Karak club fostering young people's creativity, employability

AMMAN — If it were not for the Karak Creativity Club, Salma Habashneh said her life would have been "far less productive and not as interesting".

"Joining the club was the most important transformational point in my life," added Habashneh, who became a club member when it first opened in 2010.

The third-year civil engineering student first became involved in the club in order to pursue her passion for art and drawing, but it also inspired her to explore other fields, such as robotics and life skills. 

Now she is certified by the club to deliver training sessions in life skills to other students between 15 and 24 years of age in Karak Governorate, some 140km south of Amman.

Habashneh told The Jordan Times over the phone that the club was the place where she honed her skills, boosted her self-esteem and encountered new experiences.

One of these experiences was representing Jordan at the MEPI Student Leaders Programme — a series of workshops on leadership and project management skills, organised by the US government — which took place at Georgetown University last summer.

"It was a great opportunity for me to build on what I learnt in the courses the club offered me". 

Habashneh said the experience inspired her to start her own initiatives to boost the skills of girls and educate orphans in Karak.    

Hamzah Asasfeh, another certified trainer for fellow club members, said he was simply looking for entertainment when he joined in 2010 at the age of 14, but enrolling in robotics courses there and abroad directed him towards a new course of study. "I had always wanted to study medicine, but as the years passed, I realised that robotics was my passion. Therefore, I am currently a student of mechanical engineering," he told The Jordan Times over the phone.

Asasfeh described the creativity club as a "second home and a second family".

More than 4,000 students have benefited from the club since its establishment, according to Hussam Tarawneh, its founder and director.

"Young Jordanians have a great potential, and all they need is a suitable environment that incubates and nurtures their abilities from an early age," he told The Jordan Times in a recent interview.

The club adopts a "non-traditional" method for encouraging creativity, as it does not take into account students' academic record, intelligence level or performance in personal interviews.

"We engage all of those wishing to participate in a training programme that filters really creative individuals through natural selection," Tarawneh said, noting that the club has unleashed undiscovered skills in several cases.   

The club, which offers all its programmes at no charge, connects its students with mentors and experts in various fields, funds their projects and engages them in regional and international contests and conferences. 

"As the majority of the students come from simple backgrounds, we make sure to equip them with the necessary communication and interpersonal skills," he said, explaining that the club's life skills courses cover public speaking and time management skills.

The facility currently offers 34 "comprehensive" programmes in all fields of arts and science targeting four age groups: 5 to 11 years, 12 to 17, 18 to 22 and over 22, with courses addressing the needs of each segment.

"Programmes for graduates seek to increase their ability to compete for jobs in the private sector, which employs 70 per cent of graduates," Tarawneh said. 

Students at the club have so far won 18 awards at the national, regional and international levels, including through Intel and UCMAS, according to him.

Despite the achievements of the club, it faces social and financial challenges.

"Some parents and members of the community do not see the importance of supporting creative young people," Tarawneh said, adding that future plans need participation of parents in training sessions. 

Through local and international partnerships and connections, the club has been able to secure JD100,000 in annual funding to cover all expenses, the director said, calling on the local private sector to further invest in creative Jordanians.

"We aspire to establish a more specialised academy that graduates trainers and teachers able to encourage creative minds," he said, and the goal is to have branches in all governorates.

Tarawneh underscored the role of promoting creativity in combating extremism, as it results in "enlightened, self-confident citizens who respect the other, appreciate the arts, reject violence and fill their free time with constructive activities".