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'Women in Dialogue' - 'Freedom of Choice and Action' - Social Initiative of the Women Group in Umm Al-Jmal, August 8, 2016 / Jordan
In the framework of the "Women in Dialogue"-Program (see previous article) a series of seminars were conducted in Umm Al-Jmal.
In order to enhance the participating women's leadership and self-inition skills, women were tasked within their group to come up with a topic for the "My Initiative" day that would enhance their skills and confidence as active members of the society and have positive impact on the surrounding community overall. Several creative ideas were expressed by women regarding the potential initiative, from among "Community Outreach Event to prevent Drug Use" was chosen due to the reported serious problems related to this issue.
The event was organized in the training room of the 'Umm Al-Jmal District Women Society' building with the attendance of (20) participating women, (70) additional women and other community members form Umm Al-Jmal, visiting speaker from the local police, local governor and representatives of Future Pioneers for Empowering Communities - FPEC'.
The event started with an outreach session led by the visiting speaker (a police involved in drug prevention), who explained to the women the reasons leading especially the youth to start drug use. A non-judgmental approach was explained as the best approach to prevent youth from turning into drugs, and anonymous confidential treatment facilities as best places to get rid of those in case of addiction. It was emphasized that in such anonymous places anybody can get treatment to their drug addiction without fear of being prosecuted by the police. The session continued with a lively community discussion about the topic, where the high prevalence of drugs on the streets, in schools, and even in local weddings was released, thus showcasing the complexity of this issue.
Additional remarks on the topic were presented by the local governor and representatives of the society, after which few success stories from the "Women in Dialogue' group member were told.