2016 Gender Advocate Training in Fes!

Last month, the Gender and Development committee held its 2nd annual Gender Advocate Training in Fes. In attendance for the 2-day, bilingual conference were 15 Peace Corps volunteers and 17 Moroccan counterparts. Peace Corps Morocco volunteer Shawn Dubberly resides in Zaouia Ben Hmida and focuses her work on her community of girls at the boarding school (dar taliba) there. You can find out more about her service on her blog Bonjour Hello Salam. Shawn attended the training and shares her experience:

What is gender?

by Shawn Dubberly

That was the first question on the pre-training survey as we gathered in Fes for Gender Advocacy Training (GAT).  I had to admit it was a tough question. Everyone seemed to be confidently scribbling. I was afraid I would have to present my definition to a room full of obviously talented and experienced volunteers and their equally talented and accomplished Moroccan counterparts. Luckily, the first announcement that the facilitators, Brandy Blue, Noa Harris, Kika Kaui and Matt Hendrick made was to point out that the room was full of knowledge and the training would be an opportunity to learn from each other.

The training kicked off strong with a Safe Space Building activity. We created a guideline for behaviors that made us feel safe and also behaviors that made us feel uncomfortable.

Using the pre-survey question that gave me such a hard time, the facilitators opened up the training with a great gender awareness activity lead by Noa. Maybe you have done or seen a version of this, but I found doing the actual activity in a group very helpful. Seeing the activity play out showed me just how impactful and easy it could be in my site.

This was how it was structured:

 Each person was given a card. On the first side we wrote 3 examples about our own gender with the phrase, “ I am happy to be a (man/woman) because...”

 On the second side we imagined our lives as the opposite gender by finishing the phrase, “If I were a (man/woman) I would be…”

 The next step was to go around the circle and read from the first side. It was

time consuming but as Noa said, each voice added to a musicality of the group as

we defined how we felt about gender. After the first round there was a second round of reading the next phrase. This too revealed certain attitudes and Beyonce’s song If I Were a Boy kept playing in my head.

Next, we were given a short session on Gender in the Media by Matt. I emphasize short because there were so many good comments that we could not get to. It was a great discussion on an article by the Moroccan writer Fatima Sadiqi entitled Gender at Heart of New Moroccan Constitution. We discussed Moroccan reforms, good governance, political will and the implementation of reforms. This session was bursting at the seams with comments from volunteers and Moroccans with opinions backed up by first hand accounts. Unfortunately, we did not have time for questions of obstacles between the city and the countryside and how media outside of Morocco affects the gender identities within it.

 One of the Moroccan Peace Corps staff, Amina, told us that women are the first teachers for their children. The way women raise their children is very powerful. In

her opinion, pointing out that influence could lead to empowering mothers to consider gender equality when raising their children.

After lunch we broke off into two groups for smaller discussions. The Moroccan counterparts were presented a session on the iceberg theory of culture, while the American volunteers had a round table on best practices when doing gender work in

site. It reinforced the idea that the best knowledge comes from experience and I was

very thankful to hear similar concerns and obstacles from many volunteers. As well, we shared examples of positive ways to overcome difficulties.

As outsiders discussing gender issues with our Muslim communities, we talked about sensitive communication. One volunteer suggested giving examples from smaller, lesser-known religions such as Confucianism or Daoism to pull student out of their structured responses to religiously sensitive material that they know well.

Another volunteer's suggestion was to cite Muslim feminist or female Moroccan Scholars when presenting difficult material. As well as reminding students that language always affects interpretation.

The second day began with a Vote with you Feet activity on some facts and figures

about gender in Morocco. It was encouraging when I got a few of the answers correct

and it was a great way to start off a full day that included a session on empathy and a

detailed presentation from MRA Mobilizing for Rights Associates.

Brandy presented the activity on empathy. It was a real hit and easily adaptable for a

Moroccan audience. The basic concept is to make a group of people make a single

decision on weather to take a vacation to the ocean or to the mountains. Each person is giving a card with a motivation and the activity is to use empathetic skills to come to a consensus. It’s always fun to do a little role-playing and even with all the jokes and laughing, real practice can be achieved.

Mobilising for Rights Associates, MRA, joined us for the next session. The presentation on the 2004 Moroccan Family Code was insightful. MRA founder Stephanie Willman Bordat and her Moroccan associate Saida Kouzzi did an excellent job presenting information and resources on the family code, which is commonly called the Moudawana but is correctly termed the qanon l’usra. I was impressed by Stephanie's generosity from the start of the presentation when she asked to hear about our sites and any specific topic within the presentation that we wanted to know more about. The presentations covered the new reforms made to marriage and divorce. I found it interesting that the family laws are the only laws based on religious concepts. All other types of Moroccan laws are secular. Also, Article 400 invites judges to use their own interpretation, which allows for different applications of the law.

The final session was a mini Project Design and Management Workshop. This is where we were able to discuss a future project with our counterparts. The facilitators gave us a helpful continuum tool to assess if our projects were accommodating existing gender differences or transformative in supporting and strengthening gender equality.

The success of the training showed by how the conversations stayed strong through

coffee breaks and lunches when participants added their own stories to deepen the

framework on the training. All the participants were completely engaged with the topics from start to finish. I thought the activities were useful and I look forward to using them in site to help advocate for gender equality in all my projects.

Here are some of the language used during the Gender Advocate (GAT) training that

could be useful when discussing gender topics in your site.

English - Transliteration - Arabic script

safe space lwaSaT l’Amin الوسط الآمن

gender Nnaw3 ljtima3i النوع الاجتماعي

Sex ljins الجنس

feminine unta أنثى

masculine dakar ذكر

patriarchy ddukuriya الذكورية

gender lens 3adasat nnaw3 عدسة النوع

advocate Lmutarafi3/lmudafi3 المترافع/المدافع

family code laws qanon l’usra قانون مدونة الأسرة

divorce Tllq طلّق

(a irreconcilable divorce

without damage payment)

(when a woman pays her

husband to repudiate her)

Equality lmusawat المساواة

Gender role Ddawr ljtima3i liljinsayn الدور الاجتماعي للجنسين

Equal opportunities Takafu’A lfuraS تكافؤ الفرص

shiqaq ق الشقا

Khul3 خلع

Minor/underage qaSir القاصر

2016 International Women's Day

Tuesday, March 8 is International Women's Day and GAD wants you to start the celebration with a social media party!  Follow these easy steps to be part of the fun:

1. Take a picture of a woman or girl in your community who you admire - don't forget to get her consent ;)
2. Use one of these two phrases to describe your post:  "I am proud to be a woman because..." or "This woman inspires me because..."
3. Add the hashtag #IWDMorocco
4. Post it everywhere: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and all the rest!  Go wild!  It's an IWD Party!

#IWDMorocco

Once you've shared the love on social media, GAD Maroc has some excellent resources to help you teach students and friends about IWD!  They're easy-to-use, great for informal settings or a classroom, and translated into Arabic so your counterpart can get involved!

First, be sure to check out our newest toolkit, Men as Partners!  It's a great way for male PCVs and coutnerparts to celebrate IWD with the men they work with.  Some awesome features include:

• activities that explore and question "male identity"
• ways to become an empathetic partner and listener
• Coffee Shop questions for directing conversations outside of a formal learning environment

Next, we're featuring the Self Esteem Toolkit, designed to help women of all ages explore their inner beauty and value.  Participants will:

• express themselves creatively by creating flowers
• identify personal traits to be proud of
• celebrate a range of identities and skills

And, as always, if you haven't yet done a viewing of You Can Dream, it's an excellent way to inspire Moroccan women with success stories told by Moroccan women!  The video is available on youtube and you can find guiding questions (Arabic and English) in the You Can Dream toolkit.

Join GAD Maroc in celebrating 2016 International Women's Day and share your experiences with us!  As always, GAD wants to hear how you're helping bring about gender equality in our world!

For Regional GLOW Camps in Morocco, The Intensity Of Planning Is Worth The Results

by Brandy Blue


Something that GAD Morocco often advocates and celebrates is the implementation of GLOW camps at various sites around Morocco. GLOW stands for Girls Leading Our World and the camps help fulfill Peace Corps Morocco's goal of spreading female empowerment and raising self-confidence. GLOW camps ideally create a safe and supportive environment for cultural exchange, leadership development, and fun. These camps have been a part of Peace Corp's work since 1995, and have been held in over 60 countries worldwide.

To a new volunteer, spearheading a camp of this kind can feel daunting. The planning process involves a lot of communication with various officials, grant writing, arranging spaces, beds and food for the girls, devising a curriculum, and collecting a group of hard-working volunteers and counterparts to facilitate the event. I spoke recently with volunteer Emma James about her experience holding a regional GLOW camp earlier this year. Emma, an Avon, Maine native, came to Morocco after completing her studies in Anthropology and Education at Bowdoin College. She is currently wrapping up her 2 years of service in Tighassaline, Morocco.

Her passion for expanding education for girls is palpable. When asked why she took on this project, Emma says, "There is a dearth of opportunity presented to girls in this region of Morocco – and identifying this was all the inspiration we really needed to prepare for GLOW. Many of the girls from our communities are trapped in a mindset that their life plan is predetermined: girls are to stay in their small villages, marry young, start a family, and become a housewife." Currently in Morocco, 80% of young females from rural areas who attend school drop out between grades 1 and 6. 

She continued: "The goal of our camp was to encourage girls to abandon this flawed mentality, push gender barriers, and reflect on what they really want in life. Most importantly, we wanted to empower girls and lead them to realize that the above is possible, regardless of the gender stereotypes and expectations that they have been exposed to." Emma plans to advance her work post-Peace Corps by moving on to a graduate program at the University of Pennsylvania focusing on international girls' education.

Planning for GLOW camps, especially one as large and intensive as Emma's, takes a lot of patience. A camp for the region was originally slated to take place last year, but due to bureaucratic issues it was postponed at the last minute. Emma says the apparent theme during all the administrative issues this time around was, "hurry up and wait." She said the support she received from her regional manager, Houda Mansouri, was critical throughout the laborious planning stages. But ultimately, with sponsorship of the Ministry of Youth and Sports and Association CJM co-signing on to the grant, the camp was held in El Hajeb from January 31st to February 5th of this year. 

Emma and her co-planner Garrett Powers were able to pull together the multi-provincial camp with the help of 14 other current Peace Corps volunteers and 14 Moroccan counterparts. Emma said the scope of the camp was rewarding but also the source of many of the planning challenges. "We had girls from four or five different provinces. This meant that we had to receive special permission from the Ministry in Rabat," she says. "If your camp is going to be one or both of the above points, start early and get things in writing instead of just a verbal agreement."

Ultimately 68 girls were able to participate in the camp. They were able to become active learners in sessions involving a range of themes: Gender and Development, Health (physical and mental, healthy relationships), STEM, Arts, Goal Setting and a Career Panel, Feminine Hygiene and SIDA, Self-Esteem and Self-Respect. During the planning process Emma delegated much of the activity work to the other involved PCVs. While she handled all the administrative paperwork, she says, these PCVs were essential to keeping the actual camp planning alive. "I cannot stress this enough," she says, "don’t be afraid to delegate tasks and responsibilities. Other PCVs are there to help and want to be planning and working. It would have been impossible for Garrett and me to plan everything while also dealing with all the bureaucratic nuisances."

Other PCVs were also essential in getting girls physically to the camp. As a camp that involved traveling from other provinces, close contact with parents was very important. A number of girls were not able to attend at the last minute because of withdrawn permission from their parents. To avoid this, Emma advises close personal contact with the families of the girls before the camp begins. Girls that had initially been given permission were ultimately kept home because their families became uncomfortable with the subject matter of the camp or the lack of a family chaperone. Emma emphasized to "avoid this problem by talking to parents beforehand when the idea is originally presented to girls, if they still have problems then you can give another girl the opportunity to go to camp."

Once all the planning, attendance issues, and curriculum was developed and set into motion, the actual camp was a great success. Emma is most proud of the sessions presented on goal setting. A panel was arranged featuring "five very successful women: Hoda Mansouri, RM from Peace Corps, the Delegue of Youth and Sports to El Hajeb, a hospital administrator, the head of AXA insurance branch at Hajeb, and a physics teacher." The girls were able to hear some different perspectives on future careers and ask questions. "What made it so special is that in the morning girls had attended a goal planning session. Girls transitioned from thinking about their own futures to listening to five incredibly successful women talk about how they once were in their position. It was inspirational and motivating for the girls."

The feedback of a particular participant embodies the general feeling surrounding the close of the activities. She said, 

I would be a liar if I said that GLOW camp wasn’t the greatest experience of my life thus far. I’ve learned how to be independent. I re-learned what it means to be “responsible.” I learned how to behave and work with different people. I’ve made new friends. In addition, I’ve learned how to listen to other people’s problems. I was so happy to play all the games at camp. It was my first time speaking in front of a large crowd and talking about my opinions and myself. I loved it! I’m going to miss you all a lot.

Another participant simply stated “I wish I could stay at camp forever.” This feedback is what makes the arduous planning process all worthwhile. In a country where safe spaces for girls to learn and grow can seem to be few and far between, experiences like this can create a sea change in the development of young women. So, as Emma recommends: “start early, get stuff in writing, work with your RM, delegate tasks to PCVs, give out permission slips early, and talk to parents, especially fathers.” Then get out there and celebrate the girls in your life with a GLOW camp!

Interview with a GAD Counterpart

Last week, GAD sat down with a fabulous GAD counterpart (and the PCV she works with) to find out what it's like for Moroccan working with Peace Corps Volunteers.  The following interview reveals some tips and insights into being a great counterpart and finding a great counterpart to work with.

The interview was conducted with Raja  in Darija in her home near Errichidia.  Please note that while many PCVs feel it is important to find a counterpart whose English is impeccable, Raja speaks very little English and communicates primarily in Darija.  Her work relationship with her PCV counerpart is conducted in Darija.

Photo credit: Alison Elder

Alison and Raja at the Women's Empowerment Network Training in Ifrane

GAD: Tell me a little about yourself.

R: My name is Raja. I volunteer with an association Chorok, which helps women and children who are divorced or in poverty, often those whose husbands have died.

GAD: What did you study at University?  Where?

R: I studied Arabic language / linguistics at the University in Errichidia.  I received a 3-year diploma and finished 2011.

GAD: When did you begin working with Peace Corps?

R: Before Zohora (PCV Alison Elder) shwiya I worked with Anna Schiffer.  We did a small weekend camp in Taous: we played games with children between 7 and 12 years.  We did another project at the Dar Chebab, for women.  I helped her partner with the Association Chorok to do a small health workshop. I began with Zohora when she arrived.  

GAD: How many Peace Corps workshops/trainings have you attended?

R: I’ve been to many: IYF in October 2015, Gender Advocate Training in December 2014, Project Development Management in April 2015

IYF celebration picnic (Raja pictured center)

GAD: What is the best event you have put on?

R: IYF and PDM.

Our first group of IYF, with 25 people.  We had mothers and people doing the BAC.  Everyone came on time and were motivated to work with us.  They were the best group because they listened and focused.  We did a flyer at the Dar Chebab and used word of mouth to advertise.  We need good relations with others because people need something new.  They need trust.  They need constantly to enjoy what they’re doing.  Two volunteers tried IYF in the past but were unable to succeed.  We speak from our heart and do a lot of planning in order to make a great program for the youth of Boudnib.  The youth of Boudnib need IYF.

(talking about PDM) Before, a Moroccan association gave bicycles to young girls [in town] to prevent them from dropping out of school.  But that wasn’t the solution, because the girls didn’t want to go to school.  We received a list of 6 girls who had dropped out of school and asked them how we could help them, but they merely didn’t want to study.  So we hope to begin the project again with Dar Taliba (a boarding house for young women).

The best program we did with Zohora: Women don’t know how to take care of themselves: their health, their heart, stomach, sucar (diabetes).  People came from the hills, which was very hard.  We had 140 women and a tent.  We worked with a diabetes assocition Moharabat de Sucare in [town].  Everyone went to Taous early in the morning for two days.  We did diabetes testing, with the help of PC and Moharabat de Sucare.  We brought nurses from the hospital to speak to them about how to be healthy.  We did aerobics both days, ate lunch with them.  We did it a second time with a different topic: family planning, how to cook healthy food, how to take care of their periods (reusable pads were donated from an NGO in the US), importance of and how to breastfeed.  We had 140 people, some new and some returned.  The ones who returned had gained confidence, spoke up, asked questions, engaged with the nurses.  The Red Cross came from Errichidia and spoke about and did blood pressure testing.  

Raja, left, at the women's health workshop in Taous

If we have the chance, we will do it again.  The women really enjoyed.  It makes me happy because Errichidia and the South East have a problem.  We need healthy women, because everyone has this problem (lack of health education).  We need women leaders.  Our role in society is important.  We need equality for everyone.  Men must help children to learn.  Women help to train their children about health and how to live so we must help them learn.  Because one small message from the mother becomes big in the [children's] mind[s] as they grow.  Health education is the most important lesson in life.  How to take care of yourself is first.  Women in the [country side] aren’t like women in the center.  They don’t know everything about health, when they must go to the hospital, etc.  This is our goal.

GAD: Why do you think it is important to work with women in Morocco?

Because women don’t have associations.  They talk a lot about associations.  They have lots of ideas but don’t do anything, in truth.  We need to work with women and need volunteers to work with women.

I know other volunteers like me, but sometimes they don’t want to work much.  You must be working and thinking about work all the time.  I have ideas before I go to sleep.  Every volunteer must first think about their goals.  That is a volunteer.  There are many problems in life, not just health.

First, you must know the students who you will work with.  You must understand them and what they want: health or studies or what.  This is the role of the volunteers. We must also know their schedules, when they are at the farm and when at souq, so we can work with them.

GAD: Any advice for other Moroccan counterparts who want to work with women and Peace Corps?

R: You must have a focus on humanity, first.  You must love all people.  You must listen well.  If you have an idea, you must respect time, you must know everything, you must be prepared.

GAD: When Zohora leaves, will you continue your work?

R: Inchallah.

Raja, working with other volunteers, helping her community build a playground

Alison / Zohora's feedback on working with a GAD counterpart

GAD: How did you find Raja3 as a counterpart?

I would say Raja3 is a pretty obvious counterpart.  When I first got here, we spent a ton of time together.  She knows everybody and is bubbly and outgoing and confident and everything wonderful.  And so I guess the first time we worked together - she would come to aerobics - was for the IYF because she hadn’t really worked as a counterpart before.  So I was a little unsure because she was a little all over the place.  I wasn’t sure how she’d handle professional things but she was stellar.  Really great counterpart.  

My advice for people working for counterparts - the reason why she and I succeeded is, although she is naturally wonderful and obvious, but also after IFY I didn’t say, “Now you go do this.”  I would push her, ask when to start, we would work on it together, and for the first 40 lessons we did, I went with her and supported her and helped with planning.  I encouraged her. I think it’s important to not think, “It’s all on them”.  The program has to be started by you.  It won’t just happen.  I asked Raja3 what are issues facing women here?  She did a huge part of the planning and she’s someone I trust to tell me what the community needs and she’s very enthusiastic and happy to help out.  She’s extraordinary.

Empowering Women and Youth in the Fes-Meknes Region Through Entrepreneurship

Jamie Kreindler is a first year Peace Corps volunteer. She came to Morocco after completing her Bachelors of Arts in Dance and Psychology in 2014. In addition to her new project, Jamie has been active in the Supporting People With Special Needs committee and the Model United Nations in Morocco project. 

She recently became involved in a youth and gender-targeted development initiative in her site, and shared her experiences with GAD:

“Empowering Unemployed Women and Youth through Entrepreneurship” is the title of a new, gender-focused ongoing project in the Fes-Meknes region. It began in partnership between Greenside Development Foundation (GDF) and the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) with the thinking that “economic initiative drives participation in civic society, leading to stronger communities, new jobs, and a sense of dignity and activism.” The goal of the project is to reach 1,200 unemployed women and youth in 6 cities in the Fes-Meknes region of Morocco: Fes, Azrou, Sefrou, Imouzzer-Kandar, Ribat El Kheir, and El Menzel. Every two weeks over the next five months, trainers in each city will train a group of 20 women and youth, totaling 200 people per city by the completion of the trainings. 

Ali Aaouine, the co-founder of GDF, was also the host brother for PCVs Steve and Jennie Williams during their Community Based Training (CBT) in Imouzzer-Kandar from January to March 2015. Near the end of CBT we found out our site placements- Steve and Jennie in Ribat El Kheir and myself in El Menzel. I was excited not only to have Steve and Jennie as my closest Peace Corps neighbors but also to learn about GDF’s exciting upcoming initiative in our communities. Hearing about GDF through Steve and Jennie was the beginning of my involvement with the association. 

Initially hearing about the project 8 months ago turned into summer meetings at the Youth Centers in El Menzel and Ribat El Kheir as well as GDF’s office in Immouzer-Kandar. I started to learn more about GDF, their work, and their mission. The vision of GDF is to “alleviate poverty through empowering sustainable youth employment. [It] is a not-for-profit organization pledged to fighting poverty in the Middle East North African (MENA) region. Founded in Seattle, WA in 2010, GDF is dedicated to the idea that cyclical poverty can only be addressed through a combination of education, access to capital, and partnership with communities.”

In 2013, Aouine was working with PCV Bo Ghirardelli to serve the youth of Imouzzer-Kandar. They had the idea to create an association to support youth entrepreneurs in the region through training, mentoring, and funding. At this time, Aouine was awarded an AEIF grant through the US Department of State. This grant is given to alumni of USG exchange programs and allowed GDF to launch 35 microenterprises in Imouzzer-Kandar. Over the past two years, GDF has continued to create new businesses and employ Moroccan youth in the region.
Last month marked the official launch of GDF and MEPI’s latest project “Empowering Unemployed Women and Youth through Entrepreneurship.” I worked closely with the trainer in El Menzel and other local volunteers to hang up banners, pass out flyers, talk and talk some more with community members, and visit surrounding villages in effort to spread the word about the project. On October 31, 2015, the Opening Ceremony for the project took place in Immouzer-Kandar. Representatives from MEPI, local authorities, GDF’s team, a handful of PCVs, and many community members were in attendance. The director of El Menzel’s Youth Center even showed his support!

This week the six trainers in Fes, Azrou, Sefrou, Imouzzer-Kandar, Ribat El Kheir, and El Menzel will train the first group of women and youth. The trainers will apply their in-depth business planning and entrepreneurship training to the training groups. Trainings will focus on how to start a project in terms of financial, technical, and human resources. The trainees will receive information about how to receive credit, how to market a project, and more. Furthermore, the trainees will be mentored by the trainers in order to start their new microenterprises. At the end of the project, participants will showcase their business models during a Youth and Women Entrepreneur Exhibition day.

In El Menzel, the beneficiaries of “Empowering Unemployed Women and Youth through Entrepreneurship” range from button makers to traditional craftsmen to Master’s Law students to electricians to widowed mothers and everything in between. El Menzel is the smallest of the six cities, so one of the challenges we face is reaching the goal number of 200 women and youth. However, the team of volunteers is working hard every day to build relationships and connect with community members. I see this challenge as an opportunity to impact the community in a positive, lasting, and transformative way.

The website is still under construction, but for more information about the project, read here.

We Can Play Soccer Too: Fiquh Ben Salah Girls Soccer and Leadership Camp

by Emma Goldbas

As a new volunteer in Morocco, I was surprised when I arrived in my community to see so many young girls playing sports among other girls and boys. In my small mountain town, I was unsure whether or not girls would have the same mobility to play competitive sports. To my pleasant surprise, I was connected with the local, all-girls soccer team in Azilal. The team was comprised of nearly twenty girls from Azilal’s center and the surrounding duwars. I began to play with the girl’s on a weekly basis, joining their practices and traveling to their games to show my support. As the summer came closer, the girls began to play less even though we managed to enjoy several midnight matches during the month of Ramadan. When the holy month was over, the girl’s soccer season had come to an unwelcomed end, and the girls seemed disappointed that there would no longer be any matches or weekly practices until the new school year began.

            During the summer I received a call from another volunteer, Kelsey Goodman in Elqsiba, inviting me to bring my team to a camp she, Alex Matthews, Cole Ulbrict, Treva Vollmer, and Mickey Gamonal were organizing in Fqih Ben Salah. Ecstatic about the prospect, I began to tell my girls about the opportunity. After many phone calls to and from the girls, I was able to take eight players to the soccer camp to train and play with other local teams and participate in a leadership program that would supplement the soccer training.

            We arrived at the Dar Taliba in Fqih Ben Salah and met several girls from nearby towns in my region like Elqsiba, Bouujad, Beni Mellal and the Atlas 05 team from Fqih Ben Salah. Five other Peace Corps volunteers had brought their teams, and several semi-professional players were there to help coach and facilitate the daily activities at the camp.

On the first day of camp, the volunteers facilitated a series of icebreaker activities for the girls to become acquainted with one another and to set boundaries, goals, rules, and a schedule for the camp. Parts of the first icebreaker was arranging the girls into new teams so they would have the opportunity to meet other girls from Morocco and learn to play as a new team with a new name. Each day the coaches and counselors organized soccer drills for the girls on their new respective teams. We ran several drills and had the newly formed teams scrimmage in a tournament that would culminate with a championship game between the two teams with the highest number of points on the last day of camp. It was amazing to see the relationships that formed among the players on their new teams. The girls formed new identities together and learned to play with girls from all over Morocco, girls of all ages and level of soccer skills.

            In the afternoons, these relationships grew even more when a local association called Nun w Finuun Fqih Ben Salah came in to do a series of gender-based trainings that focused on leadership and self-confidence. One training was a confidence builder: it began with a brainstorming activity that encouraged everyone to write both a series of adjectives that described them and a series of adjectives that did not describe them. Then, girls taped a blank piece of paper on their backs. Each girl would walk around in the room until the leader said to stop. The girls that were closest together would write a word or a small phrase that they thought embodied that person. After several minutes, the girls were allowed to take off their piece of paper and look at the words and phrases their peers had written about them. The activity ended with a dialogue about how our self-image sometimes differs from what others see.

Additionally, Nun w Finuun led theater and dance workshops that taught expressive arts and built teamwork skills through creative collaboration. These workshops built up towards the final day when all participants performed their collaborations for the whole camp.

One evening we watched the movie You Can Dream. The movie highlights the stories of six successful Moroccan women who come from a variety of backgrounds and education levels. After the movie, our counterpart Mohamed from Nun w Finnun facilitated a discussion with the girls about gender norms and their goals for the future. The girls talked about expectations of marriage versus education and power dynamics in relationships.

Aside from any activity or movie we watched, the camp empowered the girls by giving them a space to be taken seriously as athletes. The girls came from all different backgrounds. For example one girl plays on the Moroccan U-17 team and other girls have never played a game of organized soccer in their lives. At camp, girls of all skill levels were coached by top-level players and respected as athletes and leaders.

            The Fqih Ben Salah camp was modeled after the girls’ soccer camps that volunteers in the Souss region have hosted with the womens’ professional team AMJAD. We hope that more volunteers across Morocco organize these types of camps to encourage the confidence-building and leadership skills that organized sports inspires within girls.

            Moreover, in a week’s time a group of forty girls from Midwest region of Morocco joined together to play soccer, build leadership and confidence, practice dance and theater, and get to know like-minded girls from their country. Breaking down the set teams and allowing the girls to play on new teams that combined players from all four cities, forged a new kind of camaraderie that was supported by the work of Nun w Finuun Fqih Ben Salah and Peace Corps volunteers. We hope that this camp empowered young girls to continue to play soccer and to be leaders on and off the field.

International Day of the Girl 2015

by Brandy Blue 

Sunday, October 11^th was the U.N. designated International Day of the Girl. Volunteers around Morocco were encouraged to integrate gender development activities into their regular work at youth centers and women's centers throughout the country.

a young woman in Tinejdad shares her art

 1^st year volunteer Noa Harris has a background in creative education and social work and is an expert in gender-based violence. She is also a member of the Gender and Development committee. To celebrate the International Day of the Girl in Tinejdad, Noa developed an activity with two goals: to spread awareness about the special day, and to give a safe space to empower girls and young women to embrace their own emotions and be able to express themselves to others.

There are many different paths to empowerment. A more commonly-used path is by giving girls access to education and knowledge of the world. However, “education is not enough,” says Noa. Another path is empowerment through knowledge of ourselves. This emotional intelligence includes knowing one's own emotions and being able to give a voice to them. Noa aimed to create a safe space where girls and young women in her community could use their voices in this way. “In Morocco and all over the world we hear men talking more than women. [On the International Day of the Girl] we offer a space for girls to talk,” she says.

Noa was not alone in her endeavors. The moudira of the dar taqafa Aicha Behu helped by publicizing the event and gathering a group of 17 girls and young women, ranging in ages from 6 to 18. Noa also utilized the skills of her counterpart Nezha to translate the event while Noa facilitated the activity. The event took place on Saturday, October 10^th at Tinejdad's dar taqafa. The afternoon was divided into several parts: introduction to the International Day of the Girl, a challenge asking girls to examine what they would like to change about themselves and then symbolically enacting that change, an opportunity to share what the girls liked about themselves, and finally a craft activity that invited the girls to celebrate themselves.

In the first activity, the girls were invited to think of something about themselves they would like to change. Then, the girls walked through an imaginary machine that created that change within them. Participation in the activities was slow at first, which was a personal challenge for Noa. Because the girls were timid, Noa used herself as an example, reflecting that she wished her Arabic could be better. She then walked through the “machine” and came out with new-found confidence in her language ability. This encouraged the girls to do the same, and most of the group created their own change in the “machine,” by themselves or in pairs. Some girls felt more confident doing this activity while holding Noa’s hand rather than alone. “Sometimes we need a crutch,” she says. “Crutches aren't negative, as long as we can be aware of our own needs and ask for help.”

Participation picked up on the second activity, when Noa asked the girls to state something they like about themselves. Most of the girls were able to share with the group which created a warm and positive environment.

simple supplies and some space are all you need

 After these uplifting thoughts, the group took time to make flowers out of recycled egg cartons with paint. A way to empower as a facilitator is to be engaged and equal to the participants, and Noa took part in all aspects of the event. “When we ran out of brushes,” she recalls, “I was the first to dip my fingers in the paint.” After the flowers were lovingly crafted the group sat in a circle in the room, being sure to remove any physical obstacles like tables and chairs. Then Noa asked all the participants to state why they deserve a flower.

Happily all the girls and young women held a flower and said “I deserve a flower because..”. The answers were diverse:

I deserve a flower because I am a good student.

because I'm a girl.

because I'm a good basketball player.

because I respect my parents

because I pray.

a circle of positivity

These are just some examples the girls shared.

According to Noa, the flower activity was the perfect way to end the event. “We are all flowers,” she says. “Sometimes buds need time to blossom. We need to know how much sun and how much water we need. There are different seasons, and we are not always in bloom. But we all have the potential to blossom.”

Noa considers the event a success and encourages other volunteers to use these ideas in their own work. Ideally, she advises, this activity involves a motivated counterpart or mastery of the local language in order to fully communicate the undertones and underlying themes of the event and International Girl's Day. This kind of activity is more personal to the community and can help express those themes without talking about women's rights as an international struggle. Sometimes, says Noa, grand themes like #62milliongirls can be lost on a local Moroccan girl who feels isolated from the big-picture. This kind of activity gives the individual girls a platform and encourages them to use their own emotional intelligence to empower their own lives.

“Once you have a clear goal,” says Noa, “there are different ways to reach it.” She encourages other to find their own voice to create an event for the next International Girl Day.