was trained on focusing on her strength and ways of overcoming her fear.
The team also helped out the girl in building up her self-esteem, accepting herself, and increasing her self-confidence by activating the role of her supportive social network.
The girl was happy to talk about her radical change, "I no longer get irritated and sad any more. I do not feel scared if someone is mad at me." She added, "I used to cry if someone asks me to add two numbers. Thanks to you I really like mathematics and I learnt how to add numbers without fear and tears."
The mother confirmed, "My daughter has really changed: her short temperament is less, she is excited to carry on with her education. Like the center's name suggest, you are all about gold (Dahab)."
One of her peers said, "B has changed the way she deals with us. She talks to us and plays with us. She no longer gets mad at us."
The girl decided to sit for the ninth grade national exam and our team will support her in this courageous step to ensure she successfully passes this educational stop.
The girl revealed, "I made giant strides thanks to you. I will never ever forget this. I hope I would be given the chance to actively spread the word about my progress in front of the community

A.TH is a 17-year old young man coming from an internally displaced family.Speaking about his life, he always used the word “loser”, particularly when referring to his failures: failing the ninth-grade national exam, dropping out of school, and being admitted into Khaled Ibn Al-Waleed Juvenile Center for abusing and selling drugs.

He joined the school attached to the center following his parents wish.

 
He missed out on many classes and teachers always complained about his attitude in class. His only response to the teaching staff corrective instructions was, “I am a loser, that’s what my father and mother have always thought of me, I don’t understand why they want me to go back to school now!” Then he began talking about his school drop-out experience: 
“I had an eye removal surgery at my early childhood days due to a tumor and my parents couldn’t afford an artificial eye. My embarrassment of my face appearance doubled and tripled as days passed by, and I let my hair grow long to hide my face.

At the beginning of the school year of the ninth-grade, the school principal instructed me to cut my hair, neglecting my feelings and reasons. Up until one day, she decided to expel me and cornered me to cut my hair to dismiss the expulsion.

That day was the breaking point of my life, I decided not to return to her school, I thought I was able to carry on with my education somewhere else and avoid such unjust rules.” 
He carried on, “For the second time in my life, with my parents’ tight financial abilities, I was not able to join a private center, and thus resorted to self-study, it was very tough experience, I was doomed to fail. My parents blamed me for quitting school and I heard the word loser a thousand times. I spent long hours on the streets to avoid hearing that word and met new friends, who were more understanding and encouraged me to work to prove that I am not a loser.”

“After sometime, I worked in a bakery oven; however, my self-esteem was still distorted, whenever I looked into my parents’ eyes, the word loser flashed, and sadness became my closest friend. The owner of the bakery oven gradually became a close friend of mine, one day as I was opening up my heart about my disappointments, he gave me an illegal street drug, the relief and ecstasy I felt were great.

I have been using drugs from that day onward, they help me escape the bitter reality. However, I found myself in need of more money, so I decided to sell drugs. Working as a dealer, I was arrested on the very first day and admitted into Khaled Ibn Al-Waleed Juvenile Center.

My parents want me to return to school, but I can’t wait to be discharged to rework in drug selling, it is my dream, I will make lots of money and prove to the world and my parents that I am not a loser.”

At that point, the education officer of the center activated her intervention with the young man:

⁻ When you dropped out of school, I noticed that you were determined on carrying on with your education. Was it just to prove to the principal that you did not need her school? 
⁻ No!
⁻ What was your dream? 
⁻ I wanted to be a journalist, a big shot one, I wanted to change the world with my words, I wanted to do a lot of things..
⁻ I wish you are aware of the way you talk about your dreams
⁻ What do you mean Miss? 
⁻ The way you are talking is very passionate and enthusiastic
⁻ It was my dream
⁻ Let’s give it a try, you can make your dream come true
⁻ I am a loser
⁻ You faced some tough circumstances like any other person in the world. You overcame them, and you should start all over again.
⁻ So you think that I am not a loser? 
⁻ You are not
⁻ Can I? 
⁻ It is up to you; you have to decide. 
⁻ I can 

The teaching staff worked in tandem to motivate and encourage the young man and spread the word about his educational progress; however, there was a bottle neck, the teachers noticed that he was high several times and heard him talking to his peers about the positive effects of drugs on the memory and focus levels.

The education officer was direct and asked him not to use drugs when attending classes. He kept using drugs upon entering the classes, even though she kept asking him not to, up until she decided along with the psychosocial support team to put him in a situation similar to the one he faced in his old school.

She expelled for lack of commitment toward school rules. He sent her many messages through mediators, some were negative “It is better to quit school” and others were positive “I will commit”. 
One day he came to her crying..
⁻ Why are you crying? 
⁻ I sent everyone I know to speak to you and you did not approve my return to school. 
⁻ There is one person who may make me change my mind.
⁻ Who? 
⁻ It’s you. 
- Remember the first time you quit school (I am not defending the principal) I think that she wanted you to believe in yourself; however, you did not understand her message and thus your reaction was not correct.

For the second time in your life, I am telling you to believe in yourself and your capabilities; overcome your weaknesses to make your dreams come true. 
The discussion lasted for two hours and eventually he returned to school and passed the exam. 
On the day the results of the ninth- grade national exam were announced, the young man ran all over the center crying out of happiness and saying, “I made it, I passed the exam, I am not a loser,” approaching all of his peers hugging them. 
⁻ He hurriedly approached the officer saying, “I want the baccalaureate books.” 
⁻ Slow down a little bit.
⁻ I want the books.. 
⁻ You have to register for the General Secondary certificate exam. 
⁻ Explain please.
⁻ Slow down a little bit.
⁻ I want the books; I want to have a piece of my dream next to me when I sleep tonight. 
Oh! Sorry Miss, I forgot to thank you.

I am grateful for the Syrian Society for Social Development.

I am grateful for the best team. Thank you very much Miss. The taste of success is very sweet. I want to accomplish more and more and be a famous journalist. 
The young man was discharged from the center after few days.

Nevertheless, the team of the center did not stop its support, providing him with all school supplies and following up with him about his progress, particularly his grades and teachers’ opinions.

With determination and hard work, he carried on with his education. On the very first day of the winter term, the education officer invited the young man to Khaled Ibn Al-Waleed Juvenile Center to give a speech about his experience. He expressed a lot gratitude and appreciation and kept saying, “Failure is when you quit. You should never quit. I was able to pull it out.. all of you could be successful.

The taste of success is very sweet.”
One fine day the education officer received a call from the young man, bringing the good news of passing the General Secondary certificate Exam.

His words touched her heart, “Today is the culmination of my success. I am thankful to the Syrian Society for Social Development, I hold high respect and appreciation to the best team, I will never ever forget your support and Allah’s blesses.”

Here is a real-life story of a young girl, Shahed Zuhair Othman, a 15- year-old, coming from a big family, three sisters, three brothers and the parents.

 The family had to flee to Al-Boubiyeh village for one year due to force majeure in Al-Hader village, the family’s home town.

 Harsh circumstances negatively affected Shahed and she dropped out of school for two years. 
The outreach volunteers attached to the Syrian Society for Social Development introduced the offered services to Shahed and she decided to visit Al-Hader Satellite Center to get to know all the programs. 
The facilitators closely observed Shahed during the educational classes and noticed her poor mental wellbeing and her fear about her educational future, until one day their efforts started to pay off, when the Geometry facilitator asked the students to assist him in solving a geometric problem.

 Shahed seemed hesitant, she raised her hand and then backed off, but the facilitator kept encouraging her, until she was able to recall some of the related rules. “I never thought I would be able to recall very old stuff,’’ she happily said.

 
Later on, in one of the Arabic language classes, Shahed read aloud a poem and the facilitator was impressed. “Each day I read aloud several lines of poetry at home; I am practicing to regain my skill,” Shahed proudly commented.

 
As for the French language, the facilitator noticed that the children showed lack of interest due to the absence of qualified language specialists; nonetheless, the children gradually showed substantial improvement, particularly, Shahed who was among the top students in the language, encouraging her classmates and assisting them in learning.

 
The improvements of Shahed’s emotional wellbeing and educational level were great milestones; however, passing the national exam of the ninth grade was a cornerstone that made her and everyone else proud and happy.

 She received a total mark of 165 and 18 in French.

 
Shahed is still determined to build up her educational reservoir, up-to-date she does not get bored of visiting Al-Hader center.

Marah, Mohammed, Farah, and Ahmed are siblings aged 19,18, 17 and 15. Their close-knit relationship and support are impressive and this manifested when their mother passed away in 2005, the eldest sibling Marah was only 6 years and the youngest, Ahmed, was 2 years; the mother’s death prompted them to stick together sharing responsibilities, the girls handled house chores and the boys worked with their father in his sewing workshop, which was located in their temporary home during years of the Syrian Crisis.

Currently, they returned to their permanent residence in an area called Telephone Hawaai. 
After some time has passed, their father got married to another woman and she gave birth to two children, Ali and Alia.

In addition to the huge responsibilities of the older siblings, they had to take care of their new siblings. The crisis had its toll on Aleppo City and the four siblings had to drop out of school, Marah, Mohammed, Farah and Ahmed quit when they were in the eighth, seventh, sixth and fifth grades respectively.

Their father did not believe in the importance of education, he himself had dropped out of school at the age of 12 dedicating his entire life to sewing works. 
One day, the mobile team attached to Al- Beit Beitak Community Center visited the family, where the kids expressed their interest to sit for the exam of the basic education certificate and the father showed no objection.

Tough circumstances and the siblings’ weak educational levels did not stop them from pursuing their dream, they regularly attended the educational sessions and relentlessly worked on developing their skills in preparation for the exam, they became idols of hard work and determination among their peers. 
During Math class, Mohmmed asked the facilitator to study at the center for long hours after the classes, in preparation for the exam, and the center’s team responded to his request.

Marah expressed her gratitude, “Here our focus level is better than home and we can directly inquire about things we do not understand.” 
Summoning all their awareness and strength capacities, the four siblings exerted their utmost efforts; however, with the harsh circumstances, only Rama managed to pass the exam, while the other siblings acquired diversified skills in analysis, drawing conclusions, reading and writing, school and education discipline. 
“Not a problem at all, Marah’s success is our success, next year we’ll sit for the national exam of the ninth grade, we will commit to classes in the center, if this won’t drive you bored.” Those were the words of the ambitious adolescent, Ahmed, reflecting strong will, high self-confidence, and resilience.

Mohammad Salem ‘Aboud, ‘Ali al-Maz‘al and Shaden Hawash al-Maz‘al, children barely 10, were displaced from Deir az-Zaur, their place of origin. Leaving behind all their possessions, they had fled the war, only to settle in the coastal city of Banias, where their families rented houses that sheltered them under tough economic conditions. As a result of these tribulations, the children were not able to register at school and were, therefore, deprived of their right to education.
Luckily, they heard from their mothers—who attend the Hear-My-Heart Programme sessions at the Beit al-Yasmin Community Center—about SSSD and the educational activities held thereat. Those activities are conducted in the framework of the Informal Education (IFE) Programme, involving children who dropped out of school through educational sessions using simple, interesting recreational methods. Information is thus conveyed in an otherwise participatory and communicative way than the conventional, lecture-based learning method. Hence, the mothers promptly registered their children in the IFE, plainly satisfied with a programme that would teach and help their children.
For two months, the children became regular visitors of the Beit al-Yasmin CC and were very happy with the information they learned. There was however a disadvantage: the CC was too far away from home at the town centre. So, to spare them the mobility discomfort, they were moved to the Ward Jouri SSSD satellite center which was opened at downtown Banias, where they resumed attending the sessions. Three months had passed: two at Beit al-Yasmin and a third at Ward Jouri, but the outcome was truly rewarding: they had learned the basics of reading and writing and arithmetic and were thus ready to return to school.
Nevertheless, the SSSD team kept working with the children, helping their parents register them in the public school, and accompanied them to the Educational Complex in Banias. The gesture was greatly appreciated by the children’s parents who warmly thanked the SSSD team. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You gave us back joy and contributed to realizing our children’s dream and ours as well: you made them get back to school, just like their peers!” said one of the mothers.
On Day 1 of the new school year the children, before going to school, came to Ward Jouri so we could see them in their brand-new school uniform. They were so excited! Later on, one of the SSSD volunteers went to the school to check on them. When she saw her, Shaden rushed toward her saying, “I’m so happy that I got back to school. I’ve already three new comrades!”